THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

Unemployed, depressed and grieving, all Mask wants is to be left alone to enjoy their misery. But they are haunted: in the day by a tea-obsessed elderly neighbour and in their nightmares by a spectral shapeshifter.

Then there’s V, a secretive busker who regales Mask with stories about The Nothing, a soul-sucking monster who bears an uncanny resemblance to the spectre in Mask’s dreams.

When The Nothing makes its spectacular debut in the real world, Mask must race to destroy it before it destroys them. But after years of isolation, who can Mask truly trust?

To survive, Mask needs to do the impossible: find a reason to live.

Benothinged is an ambitious horror-comedy that confronts grief, isolation, mental illness and poverty. Told with cleaver-sharp wit and insight, Benothinged will consume whoever opens its pages.

‘Jamie’s poetry offers a new way of seeing the world and a new form of intelligence about ourselves and other species’ – Kit Fan, Guardian

The Keelie Hawk is a landmark poetry collection from Kathleen Jamie, the current Makar (National Poet) of Scotland. For the first time, Kathleen Jamie has brought her astonishing lyric talent to the language of her homeland, with outstanding results. The Keelie Hawk is a deeply resonant collection written in Scots, with each poem accompanied by a translation into English.

Its publication is a significant event in Scottish literature, not only a reclaiming by one of our finest poets of the mouth-music of literary Scots, but a furthering of that language: ‘by making poems, a language develops’, Jamie observes in a fascinating afterword.

Inside the grand walls of Edinburgh’s nineteenth-century scientific institutions, anatomists began to map the secrets of the human body in order to discover new medical innovations.

But to the horror of the local population, a shortage of bodies soon led to the gruesome act of graveyard bodysnatching, a heartless crime that would soon spread like a disease throughout the city. And when stealing cadavers turns to murder, Burke & Hare became two of the most notorious serial killers of their time.

This is the story of those grim events, told for the first time through the eyes of Susan and Helen (Nelly), two women caught up in those horrific matters.

Developed in collaboration with the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature and the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, this book, by the esteemed Donald Smith invites you to discover the captivating tapestry of Edinburgh: Our Storied Town a spellbinding exploration of Edinburgh’s history, intricately illustrated by Cath Outram.

This commemorative edition, part of Edinburgh’s 900th anniversary celebration unveils the city’s storytelling evolution through the centuries, with each chapter delving into a different century. As Edinburgh gears up for its grand 900th anniversary festivities in August, immerse yourself in this literary gem that intertwines seamlessly with the celebrations. Join Donald Smith in honouring Edinburgh’s legacy, and witness the city hosting a major international literary conference, cementing its status as a global literary beacon. Edinburgh: Our Storied Town is an enchanting journey through time, connecting you to the heart of this storied city.

This is the autobiography of Dougie Donnelly, one of Scotland’s most successful and best loved broadcasters, who has spent over 32 years with the BBC as a presenter on Grandstand and Sportscene.

As well as commentating on Great Britain winning the gold medal at curling at the Winter Olympics Donnelly has also presented football World Cups and European Championships, Europe winning Ryder and Solheim Cups and many golf championships. He was there broadcasting when Scotland won two rugby Grand Slams and medals in Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and when Stephen Hendry was the greatest snooker player in the world. Oh, and he interviewed an American President on stage at the Royal Albert Hall!

Donnelly’s additional skills as a chat show host were recognised when he fronted a series Friday Night with Dougie Donnelly and a television special with Billy Connolly, Connolly with Donnelly both for the BBC. Dougie is still travelling the world doing what he does best – commentating on sport! His latest travels include commentating on international golf, a sport he loves to play – although admits he’s a better commentator than player!

The perfect gift for animal fans!

Go on a wild adventure into the animal kingdom with naturalist, wildlife cameraman and winner of Strictly Come Dancing, Hamza Yassin.

Did you know that kestrels can see mouse wee tracks on the ground, that dolphin mums sing lullabies or that wombats have cube-shaped poo?

Do you want to imagine what it’s like to meet a cheetah, get close to a polar bear or go to sleep with an otter?

Then this book is for you!

Hamza Yassin brings you everything you will ever need to know about the animal kingdom in this fun, fascinating guide packed with hundreds of funny, smelly, awesome, scary, revolting, weird, cute, clever and amazing facts, and illustrations, photos and infographics.

A dyslexic-friendly layout, made in consultation with Dyslexia Scotland, make this perfect for every child.

From shape-shifting water dragons to sun-eating serpents — let imagination take flight and discover the dragons of the world.

In this lavish volume of tales, Carnegie Medal-award-winning children’s author Theresa Breslin expertly retells stories inspired by dragon myths and legends from around the globe. Whether fearsome or friendly, each fantastical creature is brought to life with exquisite illustrations by Kate Greenaway Medal-longlisted artist Kate Leiper.

Uncover buried treasure with the three dragons of Russia’s Peterhof Palace, battle the deadly dragon of Colchis with Jason, hero of Ancient Greece, explore Japan’s underwater kingdoms with a dragon princess, and discover how a brave boy becomes the legendary dragon god of Yucatán, Mexico.

Showcasing some of the world’s most captivating dragon legends for children, this stunning book, from the creators of the Illustrated Scottish Treasuries Collection, will be cherished for a lifetime.

A provisional re-mapping of Scotland’s post-devolution literary culture, these fifteen essays explore how literature, theatre and visual art have both shaped and reflected the ‘new Scotland’ promised by parliamentary devolution. Chapters explore leading figures such as Alasdair Gray, David Greig, Kathleen Jamie and Jackie Kay, while also paying particular attention to women’s writing by Kate Atkinson, A. L. Kennedy, Denise Mina, Ali Smith, Louise Welsh, and writers of colour such as Bashabi Fraser, Annie George, Tendai Huchu, Chin Li and Raman Mundair. Tracing continuities with 1990s debates alongside ‘edges of the new’ visible since Indyref 2014, these critics offer an in-depth study of Scotland’s vibrant literary production in the period of devolution, viewed both within and beyond the frame of national representation.

They are imprisoned, but not contained.

Three women cross a loch. It is 1567, one of them is pregnant, two of them fretful. The boat takes them to Lochleven castle in the middle of the water. Awaiting them are courtiers braying for blood, hellbent on keeping one of them under lock and key: Mary Queen of Scots.

In the tower, Mary’s maids Frenchwoman, Cuckoo and watchful Scot, Jane are her only allies, and the chamber their entire world. A new reality sets in where they are at the mercy of not only their keepers, but of raging Scotland itself.

In the outside world, Mary’s kin, Queen Elizabeth claims she can do little but write. Downstairs, the shrewd jailor-courtier Margaret Erskine places her daughter-in-law Agnes in the chamber as her pair of eyes. Hope seems futile until the bewitching Lady Seton arrives. Seton’s power shifts everything in the tower and soon a plan is hatched.

But which of them will risk it all to save their mistress? Which woman loves her queen best? The Tower is a triumphant story of desire, grit, God-given power and wiles from a striking new voice in historical fiction.

THE PERFECT ESCAPE. THE PERFECT NIGHTMARE.

Martha and Finn’s marriage is hanging by a thread. Martha, crippled by paralyzing climate anxiety, finds herself at odds with Finn, who steadfastly refuses to confront the demons of his past.

In a desperate attempt to repair their relationship, they join a group of privileged tourists on a pilgrimage to The Salt Centre, a mysterious retreat nestled deep within the Bolivian salt flats.

United by a shared quest for spiritual enlightenment, the group embark on a journey guided by an elusive shaman. As a series of salt ceremonies unfold, hallucinogenic episodes force each of them to confront their own versions of reality.

When the final ceremony descends into a nightmare, Martha and Finn are met with an ultimatum. Forced to grapple with the moral implications of their trip they must ask themselves: are some wounds too deep to heal?

You’ve fought and you’ve run away.
You’ve danced with other Black queer bodies until sunrise.
Sometimes you wanted to be caught and sometimes you wanted to be held.
With all that you’ve endured, you are nothing less than miraculous.

From choirboy to drag act, grandson to mentor, poet to lover, Dean Atta has played many roles in his life. In this formally inventive, candid and courageous book, he explores what he has carried in his body: wins and losses, shame and pride, pain and joy. Dean also investigates how radical self-acceptance and a willingness to abide with discomfort open up the possibility of a life lived beyond definition: a person unlimited.

In On Reflection Richard Holloway thinks back on some of the questions that have shaped his life. Here, then, are the big asks: is there a God? How can we forgive? Where does creativity come from? How can we face loss and death? How can we live a good life? And how do we find beauty in the world?

To this cause he also recruits the help of poets, writers, musicians and artists, whose own wisdom can help us navigate life’s challenges. To ‘reflect on’ can also mean to change your mind; a necessary facility in any well-lived life. And this leads us to more of our big asks: how do we change the world for the better? How do we heal divisions? How does a society move forward?

In beautiful prose, and with care and joy, Richard Holloway offers his reflections on how a good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.

For 5 years after they’d swapped sought-after apprenticeships for life on the dole, brothers William and Jim Reid sat up till the early hours in the front room of their parents’ East Kilbride council house, plotting their path to world domination over endless cups of tea, with the music turned down low so as not to wake their sleeping sister. They knew they couldn’t play in the same band because they’d argue too much, so they’d describe their dream ensembles to each other until finally they realised that these two perfect bands were actually the same band, and the name of that band was The Jesus and Mary Chain.

The rest was not silence, and picking up those conversations again more than 40 years later, William and Jim tell the full story of one of Britain’s greatest guitar bands for the very first time – a wildly funny and improbably moving chronicle of brotherly strife, feedback, riots, drug and alcohol addiction, eternal outsiders and extreme shyness, that also somehow manages to be a love letter to the Scottish working-class family.

Hilarious, pitch-perfect stories where everyday school life becomes completely extraordinary! By the brilliant Blue Peter-award winning team of Pamela Butchart and Thomas Flintham.

Izzy and friends are excited to find that their school trip involves an overnight train ride. But when they get on board, they’re shocked to discover that EVERYTHING is STRANGE. And the BUNK BEDS are TINY! And then their teacher disappears… OH NO! Miss Jones has been kidnapped! EVERYONE PANIC!!!

Chaos and mayhem reign as Izzy and her friends take on another hilarious (mis)adventure. There’s no such thing as an ordinary day at school when they’re around…

In a spectrum of voices across Scots and English, the poems in DWAMS concern themselves with the climate emergency and just transition, rising xenophobia, and with queer romance and sex, in a groundbreaking debut collection from North East Scottish writer and poet Shane Strachan. The collection looks anew at the city of Aberdeen and the wider North East region’s industrial heritage, moving across time and place, from mountains and farmland to city and sea.

**Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Best Scottish Crime Book**

Six months since the earth-shattering events of The Space Between Us, the revelatory hope of the aliens’ visit has turned to dust and the creatures have disappeared into the water off Scotland’s west coast.

Teenager Lennox and grieving mother Heather are being held in New Broom, a makeshift US military base, the subject of experiments, alongside the Enceladons who have been captured by the authorities.

Ava, who has given birth, is awaiting the jury verdict at her trial for the murder of her husband. And MI7 agent Oscar Fellowes, who has been sidelined by the US military, is beginning to think he might be on the wrong side of history.

When alien Sandy makes contact, Lennox and Heather make a plan to escape with Ava. All three of them are heading for a profound confrontation between the worst of humanity and a possible brighter future, as the stakes get higher for the alien Enceladons and the entire human race…

Sequel to the bestselling The Space Between Us, The Collapsing Wave is an exquisite, epic first-contact novel, laced with peril and populated by unforgettable characters, and the awe-inspiring book we all need right now…

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ALLIGATOR’S MOUTH AWARD 2024

An enchanting collection of seven original fairy tales to bewitch and enthral by master storyteller, Vivian French, complemented by gorgeous, full-colour, contemporary artwork by debut children’s illustrator, Amy Grimes.

Bibi doesn’t believe in fairies. But when she meets her fairy godmother, the tiniest of hopes flickers in her mind. Seven quests to seven lands that will open a magic box and grant her a wish…. could it, just possibly, be true?

Whisked away with her trusty companion, Sylvestro the cat, Bibi quests with giants, dragons, princes and princesses, wizards, witches, water sprites and sea elves, unicorns, trolls and gnomes…

Can Bibi earn the keys to open the box…. and unlock her belief in fairy magic?

‘A debut that’s both a paean to the art of woodworking and a memoir about creative endeavours’ – OBSERVER

‘Mesmeric‘ SPECTATOR

‘A beautifully cut and crafted masterpiece inlaid with insight and polished with the pure joy of nature.’
CHRIS PACKHAM, author of Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir

‘Original. Rare. As beautiful as trees… A masterpiece.‘
JOHN LEWIS-STEMPEL, author of Meadowland, The Running Hare and The Wood

‘A book that is covertly a love poem disguised as a father-and-son story, an apprentice’s learning of an exotic craft, a hymn to the eternal mystery of trees, and a tribute to the flat-out joy of gifting. Enchanting.‘
BILL BUFORD, author of Heat and Dirt

‘A delightful book about the art of craft; a hard-carved woodworking romance written with tenderness and an almost sensual attention to detail. I can smell the resin and the soft, fresh sawdust. I can feel the bite of dense grain beneath the blade. Quite magical.‘
CAL FLYN, author of Islands of Abandonment

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Ingrained is a love letter to trees, timber and craftsmanship – and to finding your own voice.

The eldest son of a Master Woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood surrounded by wood and trees, absorbing craft lessons in his father’s workshop, playing amongst the sycamore, oak and Scots pine that bordered his home. In time he became his father’s apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. But eventually the need to find his own path led him to establish his own workshop; to chase ever bigger and more commercial projects, to business meetings, bright lights and bureaucracy, to lose touch with his roots. Until the devastating loss of one major job threatened to bring it all crashing down. Faced with the end of his business, his team and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most.

In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop, and to the wood; to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it, and then pass it on to the next generation – antidotes to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature, and to the physical act of creation. Close enough to smell the sawdust, to see the wood’s grain and character and to feel the magic of furniture coming to life. At the same time, we begin to understand how he has been shaped, as both a craftsman and a son.

Blending memoir and nature writing at its finest, Ingrained is an uplifting meditation on the challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on community, consumerism, and the beauty of the natural world – one that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light.

Everyone knows her life story.
But who will win her heart?

Gertie has always had her head in the clouds, wondering what her life might be like if she could only pluck up the courage to leave the remote Scottish island where she was born.

It’s the only place she knows, but you can’t do anything there without everyone knowing – the glue of this close-knit community is the Knitting Circle, a group of strong, capable and frankly nosy women who work hard, gossip, knit and support each other through thick and thin. At the centre of this sisterhood is Gertie’s mum Jean and her grandmother Elspeth, and the three generations of women live together, surrounded by wool, in one small cottage.

When the chance comes to make changes – a new job working with old schoolfriend Morag on the local airline, new friends and even a possible new romance – a world of possibilities opens up before Gertie. Is this the way to make her dreams come true?

New Writing Scotland is the principal forum for poetry and short fiction in Scotland today. Every year it publishes the very best from both emerging and established writers, and lists many of the leading literary lights of Scotland among its past (and present) contributors. Don’t. Even. Ask. Too. Hot: New Writing Scotland 42 is the latest collection of excellent contemporary literature, drawn from a wide cross-section of Scottish culture and society, and includes new work from forty-nine authors – some internationally renowned, and some just beginning their careers.