THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

Over the course of one summer, Kapka Kassabova lives with perhaps the last true pastoralists in Europe.

She joins the epic seasonal movement of vast herds of sheep, along with shepherds and dogs, to find pasture in the mountains. As she becomes attuned to the sacrifices inherent in this isolated existence, Kassabova finds herself drawn deeper into the tangled relationships at the heart of this small community.

Anima is a spellbinding portrayal of the human–animal interdependence in pastoral life, and a plea for a different way of living – one where we might all begin to heal our broken relationship with the natural world.

An expensive mobile home, abandoned in a new housing development, reveals a fearful secret when finally it is opened by police: the decomposed body of a former colleague. But what became of Sandra Bulloch after she left the police service? What chain of events led to her murder?

DCI Lottie Mann is tasked with finding the killer of her former boss, and investigation that draws Bob Skinner into its web, just as a second mystery develops for him in his new Spanish base…

A woman slipping through the cracks . . .
When a young Vietnamese girl goes missing in Scotland, DI Birch knows there is more to the case than meets the eye. Her colleagues won’t take it seriously – but Helen’s instinct tells her that Linh is in mortal danger.

A psychic determined to help . . .
Beatrice knows something terrible has happened to three young people in Edinburgh. She can see them in her mind’s eye – frightened and alone, desperate for help. Ever since she was a child, she’s had visions of the future – and she’s ignored them before, with dangerous consequences. This time, she must help the police find Linh.

A showdown where not everyone will survive . . .
When a second woman goes missing, DI Birch is forced to pay attention to what Beatrice is saying. But will the police listen to the truth in time? Or is it already too late?

Nature artist Jane Smith has been fascinated by wildlife communities and ecosystems her whole adult life.

Starting from her own garden in Argyll, she travels to ten locations in the west of Scotland – from the towering cliffs of St Kilda and the peatlands of Lewis to the Solway estuary and the urban sprawl of Glasgow – to explore the interaction of people and wildlife in a variety of diverse settings. On her journey she discovers a number of communities who are taking on the job of regenerating their own landscapes and meets a host of fascinating people whose lives are inextricably bound up with questions of sustainability, conservation and landownership.

Contents Includes: Western Isles (peatlands) * North Uist (machair) * Islay (farmland) * Loch Arkaig (woodland) * Knapdale (wetland) * Dumfries and Galloway (river and estuary) * Jura (coast) * St Kilda archipelago (sea) * Glasgow (urban landscapes) *Eigg (community ownership)

A tale inspired by real events of sisterhood, heartbreak and resilience in a Highland village home front in World War II Scotland.

Clova, Scotland, 1942. As World War II roars overseas, sisters Nell and Effie Anderson live together in the old schoolhouse of their quiet glen. Effie is a teacher, while Nell works as a postwoman, delivering news—often of the worst—from the frontline to her neighbors. Though they love and care for one another, unspoken tensions and mysteries put distance between them.

When a plane carrying Canadian and British soldiers crashes over their village, the only survivor stumbles to their door. In his pocket is a photo that will set in motion a chain of events threatening to uncover their family’s troubling past.

Told across a dual timeline of the sisters’ adult years and their adolescence during World War I, Whispers in the Glen is a novel about secrets, lies, and the dangers of keeping them hidden.

I gaze into my fiancé’s eyes as I toast to our love, relieved that tomorrow we’ll be married. After we say ‘I do’, no one from my past will ever be able to find me.

On our wedding day, I wake with a smile. Today I get to marry the love of my life. He may not know everything about me, but Robert and I fit perfectly together. I can’t wait to put on my perfect white gown and walk down the aisle.

In just a few hours, I’ll be his wife. And my secret will be hidden forever.

I turn to wake him up, but his eyes don’t open. There’s blood smeared across the white bed sheets, across his body, across my own trembling hands. My fiancé is dead.

It’s only then that I realize there’s a knife in my hand…

Wrenched together across parallel worlds, seafarer Helen and her cousin, Malcolm, a Rannoch Moor Ranger, are estranged by their different reactions: Helen wants to turn time back, Malcolm embraces his new present. But who is the mysterious businessman chartering the Russian-owned yacht on which Helen works? What is the real aim of the expanding quantum computing plant on Rannoch Moor? And where have two outlandish strangers suddenly appeared from? Soon the cousins are each drawn into a multi-dimensional conspiracy, involving love and drugs and quantum futures. As the solstice approaches, they must cooperate to combat a sorcerer’s overwhelming powers.

Venice. Winter, 1539.

When Cesare Aldo learns of a conspiracy to assassinate Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, he is hired to protect the ruler of Florence – with his life, if necessary. The deadly attack that follows leads to bodies, bloodshed . . . and something far more dangerous.

Those behind the plot obtain a journal of the duke’s containing explosive secrets that – in the wrong hands – could destroy all of Florence. Aldo must hunt down those responsible and reclaim the journal, or face banishment from the city and everyone he loves.

The trail leads him towards the one place Aldo has sworn to never return, a city of masks and lies where he has no allies and far too many enemies: Venice.

The fate of a dynasty rests on his shoulders – if he can make it out alive . . .

The Roma is a profoundly personal portrait of a people and their on-going journey, shedding new light on their history and what it means to be Romani in Europe today. It is a history that is not widely known and understood, and that invisibility has created a space where fear and hostility continue to thrive.

Full of fascinating stories and extraordinary individuals, The Roma is a powerful corrective to the stereotyping and prejudices still faced by Romani communities. We meet the Romani artist who chronicled her experiences of the Holocaust in Austria; the boxer who should have become Germany’s light-heavyweight champion only to have his win scratched from the record by the Nazis; and a eighteenth-century Romani woman in London who was accused of kidnapping a girl and sentenced to death only to be exonerated thanks to some detective work by an unconvinced judge.

Throughout, Madeline Potter weaves in her travels though contemporary Romani Europe as well as strands of her own journey as a Romani woman in Romania and now in Britain. Deftly blending explorative history and portraits of a unique and vibrant culture with intimate accounts of racism, The Roma is a celebration of survival – of resilience and resistance in the face of prejudice and persecution.

13-year-old Tom Morgan and his friends live on the streets of an alternate London, shining shoes and picking pockets – until one day Tom’s friends are caught and sent to a brutal workhouse.

Frantic and without a way to save them, Tom bumps into the mysterious Corsair, who offers him an opportunity to train at an elite international boarding school for thieves. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Tom lets himself be whisked away to the snowy Alps in a zeppelin. Swept into a thrilling world of danger and intrigue, the more secrets he learns about the Shadow League, the harder it becomes for Tom to leave. But there are dark forces at work and real danger is coming…

Can Tom save his fellow pupils from disaster – and ever be able to get home again to rescue his friends?

Get ready for the stunning debut in what is guaranteed to become every reader’s favourite new series! Heart-pounding adventure, thrilling heists, remote boarding schools full of ancient secrets waiting to be discovered and much much more…

Everyone wants a piece of actress Allegra Brooks. When she decides she desperately needs to get away from the spotlight she heads for the remote town of Lake Pristine and its summertime book festival.

When Allegra immediately clashes with annoying (and annoyingly handsome) bookseller Jonah Thorne, their rivalry soon becomes the talk of the small town. Before long, Allegra’s main escape is the increasingly flirtatious email relationship she’s sharing with an anonymous charming bookseller that she’s sure can’t possibly be Jonah . . .

An unforgettable romcom about finding the one person who makes you feel yourself when the whole world is watching.

From one of our leading biographers and critics comes an exhilarating, landmark new look at Muriel Spark.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR: THE TIMES/SUNDAY TIMES, GUARDIAN, TELEGRAPH, TLS, FINANCIAL TIMES, ECONOMIST, NEW STATESMAN, LONDON STANDARD AND WASHINGTON POST

Muriel Spark was a puzzle, and so too were her books. She dealt in word games, tricks and ciphers; her life was composed of weird accidents, strange coincidences and spooky events. In Electric Spark, Frances Wilson aims to finally crack her code.

We return to Spark’s early years when everything was piled on: divorce, madness, murder, espionage, poverty, skulduggery, blackmail, love affairs, revenge and a major religious conversion. If this sounds like a novel by Muriel Spark it is because her experiences of the 1940s and 1950s became, alchemically reduced, the material of her art.

Goonie is the raw and joyful debut collection from award-winning Scottish poet and spoken word artist Michael Mullen.

Whether exploring queerness through fierce lyrical poetry or celebrating Mullen’s beloved Scotland through vernacular vignettes, Goonie‘s main preoccupation is with how we form community around us and how community, in turn, forms us.

Many of the themes are encapsulated by the title poem as the narrator readies themself to take the stage and perform for their older relatives wearing an old goonie (a nightdress): ‘Ma aunt raising her vodka Iron-Bru, a tumblr ae noxious flame, a toast / tae me, n ma frilly jig. Awk A jist lettum wear witever he wahnts tae wear.’

In Goonie, the oral tradition of Scots combines with whip-sharp Glaswegian humour to bring alive in language and form the full spectrum of human connection: working class friends gathering round a fire, a living room ceilidh, an chat in the hairdresser’s chair, a queer awakening. These poems show the power of acceptance, togetherness and creative expression.

All aspects of Mullen’s life as a performer, a poet, a queer son, a Scot, a working-class boy, come together on the page to form a collection that casts a sceptical eye on identity whilst also championing it. Ultimately, Goonie address the ties that bind: it is a testament to how love – of ourselves, our heritage, our landscape, each other – transforms everything.

Looking across six systems – the police and the recording of hate crimes; dating apps and digital desire; outness in the film and television industry; borders and LGBTQ asylum seekers; health and fitness activities; and DEI initiatives in the workplace – Rainbow Trap documents how inclusive interventions – such as new legislation, revamped diversity policies and tech fixes – have attempted to bring historically marginalized communities out of the shadows.

Yet, as part of the bargain, LGBTQ people need to locate themselves in an ever-growing list of classifications, categories and labels to ‘make sense’ to the very systems they are seeking to access. This requirement to be classified catches LGBTQ communities in a rainbow trap. Because when we look beyond the welcoming veneer of inclusive interventions, we uncover sorting processes that determine what LGBTQ lives are valued and what queer futures are possible.

‘How Not To Die (Too Soon) is a fascinating, challenging and thought provoking read. It completely changes the perspective on human health and who bears responsibility for protecting it. In an age when talk of the next pandemic seems ever-present, it also couldn’t be more timely’ Nicola Sturgeon

Have you ever questioned why, despite the avalanche of self-help books and optimization hacks, we remain embroiled in multiple global health crises? Populations worldwide are gaining life-shortening excess weight (even in poorer countries), and water contamination is rampant (even in richer countries). In such dire circumstances, a gratitude journal won’t help.

The stark reality is that we’ve been sold a monumental lie. The obsession with individual health optimization has distracted us from the real game-changer: holding governments accountable for policies that can significantly extend our lifespans. How Not to Die (Too Soon) is a vital, transformative guide that shifts the focus from individual responsibility to societal accountability. It’s time to demand the changes that will save lives.

The joy of chess lies in its endless possibilities. With each move, you immerse yourself in a world of strategy, calculation and creativity. Every game presents a unique challenge, testing players’ intellect and intuition to the maximum. Chess is also known for its ornate and beautiful pieces as much as it is for strategy and tactics. Even many people who don’t play will often display a polished wooden set in their homes. Chess offers a compact, accessible introduction to the pieces, classic sets and basic moves of this supreme game of strategy. Learn about the Staunton chess pattern, which provides a model for most modern chess sets; marvel at the Isle of Lewis chess pieces, which offer a fascinating insight into the culture and wider connections of medieval Scotland; and understand how skilled players use pawns to control the centre of the board. The book also includes features on some of the great players and classic games of the modern era. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding with 100 illustrations and photographs, Chess will fascinate anyone interested in the material culture of one of the world’s oldest and most widely played games.

Stuart Wood’s love of music was ignited at fourteen when he, along with three schoolmates, formed a band. By the time he turned fifteen, he had left school to pursue a career as an electrician, blissfully unaware of the whirlwind that awaited him. Suddenly, he found himself living the life of a superstar, whisked away in limousines, pursued by frenzied fans on every continent, and thrust into the ranks of one of the bestselling groups in history.

Between 1971 and 1977, Edinburgh’s Bay City Rollers achieved ten top-ten hit singles, four top-ten albums, two number-one singles and two number-one albums. For five years, they were the biggest pop teen sensation since the Beatles.

But the music industry was not all glitz and glamour. Stuart had no inkling of the ruthless machinery behind the scenes, exploiting his talent and dreams.

Rollermania swept the globe, the Bay City Rollers conquered hearts and charts, selling a staggering 300 million records. While many claim to know the full Rollermania story, for the first time, Stuart – one of the few people who lived it – tells his story. Mania is a celebration of one of the world’s biggest bands and their enduring legacy, a rollercoaster ride through fame, fortune and the unforgettable music that defined an era.

When you live on a tiny island, it’s easy to stir up a scandal…

For Callum Macabe, there’s no one better than Juniper Ross. She’s razor-tongued, sarcastic, elusive. And not to mention drop-dead gorgeous.

There’s just one problem: his brother got there first.

And even though Juniper and Alistair split up five years ago, Callum knows he could never break the actual bro code. Or could he?

Janey Carter has a lot to be grateful for – a home by the sea in Carso that she renovated herself, a job as an audiologist that she loves, two great kids, and a network of kind and supportive friends. But since her husband left, her confidence has taken a nosedive. And then, out of the blue, her grumpy 30-year-old daughter announces she’s moving back home. Janey loves Essie dearly but they only just made it out alive from her adolescence. And this really is going to cramp her soon-to-be-rediscovered dating style.

Yes, Essie Carter is grumpy but she’s just lost her job, she can’t afford her rent in Edinburgh and her boyfriend isn’t ready to commit. There’s nothing for it but to admit defeat and hope the sea air soothes her soul. Life seems to be punching this millennial squarely in the face.

Living back under the same roof brings its challenges. But a combination of rescue dogs, pub quizzes and a surprise project doing up the unloved Seagate Cottages next door slowly brings mother and daughter closer together. Meanwhile, the steady stream of people coming past the house with fabric swatches and paint brings revelations for Essie, and offers Janey a surprise second chance at love as well.

Some players epitomise the ethos of a football club and, for Celtic FC, Murdo MacLeod is one of those players. Still loved by the fans for the way he gave his heart and soul out on the pitch, he won every domestic honour and will forever be remembered for the decisive goal that helped Celtic win the league title in 1979 against bitter rivals Rangers and sparked a deafening roar of the familiar chant of MURDO! MURDO! around the stadium.

Murdo’s career also took him to Germany to star for Borussia Dortmund where he won both the German Cup and Super Cup in 1989, before returning to home soil to captain Hibernian FC. He also made 20 appearances for Scotland and played in the 1990 World Cup Finals.

The highlight of Murdo’s coaching career came as Assistant Coach at Celtic under Wim Jansen when, in the 1997-98 season, they won the league and League Cup double, and stopped arch-rivals Rangers’ bid to win ten league titles in a row for the first time. It was Wim and Murdo’s only season in charge but their contribution to the club that year was of historic significance.

In recent years, however, his health has been blighted by a serious heart condition which has led to several months on life support and the loss of his toes, which has forced him to learn how to walk again. Murdo now details this ongoing struggle, the effect it has had on his life and family, and how it feels to have gone from a sporting hero to a desperate struggle for life.

This searingly honest and heartfelt memoir by a much-loved football legend will be one of the sports books of the year.