Posts Tagged ‘reviews’
Spooky 19th century tales from a Scots writer
As Halloween approaches, we all like a little bit of a scare. Despite being a household name during the latter half of the 19th century, few today are aware of the thrilling tales of Margaret Oliphant, and yet they are ripe for rediscovery. From suspenseful hauntings to strange tales of afterlife and the emotional echoes…
Read MoreShort story collection is a great little read
Edinburgh Shorts is a collection of 16 short stories set in the city of contrasts that is Edinburgh. The characters and their lives are as varied as the setting and the versatility of the stories holds the interest of the reader with ease. The charm of this book is that the stories are short enough…
Read MoreThe Stillman is a novel packed with dark humour
The Stillman is Tom McCulloch’s first novel and the characterisation of protagonist Jim Drever surely draws on the author’s upbringing in the Highlands. We’re in 2010, the worst winter in years, and Jim, stillman at a Highland distillery, has just turned 50. His obsessions are his comfortingly predictable job, and the movies, full of fictional…
Read MoreA gripping mystery full of historical facts
Original Death is the third book in Eliot Pattison’s colonial mystery series – following on from Bone Rattler and Eye Of The Raven. It sees exiled Scottish clan chief Duncan McCallum attempting to solve the murder of an entire village of Native Americans during the pre-revolutionary era. Pattison’s writing incorporates historical fact and is all…
Read MoreChile: Where quality needn’t cost the earth
Chile once again demonstrates that it can produce high-quality wines at affordable prices, as Peter Ranscombe samples bottles from stablemates Santa Rita and Carmen. GAZE along the bottom shelf of most supermarket wine aisles and two countries’ bottles will jump out at you – Chile and South Africa. Both nations are renowned for producing cheap…
Read MoreA fascinating look at the churches of Glasgow
Anyone who walks around Glasgow can’t fail to be impressed with its architecture. Despite being someone who has lived in the west of Scotland for the vast majority of his life, there are times when I forget to look around me and appreciate the beautiful buildings which are there. Some of the most impressive of…
Read MoreHome is where the heart is – and is full of emotion
John Mackay’s latest novel, Home, is the definition of the phrase ‘home is where the heart is.’ It centres around one family over a century, beginning with a simple man called Faroe who built a house on a Hebridean island for his family. Faroe and his wife had seven children, who grew up and had…
Read MoreLost opportunities and a touching human story
From the very first page of this poetic novel, the reader can witness the story shimmer into life. Writing simultaneously in Gaelic and English, Campbell evokes the haunting beauty of the Western Highlands in this romantic tale of chance encounters and missed moments. When the narrator passes a girl on the staircase of a ferryboat,…
Read MoreOn the case after a man is wrongly executed for a murder
A Rattle of Bones is a murder mystery rooted in history. In 1752 James of the Glen was executed for the murder of government man Colin Campbell. So, when publicity comes to light claiming he was innocent and that his namesake James Stewart – who has been incarcerated for the last ten years for murder…
Read MoreA fascinating insight into the history of Lewis
Lewis: The Story of an Island is a delve into the history of a great island in the Hebrides. This book explores the history of Lewis and its people as well as the mythologies, maps, architecture and of course the Gaelic language. Despite personal roots on the island, I have sadly never had the chance…
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