Book review: Roald Dahl’s Reekin Rhymes

What’s the story? In recent years, many children’s books have been getting rather special makeovers, taking them and translating them into Scots. For example, Roald Dahl’s The Twits became the Eejits, while JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book became The Philosopher’s Stane). The entertaining trend continues with Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, becoming Reekin Rhymes. Dahl…

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Review: The Willow Tea Rooms Recipe Book

This is far more than a straightforward recipe book, as The Willow Tea Rooms is the story of a piece of Glasgow’s history. It opens with an introduction by Anne Mulhern, who revived the tearooms in the 1980s, followed by a brief history of the original tearooms founded by Kate Cranston and designed by Charles…

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Review: The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster

With a refreshing new spin on the classic legend of the Loch Ness Monster, Lari Don offers children a tender and inspiring tale. Cousins Kenneth and Ishbel cross Loch Ness in search of the famed treasure beneath Urquhart Castle so they can buy food for the winter. Driven by the legend of the castle’s two…

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Book review: Spey Flies – How To Tie Them

Veteran fly fisherman and expert fly tier Bob Veverka offers perhaps the most extensive book yet on Spey flies. Putting all he’s learned down on paper, he includes how-to-cast guides complete with step-by-step photos and informative paragraphs on the different Spey patterns and colours. A must-have for any fly fishing enthusiast, the level of detail…

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10 places you have to visit when you’re in Stirling

It’s easy to forget that when living in a country like Scotland, there’s no need far to find yourself by some fantastic sights. All it takes is a couple of hours and some knowledge on where to go. We’re equipping you with the latter. This summer, Stirlingshire is a place worth finding. 1. Stirling Castle…

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The secrets of global crime with McMafia writer

The writer of hit BBC series McMafia is coming to Edinburgh to lift the lid on global organised crime and its corrupt political networks. Based on his best-selling book, McMafia, and the BBC TV drama it inspired, author and award-winning journalist Misha Glenny takes his audience on a tour through the dark depths of world…

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Book review – The A-Z of Edinburgh

Part of Amberley’s A-Z series, A-Z of Edinburgh offers a well-rounded look into Scotland’s capital through succinct, informative pieces on its monuments, various locations, and remarkable people. Lisa Sibbald’s alphabetical selection, with Sean Connery, Dolly the Sheep, and Arthur Conan Doyle next to one another, makes for an interesting read. A treat for anyone looking to…

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You can’t help but take note of Susie’s work

Calligrapher and painter Susie Leiper is surrounded by quills and a range of Chinese brushes in her bright Edinburgh New Town mews studio. You may not think that you’ve ever seen Susie’s work, but you definitely have. It was Susie’s fair hand that produced the Gaelic poetry calligraphy on the new Royal Bank of Scotland…

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Three authors in the running for the Kelpies Prize

A haunted lighthouse, a lost wizard and Bonnie Prince Charlie all feature in this year’s prize for new Scottish fiction for children. They are all in contention after the Kelpies Prize 2018 Shortlist was revealed. Independent Edinburgh publisher Floris Books recently announced the shortlist. The Kelpies Prize, which is now being awarded for the 13th time,…

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King Henry’s Sister Margaret: Scotland’s Tudor Queen

In King Henry’s Sister Margaret: Scotland’s Tudor Queen, a biography of Margaret Tudor, Mary McGrigor breathes new life into the story of one of the most important female figures of the period following the War of the Roses. Born in 1489, daughter of the recently-crowned Henry VII, Margaret would go on to marry James IV,…

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