THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

In a world increasingly preoccupied by borders, bridges celebrate the possibility of connection, allowing the flow of goods, people and ideas. Bridges are among our grandest physical structures with the power of transforming lives and economies, but we also stand (or fall) upon the simple arch of bones in our feet. Text is a bridge between writer and reader, and conversation builds bridges of understanding between minds.

Dr Gavin Francis has spent his life fascinated by the power of bridges to improve human connection. In The Bridge Between Worlds he examines bridges both actual and metaphorical, on a journey through more than twenty countries, across four decades of travel.

From Rome’s Ponte Sant’Angelo to Brooklyn, Victoria Falls to London, Singapore to Siberia, this thought-provoking book reflects on connections between nations and between individuals. Francis demonstrates what the building of bridges has meant to our civilisation, how crossings can enrich our lives, and the price we pay when we tear them down.

Discover more about Robert the Bruce and other unforgettable figures that made Scotland the great nation it is today. Through fascinating images and expert text, A History of Scotland takes you through each decade of Scotland?s varied and dramatic past up to the present day. A History of Scotland provides a pictorial exploration from the times of the Neolithic stone circles of Orkney to the turbulent referendums of the contemporary era. The book is arranged chronologically, from the roman invasion of Scotland in the 1st century to Mary Queen of Scots and her downfall, David Hume and Adam Smith, Dolly the Sheep in 1997 and the construction of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in the 21st Century.

One of the all-time great animal stories. Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s book, with exclusive illustrations from EH Shepard has delighted generations.?There?s nothing ? absolutely nothing ? half so much worth doing as messing about in boats.?”One of Junior Magazine?s 100 best children?s books of all time!The Wind in the Willows is one of the most famous and bestselling animal stories of all time. This exclusive 90th anniversary paperback edition celebrates E.H. Shepherd’s classic illustrations that brought Mole, Ratty, Badger and Mr Toad to life 90 years ago and have captivated children and adults alike ever since.The Wild Wood seems a terrifying place to Mole, until one day he pokes his nose out of his burrow and finds it?s full of friends. He meets brave Ratty, kind old Badger and the rascally Mr Toad, and together they go adventuring ? but the Wild Wood doesn’t just contain friends, there are also the sinister weasels and stoats, and they capture Toad Hall when Mr Toad is in jail. How will he escape? And can the friends fight together to save Toad Hall?Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows is a classic animal adventure that charms and enthrals. This new paperback edition contains the original black and white illustrations by E H Shepard, the man who drew Winnie-the-Pooh. The perfect adventure for children aged 9 and above.

SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR

In Island Dreams, Gavin Francis combines stories of his own travels with psychology, philosophy and myth, shedding new light on the importance of islands and isolation in our collective consciousness.Francis draws on thirty years of island adventures from the Faroe Islands to the Aegean, from the Galapagos to the Andaman Islands. He contrasts these quests for freedom with the demands for commitment required as a doctor, community member and parent. Island Dreams riffs on the twin poles of rest and motion, independence and attachment, never more relevant than in today’s ever-connected world.

‘A tense, creepy page-turner’ Ian Rankin, New Statesman

Hiding from the world in her little white cottage on the shores of a loch, Annie Jackson is fighting to come to terms with the world of the murmurs, a curse that has haunted female members of her family for centuries. While she is within the ancient, heavy stone of the old dwelling, the voices merely buzz, but the moment she steps outside the door they clamour to torment her all over again, bringing with them shocking visions of imminent deaths. Into this oasis comes her adoptive mother, Mandy McEvoy, begging for Annie’s help. Mandy’s nephew Damien has gone missing, after dropping off his four-year old son at his mother’s home. Unable to refuse, but terrified to leave her sanctuary, Annie, with the help of her brother Lewis, is drawn in to a secretive, seductive world that will have her question everything she holds dear, while Lewis’ life may be changed forever…

The second book in the critically acclaimed Annie Jackson Mysteries series, The Torments is both a contemporary gothic thriller and a spellbinding mystery that deeps deep into a past that should, perhaps, remain undisturbed.

Driven by a yearning to experience the vast skies and frozen beauty of the North, Gavin Francis goes in search of the people living along the northern limits of Europe. From the first Greek explorers to the Vikings to modern polar adventurers, he travels through history and legend to find out why – and how – we are drawn to the North.Francis’s encounters in the Arctic teach him as much about that sense of longing for the North, and of belonging to the North as the seafarers, warriors, monks and poets whose stories he follows. In Shetland, the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and Lapland, Francis finds a way of life characterised by both peace and unease, threatened as it is by the shadow of climate change and the tense, ever-increasing importance of Arctic Europe in global power politics.

The Feisty Feminist. The Hot Lesbian. The Desperate Cougar.The Deranged Mother. The Stupid Tart. The Hag.Doon Mackichan is best known for her comedy characters, but throughout her career there are parts she’s refused to take and stereotypes she’s continually defied.In My Lady Parts, Doon shares her experience on stage, screen and in real life, examining how our culture still expects women to adhere to certain stereotypes – and punishes those who don’t. This is a courageous, vulnerable and empowering account of being a woman in an industry that has been exposed for its deep-rooted sexism.

Following a convention in the Scottish Highlands, eight social media influencers vanish without a trace, leaving their followers ? and families ? in a state of shock, and the police clueless as to their whereabouts.And then, the livestreams begin.Broadcast live from their squalid underground cells, the young influencers are forced into a sadistic battle for survival.With each livestream, their captor pits them against each other in a twisted competition for likes. The influencer with the fewest positive reactions faces a gruesome end ? live on camera.As the likes increase and the death toll rises, DCI Jack Logan and his team must traverse both the Scottish wilderness and the darkest corners of the internet to try and save the remaining captives.But how do you catch a killer who is always one click ahead?

Set in a small community on the Scottish coast, the new feel-good story about family, belonging and finding peace with the past from the author of The Lighthouse Bookshop and The Forgotten Garden.Can a return to the past be the start of something new?Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close ? they?re too different, the ten-year age difference doesn?t help, and Bette?s rarely been back home since she left for university at eighteen. When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She?s been working at the farm for the past five years. It?s the only stable home her young son Barnaby has ever had, and she?s convinced that Bette, who never wanted anything to do with the family business, will sell at the first chance she gets.When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding from them both, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago.Could the discovery of an ancient orchard on their land be the key to saving the farm ? and the sisters? relationship? Praise for Sharon Gosling: ‘A compelling read with a dramatic sense of place and a caring community at its heart’ Heidi Swain  ?A warm, romantic mystery, beautifully structured and feelingly written? ? Daily Mail

Tony Moscardini has exchanged life in a rain-lashed Scottish city packed with incident for the sun-baked predictability of a small medieval hilltop town in rural Italy.

He has given up onerous full-time employment in daily journalism and found fulfilment in photography and guerrilla film-making. More importantly, he has found what feels a lot like true love.

And yet, if he’s being honest with himself, life in Castel di Colonia has also begun to feel a little bit dull.

So what will he find on his return to Glasgow for a weekend? Old foes? Long-forgotten disappointments? Fresh excitements? Overwhelming temptation?

Will the happier new Tony yield to his pessimistic former self?

Heart of a tiger, strength of a dragon, body of a … schoolboy? A thrilling action-adventure series with the magical power of the Chinese Zodiac.

It’s time for the ultimate battle! The Dragon King has stolen the coin that gives Jack the magical powers of the zodiac animals. Is the Tiger Warrior finished? Or is it time to fight dragon with dragon?

This is a true story about a real place. A place hidden behind the waves. The Vikings saw it in their dreams, and sometimes sea birds call its name. It’s a dot on a map. The blink of an eye. The beat of a wing. Storms and songs and stickleback stop by on their travels.

This is St Kilda. A tiny group of islands; an archipelago: Hirta, Boreray, Soay, Dùn. They call them The Islands at the End of the World.

Come on an adventure, far away across the sea to the mysterious St Kilda to discover its story.

In Jeda Pearl’s debut poetry collection, Time Cleaves Itself, a disabled Scottish woman of colour invites you into the split and rewoven threads of her intersecting, in between worlds as she navigates belonging and claiming space.

Landscapes and bodyscapes are brought into focus through lenses of race, illness, disability and womanhood. Ancestral languages of Scots, Patois, Geordie and English critique ableism, colonialism and Scottish exceptionalism; they ask ‘Who gets the trees?’, honour Caribbean and Scottish heritages and move from the bed as universe to fantastical and science-fictional imaginings.

Here, lyrical acts of observation unfold with defiance, tenderness, rhythm and the occasional side-eye. The accordion of time stretches across poems that deliver a sonic meditation on memory, grief, disability, belonging, empathy and resilience.

As a witch in the walled city of Chernograd, Kosara has plenty of practice treating lycanthrope bites, bargaining with kikimoras, and slaying bloodsucking upirs. There’s only one monster she can’t defeat: her ex, the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters. She’s defied him one too many times and now he’s hunting her. Betrayed by someone close to her, Kosara’s only choice is to trade her shadow-the source of her powers-for a quick escape.

Unfortunately, Kosara soon develops the deadly sickness that plagues shadowless witches-and only reclaiming her magic can cure her. To find it, she’s forced to team up with a suspiciously honorable detective. Even worse, all the clues point in a single direction: To get her shadow back, Kosara will have to face the Foul Days’ biggest threats without it. And she’s only got twelve days.

Discover the wonderful world of birdwatching with wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin – winner of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing 2022 and presenter of BBC documentary Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey

‘Birds have been with me my entire life – from the colourful weaver birds on the banks of the Nile in Sudan to the magpies of Newcastle, from the roosting peregrine falcons near my parents’ house in Northampton to the white-tailed eagles on the west coast of Scotland. I love them. If you take the time to stop and listen, you’ll see the world through different eyes. It’s all out there, waiting for you to find it. And it might just bring you as much joy as it’s brought me.’

Journey along with Hamza in Be a Birder as he recounts stories of his birding adventures, and shares tips and tricks to help you get started in birdwatching.

In this beautifully illustrated guide featuring fifty of Hamza’s favourite birds, you will learn how to start identifying birds, understand their behaviour and movements, and find even more exciting birds, wherever you are. Starting with the goldfinch in your garden, to tawny owls in woodlands, to the elusive kingfisher near rivers and marshes, you will build your birdwatching confidence and push yourself further afield to find new feathered wonders.

Encouraging us all to stop, step outside and listen, Be a Birder is both a practical guide and a joyous celebration of these incredible creatures. Once you start looking for them, and with Hamza as your guide, your world will be forever changed.

Robbie and Jenn are meant to be. They’ve finally reconciled after eight months spent apart and both know that, this time, it’s forever.

But forever might not be as long as they think.

As a truck hurtles towards their car on their way home, Robbie is thrown back into Jenn’s past and he finds himself spectator in the most important moments of her life: golden moments from her childhood and heart-breaking ones from her teenage years; her exhausting time at med school and just where she’s been for the last eight months. But he may find more than he bargained for…

Can Robbie right the wrongs in their past? Can he get to the bottom of what drove Jenn away eight months ago? Most importantly, can he change their present in order to save their future?

The Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger Winning Author

A religious serial killer is haunting Florence and only Cesare Aldo can stop them. A Divine Fury is an atmospheric historical thriller by D. V. Bishop, set in Renaissance Italy.

‘Fast becoming a serious rival to C. J. Sansom and S. J. Parris’ – Historical Novel Society

Florence. Autumn, 1539.

Cesare Aldo was once an officer for the city’s most feared criminal court. Following a period of exile, he is back – but demoted to night patrol, when only the drunk and the dangerous roam the streets.

Chasing a suspect in the rain, Aldo discovers a horrifying scene beneath Michelangelo’s statue of David. Lifeless eyes gaze from the face of a man whose body has been posed as if crucified. It’s clear the killer had religious motives.

When more bodies appear, Aldo believes an unholy murderer is stalking the citizens of Florence. Watching. Hunting. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike again . . .

A Divine Fury is the fourth Cesare Aldo mystery, preceded by City of Vengeance, The Darkest Sin and Ritual of Fire.

‘I genuinely could not put this down’ – Stacey Halls, author of Mrs England
‘A tour de force of a gothic thriller. I devoured it’ – Gillian McAllister, author of Wrong Place, Wrong Time
‘Taut, propulsive, beautifully done’ – Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora

From Elizabeth Macneal, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doll Factory, The Burial Plot is a spellbinding Gothic thriller about murder and manipulation.

London, 1839. With the cemeteries full and money to be made in death, tricksters Crawford and Bonnie survive on wicked schemes and ill-gotten coin. But one blistering evening, their fortunes flip. A man lies in a pool of blood at Bonnie’s feet and now she needs to disappear.

Crawford secures her a position as lady’s maid in a grand house on the Thames. As Bonnie comes to understand the family – the eccentric Mr Moncrieff, obsessively drawing mausoleums for his dead wife, and their peculiar daughter Cissie, scribbling imaginary love letters to herself – she begins to question what secrets are lying behind the house’s paper-thin walls and whether her own presence here was planned from the beginning.

Because Crawford is watching, and perhaps he is plotting his greatest trick yet . . .

Two lonely strangers. One chance encounter. Six winning numbers.

Dot is a lonely pensioner. Max is a young offender. But a chance meeting in their local park changes everything for this unlikely duo. They soon find they share a wicked sense of humour and a penchant for petty crime.

When Dot wins the lottery, Max helps her make a bucket list of all the things she’s always wanted to do but never had the chance.

The pair gradually realise that it’s not just expensive gadgets, fast cars and fun fairs that make them happy. And that the secret to living a rich life isn’t money . . .

Readers of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Keeper of Lost Things will love this book.

‘Rarely does one read a novel that so nourishes the soul and completely restores one’s faith in the inherent goodness of mankind. Jones is an exceptional writer’ – Tendai Huchu, author of The Hairdresser of Harare

Contradictions (both real and apparent), oppositions, enigmas, provocations, challenges – this is the kind of material that makes a life, and is the kind of material that, in fiction, one is never quite sure of. With Pretty Ugly, Kirsty Gunn reminds us again that she is a master of just such material, presenting ambiguity and complication as the essence of the storyteller’s endeavour.

The sheer force of life that Gunn is able to load these stories up with is both testament to her unrivalled skill and an exercise in what she describes as ‘reading and writing ugly’, in order to pursue the deeper truths that lie at the heart of both the human imagination and human rationality.

So here we have all the strange and seemingly impossible dualities that make up real life-and pretty ugly it can be, as well as beautiful, hopeful, bleak, difficult, exhilarating. But never, ever dull.