Edinburgh’s old town in prose, poetry and photos

Renowned storyteller John Fee offers a unique insight into Edinburgh’s Old Town. This is a book that blends prose, poetry and photography to bring to life this famous part of Edinburgh. A lot of effort has clearly gone into collecting the various stories, making this an enlightening read even for locals who’ve lived here all…

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Fantastic beasts (but not where to find them)

This book vividly brings to life the mythical creatures from a wide range of Scottish legends and folklore. It beautifully engages the imagination thanks to both the stories and the incredible illustrations that accompany them. This picture book has everything – the Loch Ness Monster is here, of course, but so are the less well-known…

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Scottish folk tales from the best storytellers

Just looking at the cover of this book makes me want to curl up with a mug of something hot and dive into all the tales it has to tell. Put together by Scotland’s Storytellers and The History Press, this collection includes legends from all over the country, with each chapter signalling a change of…

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The perfect book for the deer stalker

Ingeniously combining facts, trivia, advice and personal observation with fictional short stories, this is the perfect book for every deer stalking enthusiast. Covering everything from recipes to stalking techniques this book will surprise even the most well-versed deer aficionado while being easy going enough for the newly enthused novice. The Deerstalker’s Bedside Book, by Charles Smith-Jones,…

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Meet the ex-gamekeeper who gifted Billy Connolly a banjo

Euan F Cattanach hails from a long line of retired gamekeepers. Here, though, is one gamekeeper who has a few extra strings to his bow. Working from his shed in Aberfeldy in Perthshire, he is one of a few ‘band of brothers’ making banjos. His workshop recently had no other than Billy Connolly dropping by…

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The story of a family’s move to Scotland from Sri Lanka

The Land of Lost Content is a personal account of Sureshini Sanders’ life. It details her triumphs and struggles as her family came to Scotland to start a new life, escaping the civil war in Sri Lanka. This true story explores love of country and people as, amid heart-rending stories, Sanders talks about the cultural…

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Short stories and varied lives in The Way Out

The Way Out is a compilation of short stories depicting the dilemmas, desires and disappointments of men and women, young and old. Vicki Jarrett explores these people’s lives and their trials and tribulations in relationships, the economy and society. The Way Out is an impressive assemblage of heart-warming yet chilling cases, brimming with stark truths…

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You 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…

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Fringe: True stories of an incredible life well lived

There are some people that can make their lives complicated, there are others for whom life is complicated, then there is Fiona Goodwin. The title of her monologue, A Very British Lesbian, gives it away: she is a lesbian. Everything conspired to keep her in the closet, her religion, her country and her mother’s desire…

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The tragic story of a Scots soldier – in his own words

So many Scottish families have their own stories from World Wars I and II.  This is the biography of Charles Grant Tennant, a pacifist who joined the Army at the outbreak of the Great War and died in May 1915. Cumbrae-based Fergus Boyle has assembled a fascinating first-hand account of the life of his great-uncle,…

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