Posts Tagged ‘reviews’
A third serving of some delicious recipes
The Lady Laird of Ballindalloch had no intention of serving up third helpings of homemade recipes, but I am thrilled she did. This instalment is packed with delectable ideas, and includes a special nod to the country’s exceptional game. As a pudding fiend, I’m taking note of her banana, orange and passion fruit soufflé which…
Read MoreHow to trace your Scottish roots and ancestry
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church & State Records is a thorough guide to Scotland’s genealogical landscape and is a useful tool for researchers of the diaspora to have at hand. Paton examines common records used by family historians, including censuses, tax records and registers of land ownership. A basic knowledge of the legal system…
Read MoreOvercoming her grief in the mountains
This beautifully candid memoir follows the life of Munroist, Sarah Jane Douglas, and her battle with grief. After losing her mother to cancer, Douglas finds solace in climbing Scotland’s forbidding mountains. A heart-wrenching read, it is testament to the cathartic nature of the wilderness. True stories do not always see the ‘happily ever after’ ending,…
Read MoreA fascinating insight into museums’ model ship collection
On the back of the success of Glasgow Museums’ ship model collection, they have created this extraordinary coffee table book. Taking a decade to compile, it covers all 676 ship models produced by Clyde shipyards and Glasgow-based ship owners. Ranging from the majestic RMS Queen Mary and famous Royal Navy battleship HMS Hood to the…
Read MoreHistorical adventures after Culloden
I’m normally a fan of historical novels so Son of a Jacobite sounded right up my street. Beginning at Culloden in 1746, Thomas Lovat enters the world on the same day that his father is killed in action. Inspired by the author’s family heritage to the Clan Fraser of Lovat, the novel takes its protagonist…
Read MoreThe perfect book for Scottish lighthouse fans
If, like Sarah Kerr, you are an avid pharologist (the technical term for lighthouse enthusiasts) then this guide is the perfect purchase for you. It’s the only one of its kind to provide a comprehensive listing of more than 600 lighthouses in Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Channel Islands. The…
Read MoreCharting Scotland’s long history through verse
An anthology of poetry charting Scotland’s journey through the high and low points of its history using the medium of verse. This unique poetic saunter through the centuries also includes a useful little explanation of the background and the events that led to the penning of each poem. This book is the perfect way to…
Read MoreWorld War I – as seen first hand in the trenches
Mud and Bodies is a fascinating collection of letters and extracts from the war diaries of Captain NAC Weir during the period 1914-1920. The diaries were found by his grandson shortly after his death and provide a first-hand account of the life of a young soldier on the Western Front during WW1. It includes an…
Read MoreCelebrating the capital in words and pictures
Edinburgh means different things to many people. In this book, the product of a collaboration between photographer Allan Wright and poet Gerda Stevenson, the interaction of their dual perspectives on the capital makes for a different take on the traditional Edinburgh coffee table book. Eighty-seven photographs are accompanied by 22 new poems, some in Scots,…
Read MoreA delicious book to awaken the tastebuds
Mezze – Small Plates to Share is a delightfully appetising recipe book. It explores the taste of the Middle East and the Mediterranean through a vast selection of scrumptious mezze dishes, made from fresh and healthy ingredients which can be enjoyed at any time of the day. This vibrant book, which features beautiful photography by Jan Baldwin,…
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