THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

What more can pleasure offer us, and how can we transform this pleasure into intentional practice in pursuit of a collective liberatory future?

When a society marginalises a people, their humanity is revolutionary in all its hunger and joy. As the queer community worldwide faces rampant transphobia, rising hate crime, and unequal access to support services – all in the context of humanitarian crises, a climate crisis, and a destabilised political landscape – hedonism can play a central role in how we seek to organise as a symbiotic system. When viewed through a queer lens, hedonism undergoes a process of transformation, embodying the power for change and much more.

Borrowing from the Ancient Greeks’ understanding of love’s multiplicity, Roses for Hedone explores queer hedonism not as a momentary phenomenon or indulgence, but rather a transformational route – whether via euphoric raves, inspired art, marching side by side in protest, or sharing simple delights – through which we can learn from our past, connect in the present, and look towards a more fair, hopeful future together.

Holy Boys seeks to address the lingering echoes of adolescence and the pains of living a life in the shadows of unspeakable desires and all-consuming longing. These poems are a means of finding language in youth, gathering experience in pubescence, and serving as testament to survival in a world that demands silences throughout queer life.

These poems are an archive which maps physical desire and emotional needs while pushing past dogma and self-hating. They are a means of naming the many lovers and loved ones who have helped move the speaker from boyhood into manhood. This is a collection that is informed by faith, sexuality, loss and love, a celebration of the growing pains that eventually allow us to unfurl into whole beings.

1936. Spain erupts in civil war. The Republic forms an International Brigade and calls for volunteers to combat a Nationalist uprising led by General Franco.

After his best friend Jimmy is killed by a police baton on a hunger march to London, Glaswegian Robbie Gillan has a fist fight with the mortician. The police are called and sympathetic nurse Alice Sheridan gives Robbie £5 when he tells her he wants to join the battle in Spain.

Alice’s twin brother Simon argues with his father over Spain and leaves on the night ferry for Paris where the volunteers are gathering. In a knife fight with Franco loyalists, Robbie Gillan saves Simon’s life and the two men, opposites in class and temperament, cross France and climb the Pyrenees to Spain. Alice, drawn by emotions that are not entirely clear to her, soon follows with the Red Cross.

The battle cry of the Spanish Republic was No pasarán. Pasaremos. They shall not pass. We Shall Pass – the defining spirit of this gripping novel that takes us into the heart of war and reveals the enduring power of love, hope and defiance as Robbie and Alice must overcome every obstacle to be together.

Edinburgh, 1948. Welfare Officer Helen Crowther has enough on her plate between her hectic job, her complicated love life, and her growing reputation as a troublemaker. Last year’s scandal did nothing to help with the disapproval she already gets as a woman in her line of work.

All she wants now is to focus on doing what she loves: helping the poor of the Fountainbridge ward in the city of Edinburgh. The last thing she needs is another string of murders to distract her . . .

But when a gentleman dressed in working-man’s clothing winds up dead right under Helen’s nose, and she catches her own father in a very risky lie, Helen is propelled back into the dark world where class rules, justice is hard to come by and gruesome death is everywhere.

Helen has already learned some hard truths about her city, but this investigation is about to reveal just how deep corruption can go . . .

Driving the North Coast 500? Good choice. This epic road trip travels through Scotland’s famed spectacular scenery, making it the UK’s favourite driving route. Not that it’s all about the scenery: along the way you’ll pass through pretty fishing villages, stop at pubs and distilleries, and visit plenty of historic sights, like Dunrobin Castle or the mysterious standing stones at Clava Cairns.

Such a great road trip deserves a great book to match. In the North Coast 500 you’ll find:

• over 100 highlights to explore along the route, from the historic Culloden Battlefield to a charming, community-focused café in tiny Bettyhill
• illustrated maps detailing each leg of the route
• insider recommendations for the best places to eat, drink, shop and stay
• suggestions for detours, including a cutting-edge rewilding centre, a UNESCO-listed bog and the famous Isle of Skye
• practical information so you can plan, get around and stay safe
• what3words addresses for every stop, so you can reach even the hardest-to-find places with ease

The best thing about this guide? Our experts, travel writer Rachel Laidler and photographer Daniel Alford, have been on the road themselves, giving you the insider’s view on what make the route so special. For an honest account of the road trip, look no further: this is the perfect book to dream and plan your Scottish adventure.

Alex and Pip are in desperate need of an escape. Their stressful roles as hostage negotiators are eased only by the fact that they get to come home to each other every night.

When an old friend invites the couple up to the Scottish Highlands for an extended break, Alex and Pip jump at the chance. It’s the rest they both need.

But soon after they arrive at the castle, they hear the sound of gunshots, and their perfect escape turns into a perfect nightmare. The remote mountainous landscape is now the setting for a terrifying kidnap plot targeting one of the other guests.

In the desperate hours that follow, Alex and Pip must call on all their years of negotiating experience to keep everyone alive. But with Pip gravely injured and the net closing in, it might be her life that needs saving most of all…

When Lady Viviane leaves the lakes of the far North for the splendour of Camelot, she knows the destiny her father has planned for her. To capture the heart and hand of the young prince, Arthur. To bring her family richness and glory.

But it is Arthur’s sister Morgan who captures Viviane’s eye. Fierce and headstrong, Morgan sees another path – one she and Viviane can carve for themselves in this world built for knights and kings.

Now everything has shifted and changed. Under the guidance of the court sorcerer Merlin, she discovers magical powers within herself. And before long, she finds her friendship with Morgan deepening to the first flush of love.

But in Camelot eyes are everywhere and no one is as they seem. The quest for power breeds darkness and danger, and when Arthur pulls the legendary sword from the stone and rises to King, his closest allies will ask terrible things of Viviane and Morgan – striving to tear them apart for their own ends.

And if they cannot find their way back to each other, Camelot itself could fall . . .

How Does Change Happen? chronicles real stories from activists and organisers, exploring their approach to making a meaningful difference in some of the biggest issues of the 21st century. The book spends time with unions, campaign groups and activists, organising around issues like climate justice, worker’s rights, land reform, and human rights. From disruptive high-profile protests to workplace strikes, this is an exploration of the strategies, inspiration, frustration and hope of the people at the forefront of cultivating real change.

The orange we know, waxed in vats, gathered in red netting and stacked in supermarket displays, is not the same orange that grew from the first straggling orange grove that took root on the Tibetan plateau, part pomelo and part mandarin. The orange is a souvenir of history. Across time, it has been a harbinger of God and doom, fortune and failure, pleasure and suffering. It is a fruit containing metaphors, dreams, mythologies, superstitions, parables and histories within its tough rind. So, what happens when the fruit is peeled and each segment – each moment of history, each meaning in time – is pulled apart?

In this distinct, subversive and intimate hybrid memoir, Katie Goh explores the orange as a means of understanding the world, and herself within it. What she finds is a world of violence, colonialism, resilience, survival, adaptation – and of unexpected beauty and sweetness against all odds.

From glam rock to hyperpop: how queer music changed the sound of Scotland

Queer musicians have long mined beauty from the darkest of seams – and today’s artists are taking that treasure and using it to make magic. Trans writer, broadcaster and musician Carrie Marshall travels from bothys to the Barras to discover and share the sounds, the stories and the sheer joy of queer Scots music through interviews, fan recollections and more, inviting readers on Carrie’s own journey to experience the music she’s going to help you fall in love with.

Part musical journey, part social history, Small Town Joy tells the story of how LGBTQ+ musicians changed the sound of Scotland. From glam rock through political pop and indie rock to folk, hip-hop, house and hyperpop, Carrie Marshall discovers the musical threads that queered mainstream music. A celebration of the songs that changed the culture, the enormous impact of Scots musicians on global rock and pop, and the faces and places continuing to shape the sound of Scots music at home and around the world, Small Town Joy is a must-read for any fan of Scotland’s monumental musical influence.

Featuring interviews with Shirley Manson (Garbage), Lauren Mayberry (CHVRCHES), Sean Dickson (HIFI Sean), Maya Evan MacGregor and many more.

Discover the evocative world of A Summer Like No Other by Martin MacIntyre, the English translation of his acclaimed Gaelic novel Samhradh ’78. Step back to the summer of 1978, where young Colin Quinn finds himself on South Uist with his charismatic uncle, Ruairidh Gillies.

As the world turns its eyes to Scotland’s hopeful journey in the World Cup in Argentina, Colin and Ruairidh embark on a journey of their own, deepening their bond and navigating the complexities of life.

This novel offers a vivid portrayal of the Outer Hebrides, capturing the raw beauty of the islands and the fierce, unpredictable elements. Readers will be drawn into the characters’ intimate moments of joy and profound challenges, all set against the stunning natural backdrop of South Uist.

A Summer Like No Other is a significant addition to Gaelic-language fiction in translation – now available in English for the first time – providing a rare and authentic glimpse into island life and culture. Perfect for those who cherish Gaelic heritage, this book transcends geographical boundaries, appealing to anyone who values heartfelt storytelling and richly drawn characters.

Water has always been a constant theme in Gordon Meade’s poetry, from his earliest memories of the West Sands at St Andrews, through the Northumberland coastline, via County Cork and the canals of Venice, to the beaches and harbours of the East Neuk of Fife. Another prevalent theme in his work is the experience of a variety of non-human animals, whether encountered in the wild or in captivity, either free or abused.

A more recent theme has been the poet’s own experience of Stage Three and Stage Four Cancer; its diagnosis, its treatment, and life with a terminal illness. All of the above areas are represented in Beyond the Ninth Wave which closes with over a dozen new poems published here, in book form, for the first time.

We all want more free time. But do we know how to use it?

The celebrated psychoanalyst Marion Milner lived for the entirety of the twentieth century. By the age of ninety-eight she had written nine books revealing how free time and creativity are vital for a fulfilled life.

Akshi Singh was born ninety years after Milner, in Rajasthan, over four thousand miles away from where Milner lived and worked. At first glance, the worlds of these two women seem entirely separate. Yet when Singh found herself standing at a crossroads in her life and grieving personal loss, she realised the questions and preoccupations Milner was exploring were her own.

In Defence of Leisure presents Marion Milner as a writer for our times. In asking the simple question: how do I want to spend my free time? Milner developed a method for discovering her true likes and dislikes. As Singh follows Milner’s approach – from keeping a diary to painting, building a home to travelling to the sea – she discovers the importance of rest, creativity and play in all of our lives, and how it can open the door to achieving what we truly desire.

Edinburgh 1841. Reaching out like a hungry white worm it twisted and spiralled, tasting the air. Then, evidently attracted by the flow of warm blood, it squirmed its way under the surface of my skin.

Every autumn without fail, a strange seed appears on the chestnut tree that marks the spot where the witch Margaret McKay was murdered.

Legend states that anyone who catches this nut before it hits the ground will be blessed with untold riches, but when it falls into the eager hands of botanist Joseph Ware, the seed unleashes a terrible curse. In his quest to find the cure, Joseph discovers a resistance group battling to save the last of Scotland’s witches from a sinister order of surgeons who believe the key to all magic lies hidden somewhere within a witch’s anatomy.

The conflict quickly tears apart the bonds of family, friendship and even reality itself, as Joseph fights to save his soul and avoid the anatomists’ dissecting table.

Ideal for readers of The Last Witch in Scotland, The Witches of Vardo, Bram Stoker or for those with an interest in witchcraft lore.

Nate Yu Riley loves three things: his Switch, his ant farm (especially Betsy, queen of the colony) and his family.

He’s not so sure about some other things, like moving to a big city, starting a new school, and his parents making him do Chinese stuff. They’re always trying to get him to embrace his heritage, but Nate can’t speak Chinese, and he doesn’t know anything about Chinese customs.

But when Nate comes across an old shell casing engraved with a Chinese dragon, he can’t stop thinking about it. And when he touches the shell, someone extraordinary appears. A ghost from long ago. Someone who needs Nate’s help – and Nate might just need his, too …

Walk Like A Girl is based on a true story. My true story. I travelled for almost a year in the Caucasus Mountains, Nepal, India and Europe. During this journey, I faced a rampant water buffalo, a freezing glacier crossing and spent a blissful night unaware that I was camping in a minefield – all of this whilst also experiencing the most painful heartbreak of my young life. When I flew back to Europe, I walked the Camino Frances. Upon reaching Santiago de Compostela, I realised I wanted to continue and flew to Portugal, where I walked the Camino Portugues.

In eight months, I walked approximately 1,800 kilometres.

I later recognised I was in denial about my fears for my future and my deteriorating relationship.

Uncle Pete’s plane is missing, AGAIN! It’s been shot down by evil wildlife hunters and has sunk deep into the cold Arctic sea. That means Uncle Pete and TM will have to go and find it, fix it and bring it home. But how? By Squirrel Submarine, of course!

But wait! The crew of the Squirrel Submarine are having a well-earned rest at the NutLand Holiday Park after their last adventure, which means Uncle Pete and TM will have to drive the submarine themselves. How hard can it be? Pretty hard, as it turns out! Uncle Pete and TM get themselves into all kinds of crazy underwater adventures and dilemmas as they search the deep for their plane.

MEANWHILE, the lost plane has been discovered at the bottom of the ocean by a clever and curious octopus who decides to fix it and use it to explore his world, helping other sea creatures along the way.

When whispers of abuse at Arrol’s department store reach Mabel, a determined policewoman, she knows she must act. Enlisting the help of Johnnie, a cunning thief, and Beatrice, a savvy businesswoman, they embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth.

Set against the backdrop of 1920s Glasgow, where women’s voices are often silenced, this thrilling tale weaves together crime, justice, and the fight for equality. As the trio inches closer to exposing the scandal, they realize that in a world where women are rarely believed, their very lives may be at stake.

‘This is a work of fiction. This is not a confession.’

Lucas Cole is a bestselling writer. He is also a father, a widower, and a beloved celebrity in his small town. He is an unassuming man ­- tall, thin and quietly friendly. Lucas Cole is also a serial killer.

Nathan Cole has known the truth about his father since he was ten years old. Too terrified to go to the police, he ran away from home as soon as he was able, carrying the guilt of leaving his sister behind. But when Lucas is found dead in a dingy motel room, Nathan returns to his childhood home for the first time in seventeen years. It’s there he finds The Midnight King, his father’s final unpublished manuscript, a fictionalised account of his hideous crimes, hidden in a box of trinkets taken from his victims. Trinkets that include a ribbon belonging to a missing eight-year-old girl who disappeared only days before his father’s death.

Now, Nathan must deal with the consequences of keeping his father’s secret. But it may not be as simple as finding a lost child. For The Midnight King holds Nathan’s secrets as well as Lucas’s, and he is not the only one searching for the truth…

As a woman, if you lived in Scotland in the 1500s, there was a very good chance that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch. Witch hunts ripped through the country for over 150 years, with at least 4,000 accused, and with many women’s fates sealed by a grizzly execution of strangulation, followed by burning.

Inspired to correct this historic injustice, campaigners and writers Claire Mitchell, KC, and Zoe Venditozzi, have delved deeply into just why the trials exploded in Scotland to such a degree. In order to understand why it happened, they have broken down the entire horrifying process, step-by-step, from identification of individuals, to their accusation, ‘pricking’, torture, confessions, execution and beyond.

With characteristically sharp wit and a sense of outrage, they attempt to inhabit the minds of the persecutors, often men, revealing the inner workings of exactly why the Patriarchy went to such extraordinary lengths to silence women, and how this legally sanctioned victimisation proliferated in Scotland and around the world.

With testimony from a small army of experts, pen portraits of the women accused, trial transcripts, witness accounts and the documents that set the legal grounds for the hunts, How to Kill A Witch builds to form a rich patchwork of tragic stories, helping us comprehend the underlying reasons for this terrible injustice, and raises the serious question – could it ever happen again?