Dead 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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The Tobermory Cat is a fun story for children

The Tobermory Cat is the enduring tale of one feline’s quest to fill his empty stomach. Illustration is vivid, with a charming rusticity and acres of pastel illustrations. Besides its educational value, which will help younger readers to become more familiar with counting from one to ten, Gliori’s story is faithful to her setting: full…

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From the slums of Glasgow to ruling the music world

The Youngs is an unconventional profile of the highly idiosyncratic Young brothers, who were the heart of the band AC/DC. Author Jesse Fink attempts to explain how Malcolm and Angus Young, two brothers who grew up in the Gorbals in Glasgow came to sell 200 million albums and become one of the best-selling bands of…

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A cookbook interspersed with classic comics

The Sunday Post’s favourite matriarch, Maw Broon, brings us a pleasing compilation of family-orientated bakes to suit any occasion. Interspersed with favourite comic scenes from 10 Glebe Street, these recipes are perfect for those wanting to master the basics and reacquaint themselves with enduring Scottish classics like the delicious Selkirk Bannock or Empire Biscuit. Bake With Maw Broon, published by DC Thomson, £14.99. [review rating=”3″ align…

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A handy guide to Scotland’s spiritual background

The Traveller’s Guide to Sacred Scotland is a user-friendly guide to early Scottish settlements: from the Neolithic Age of cupmarked stones to the tired remains of the 16th century, when religious institutions fell victim to the violent throes of the Reformation. Marianna Lines also examines Scotland’s geographical idiosyncrasies in the context of inherited folk tales…

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Fringe: 3, 2, 1… you’re back in the room

Call me a spoilsport, but I’ve always been a little sceptical about anything involving mind readers and hypnotists. Quite frankly, I can’t decide if a night with a Ouija board would make me want to run away screaming in fear or just make for a good night of entertainment among friends. So when I was…

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A history of the Borders – delivered on foot

In compelling study Walking The Border, Ian Crofton documents his trek along the Anglo-Scottish Border, on foot or by train, digging deep into historical archives and listening to the stories of those along the way. In a larger sense, Crofton calls into question the borders which encircle us, restrict us, define us in a world…

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Light fantastic celebrates Scotland’s unspoiled beauty

A testimony to Scotland’s impressive array of unspoiled places of beauty is showcased in Scotland’s Still Light. Andy Hall’s well accomplished photography is coupled with the words of Scottish literary giants such as Liz Lochhead, Norman MacCaig and Edwin Morgan. Their contributions nicely supplement the curves and crags, the skies and shores of Scotland’s wholly…

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When the Vikings came to Strathclyde

Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age is critical exploration of early medieval Strathclyde. It examines the neighbouring peoples that challenged its authority, taking into account the multitude of corrupted sources that distort our understanding of this period. From the Damnonii of the Clyde, to the emergence of Alba, which combined Pictish and Scottish…

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Fringe: The art of satire is far from dead

Satire is defined as the ‘use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.’ Melinda opens the show by describing herself as a satirist, there was no need as that was apparent from the first verse of the…

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