Posts Tagged ‘books’
War through the eyes of a Scottish conscript
The Adventures of a Highland Soldier, 1808-1814 reveals how the Peninsular War was seen through the eyes of an ordinary Scottish conscript. Few men from the 71st Highland Light Infantry who sailed with Wellington to Portugal returned six years later. The new rendition of this honest tale, edited by Paul Cowan, includes little-known diary entries…
Read MoreBacon rolls in Perthshire change lives in Africa
Strathallan School’s Kenya Project celebrates ten years – and £100,000 raised this year. The project, which has been running since the 2009/10 academic year, raises funds, awareness, and volunteering with sister projects in Nairobi and Kenya’s Rift Valley. The pupil-led initiative has brought about pop-up tuck shops and the Kenya Café at school events, patriotic…
Read MoreThe life and loves of the Bake Off’s Prue Leith
A long career as a restaurateur, caterer, television presenter, journalist and cookery writer has provided Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith plenty of material for her novels. She tells Scottish Field of her life in kitchens, as a writer, and her favourite place to eat in Scotland. I grew up in Johannesburg in a…
Read MoreThe Snowman revealed as Scots’ favourite festive read
The Scottish Book Trust today revealed that children’s picture book The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs, has topped a national poll as Scotland’s most loved Christmas book. The news comes as the charity launches its first ever festive fundraising appeal to provide books and support to teen parents and their babies. Findings from the Centre for…
Read MoreCelebrating the Gaelic experience
A forgotten and marginalised culture, the Gaelic experience is exposed as it was, is and all it might be. Written in both English and Gaelic, Shore to Shore, is an anthology of Gaelic raps, secular poems and aphorisms artistically and vividly bringing the Gaelic world to life. Descendants of Gaels now reside in every corner…
Read MoreReintroducing the golden eagle to the south
‘The whole air is a thoroughfare for the eagle.’ I thought of these words of Euripides as I sat on the rocky shore, fringed by ancient oak woods, and watched a pair of golden eagles dance in the sky high above. I had been studying one of them as it sat silhouetted and motionless on…
Read MoreBlown away by beautiful glass sculptures
Ice and fire, light and shade, Elin Isaksson’s beautiful glass sculptures have been shaped by her travels and love of nature. From the icy depths of her native Sweden, with its rugged landscape hinting at the country’s volcanic past, it is perhaps not surprising that Elin would find herself drawn to creating stunning works of…
Read MoreA historical novel that’s so intense it feels real
Rosemary Goring’s powerful sequel to her critically acclaimed debut After Flodden is set in the tumultuous borderlands of Scotland and England. Dacre’s War is a story of personal and political vengeance at the heart of the power struggle. It has been a decade since the battle at Flodden and the unrest is rife in the…
Read MoreExploring the cultural history of the Highlands
Disturbed by tales of wild beasts, harsh geography and the bloody conflicts of warring clans, few travellers ventured to the Scottish Highlands until after the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie at the Battle of Culloden. The influence of the clans was curbed and the Highlands became celebrated by poets, writers and artists for their beauty…
Read MoreA party problem will make the wee ones smile
Mac and Bob and the Party Problem is a colourful and imaginative children’s book which is a fun read for little ones who appreciate the illustrations and medium-sized ones who love the tale. Even Mummy can relate to the plot, which sees Mac invited to a party only to realise that he has nothing to…
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