Posts Tagged ‘reviews’
A passionate affair in The Sound of the Hours
Occupation during the Second World War in Barga, Tuscany, turns plans for the future of 17-year-old Vita on their head, in The Sound of the Hours by Karen Campbell. The arrival of Frank Chapel, a young black US soldier, finds the Scottish-Italian heroine falling deeply in love. The vividly portrayed characters embark on a passionate…
Read MoreWhat has made Room 101 and Big Brother normal
Author Dorian Lynskey believes that every generation finds aspects of George Orwell’s 1984 that resonate with their own political times. Today we have the normalisation of lies and what the Trump administration has called ‘alternative facts’. Another major issue anticipated by the book, published in 1949 and now in its 70th anniversary year, is the…
Read MoreYou can have your Cake – and read it
Refrigerator Cake is an enjoyable, humorous and contemporary collection of short stories from young Falkirk-based author, Dickson Telfer. With subject matter which guides the reader through subjects as diverse as teaching the class from hell to a 92-year-old man’s quest for peace, this is not one for the fainthearted, but Telfer’s humour will resonate with…
Read MoreCelebrating the life of a Scottish painter
Edwin G Lucas (1911-1990) was born and spent his whole life in Edinburgh. A prolific painter, he was heavily influenced by the surrealists, a style he blended with his own individual methods to produce colourful and fascinating paintings. The book reveals the little-known story of the Scottish artist who stopped painting for almost thirty years…
Read MoreA handy guide to walking Fife’s Pilgrim Way
Officially opened in July 2019, the Fife Pilgrim Way has two starting points, the first in Culross and the second in North Queensferry. From these towns the path snakes its way across Fife to the ancient city of St Andrews, following in the footsteps of our medieval predecessors. In this essential companion, Ian Bradley brings…
Read MoreA guide to guns and rifles in the 21st century
With stunning photography throughout, British Gunmakers of the 21st Century is a magnificent volume which showcases the variety of British-made guns and rifles available today. Dallas, an advisor to Holts Auctioneers, provides an illuminating history of the top notch gun manufacturers who still employ a significant element of hand craftsmanship whilst embracing new technologies. For…
Read MoreA handy guide to wine is bound to impress
Tasting Notes is a lovely little guide to buying wine from the general manager of the Horseshoe Inn near Peebles, a man with 30 years in the trade. If you are on the lookout for a fabulous bottle to impress your friends or just to enjoy on a Saturday evening then this is for you.…
Read MoreBellfield Brewery opens tap room in Edinburgh
Peter Ranscombe joins the UK’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery for the official unveiling of its bar in Scotland’s capital. NECESSITY is the mother of invention, or so the old saying goes. For Alistair Brown and Giselle Dye, that adage came true. Dye’s husband, Robin Baillie, was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2000, with Brown being…
Read MoreAn interesting guide to Scotland and the Scots
This entry in Winn’s ‘I never knew that’ series sees the author take a tour around Scotland detailing the people that have made this great land what it is. Various luminaries are detailed alongside their achievements and legacies. He also focuses on various well-known families and we learn of notable members of these clans and…
Read MoreDead Girl Walking presents a new thrilling mystery
Dead Girl Walking sees the long-awaited return of Jack Parlabane. Christopher Brookmyre’s ex-journalist protagonist has fallen from grace and has an investigative job looking for the missing lead singer of a pop group. Brookmyre writes convincingly from both the perspective of Parlabane and Monica (the violinist in the group). The plot is thrilling, tense and…
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