Posts Tagged ‘books’
Six book shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize
The judges of the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction announced its eleventh shortlist today. The six-book shortlist is: The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey (Atlantic); The Parisian by Isabella Hammad (Jonathan Cape); To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek (Canongate); Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor (Harvill Secker); The Redeemed by Tim Pears…
Read MoreThe fascinating story of historic Dumfries House
Dumfries House holds a very special place in Scottish history. When the foundation stone was laid in 1754, it became the first home to be designed by John, Robert and James Adams, the architects whose practice became arguably the most famous in the UK. The house hit the headlines in 2007 when Prince Charles, the…
Read MorePupils booked up for an exciting train journey
Pupils at a Scots school received a visit from the authors of an exciting new book. Prior to schools closing with the coronavirus pandemic, more than 150 East Lothian school children listened to bestselling and award-winning author Maya Leonard and her co-author Sam Sedgeman talk about their brand new book, Adventures on Trains: The Highland…
Read MoreThe life and crimes of author Craig Robertson
Crime writer Craig Robertson confesses to a fondness for cemeteries and his local 19th-century pub, as well as taking plenty of inspiration from his home town of Stirling. I could probably be accused of being a bit of a fraud in one aspect of my writing. All but one of my books are set in…
Read MoreRomance, politics intrigue and crime in Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Yuletide 1743, and Redcoat officer Robert Catto would rather be anywhere else on earth than Scotland. Seconded back from the wars in Europe to captain the city’s Town Guard, he fears his covert mission to assess the strength of the Jacobite threat will force him to confront the past he tries so hard to…
Read MoreAuthors Live celebrates with 10th birthday bash
Poet Michael Rosen returned to BBC Scotland to help celebrate 10 years of the popular children’s reading project, Authors Live. Hosted by BBC Scotland in partnership with Scottish Book Trust, Authors Live – which sees well known writers give readings and advice to school pupils – has now delivered 79 author broadcasts to more than…
Read MoreHagrid returns to school for World Book Day
Pupils and staff at Glenalmond College in Perthshire really entered into the spirit of World Book Day, even welcoming Harry Potter character Hagrid to the school. Robbie Coltrane, who played Professor Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, attended Glenalmond as a boy. However, this week it was the statuesque Mark Nichols, Glenalmond’s head of…
Read MoreBig names for this year’s Doune The Rabbit Hole festival
US hip-hop instigators Public Enemy (Radio) while award-winning, Mercury Music Prize nominated, award-winning performance poet, rapper, novelist and playwright Kate Tempest are coming to the Doune the Rabbit Hole festival. This is the only chance for festival fans to see both headliners in Scotland this summer. The headline acts join iconic Glasgow indie band Belle…
Read MoreAnnual £1500 Wigtown Poetry Prize invites entries
The annual £1500 international Wigtown Poetry Prize – which celebrates Scotland’s three indigenous languages – is now open for entries. As Scotland’s international poetry prize it promotes and nurtures work in English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic, attracting entries from as far afield as the USA, Canada, Australia, Ecuador and China. Founded in 2005, Wigtown Poetry…
Read MoreLOVE Gorgie Farm opens its doors
LOVE Gorgie Farm, formerly Gorgie City Farm, opened its doors on Saturday with a huge celebration and range of family-friendly activities. Edinburgh’s Depute Lord Provost, Cllr Joan Griffiths, joined with a number of local celebrities including radio presenter Grant Stott, Hearts CEO Ann Budge and Hibs footballer Ryan Porteous, as well as Edinburgh and Scotland…
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