THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

A walking guidebook to 40 of the best small mountains in Scotland under 3000ft, with OS maps and routes described as day-walks with ascents accessible to non-climbers. The guidebook splits Scotland into seven areas – Sutherland and the far north, Torridon, Lochaber, the Great Glen, the Cairngorms, Glencoe, Arrochar, the Trossachs and the islands (Skye, Eigg, Mull, Arran).

With routes that range in length and difficulty and alternative options given there is something for walkers of all abilities. The guide also includes background information on the mountains and places of interest, practical advice on each route and how to prepare and make the most out of these small mountains and information on history, geology, flora and fauna.

The popularity of Munro-bagging – climbing all the mountains in Scotland over 3000ft – has left many of Scotland’s finest mountains overlooked by walkers. What they lack in stature, they often more than make up for in beauty, views and character. This book champions just some of Scotland’s best smaller mountains – from the surreal and striking landscape of The Storr in Skye, the pagan festivals of Ben Ledi in the Trossachs to the imposing and rugged ridges of Quinag in the Sutherland.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING

When Kerri and her partner M moved to a small, remote railway cottage in the heart of Ireland they were looking for a home, somewhere to stay put. What followed was a year unlike any other.

Cacophony of Bone maps the circle of that year – a journey from one place to another, field notes of a life – from one winter to the next. It is a telling of a changed life, in a changed world – and it is about all that does not change. All that which simply keeps on – living and breathing, nesting and dying – in spite of it all.This is an ode to a year, a place, and a love, that changed a life.

‘Satisfyingly dark, cleverly plotted and pleasingly Donna Tarttish’ Emma Flint, Little Deaths

‘Seamlessly blends Gone Girl and Promising Young Woman. Smart, sophisticated, seductive’ S J Watson, Before I Go To Sleep

‘A deeply compelling story of friendships turned rotten’ Rosemary Hennigan, The Truth Will Out

*Sunday Times Bestseller*

*Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year 2023*

*Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize*

*Top Ten eBook bestseller*

*One of Cosmopolitan’s Best Books for 2023*

*One of Apple’s Best of the Month*

*One of FT’s Best New Debut Fiction*

*Heat Book of the Week*

In there, them, us, it’s everything you’ve ever wanted, and you’re going to love it.

I promise. I’ll look after you.

All her life Clare has never fit in.

So when she arrives at Edinburgh University, she seizes the chance to reinvent herself.

Then she meets Tabitha who is everything she’s not: charismatic, dazzling and intimidatingly wealthy.

Soon Clare is sucked into Tabitha’s enigmatic circle of friends, and it’s all she hoped it would be. Until it’s not.

Because they are not all they seem.

And they’ve been waiting for Clare.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

An intoxicating feminist page-turner with shades of The Secret History and Promising Young Woman, this novel will take you on a journey from Edinburgh’s dazzling spires to the dripping staircases and dark alleyways of its underbelly.

‘Startlingly lovely, like a fine, dark silk shivering on your skin’ Julia Heaberlin, We Are All the Same in the Dark

‘Perfect for fans of dark academia stories like The Secret History and If We Were Villains’ Cosmopolitan

‘Darwent has a great career as a thriller writer ahead of her’ Sunday Times

‘Dark academia and twisted friendships in gothic Edinburgh – what more could you want?’ Cailean Steed, Home

‘Creepy yet compulsive, this impressive novel will stay with you long after reading’ Heat

‘Dark and compulsive, this will have you turning the pages late into the night’ Sarah Bonner, Her Perfect Twin

‘Themes of obsession, revenge and desire collide in a twisty, dark and delicious feminist thriller’ Big Issue

‘An intriguing and complex heroine’ Phoebe Wynne, Madam

‘Darwent keeps the reader guessing. Any time the balance of power appears to settle, the plot takes another twist’ Scotland on Sunday

‘Such an immersive, surprising, impressive debut’ Niamh Hargan, Twelve Days In May

‘Power, privilege and the most toxic of friendships. All set against the stunning backdrop of Edinburgh’ Carys Jones, The List

‘Stop fighting with food and read this book!’ -Arianna Huffington, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Thrive

A proven neuroscience-based programme to heal your relationship with your body and food, from the world-renowned addiction psychiatrist and New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety.

Eat this not that, count calories, exercise more, use your willpower … how many of these guilt-laden dieting messages make you feel bad about why it’s so hard to manage what and how you eat? Based on over 20 years of clinical research and Dr Brewer’s work with thousands of patients, The Hunger Habit is the kindest and most effective approach to eating that you’ll ever come across. It’s the antidote to food shame and dieting.

Using the power of curiosity and awareness, Dr Brewer’s proven step-by-step programme will help you heal your relationship with food, reset eating triggers and resolve any long-held personal issues around self-esteem, anxiety, shame, anger and stress. Dr Brewer will help you learn how to work with your brain rather than fight cravings. At the same time you will learn how to embrace setbacks and adopt an attitude of self-kindness instead of self-judgment, ultimately establishing new eating habits. The Hunger Habit is not a diet book but, like many of his clients have already discovered, once you break out of your personal food jail, you’ll find a changed relationship to eating leads to a newfound freedom and a lightness that comes from an inner well-being.

No matter where you are now or how hopeless you feel about yourself, stress eating, overeating, binge eating or whatever your habits are, Dr Brewer’s powerful book will help.

‘This book will restore your sense of control – and make you feel less alone in the world’ ADAM GRANT

Big Feelings addresses anyone intimidated by oversized feelings they can’t predict or control, offering the tools to understand what’s really going on, find comfort and face the future with a sense of new-found agency. Weaving surprising science with personal stories and original illustrations, each chapter lays out strategies for turning big emotions into manageable ones and will help you understand:- how to end the cycle of intrusive thoughts brought on by regret, and instead use this feeling as a compass for making decisions- how to identify what’s behind your anger and communicate it productively, without putting people on the defensive- how to spot the warning signs for burnout and take the necessary steps to balance your life- why you might be suffering from perfectionism even if we feel far from perfect, and how to detach your self-worth from what you do

The eighth book in a thrilling, magical, and action-packed new fantasy series, illustrated throughout and perfect for 7-9 year olds!

In the land of Draconis, there are no dragons.

Once, there were. Once, humans and dragons were friends, and created the great city of Rivven together.

But then came the Dragon Storm, and the dragons retreated from the world of humans.

To the men and women of Draconis, they became legends and myth.

When Princess Skye returns to Rivven she discovers a city in chaos. After an attack by the fearsome dragon Firedreamer, everyone is preparing to go to war with the Dragonseer Guild!

But Skye knows the Guild is not a threat, and something is terribly wrong. Can she find her own dragon, Soulsinger, and stop this war before dragons disappear forever?

The eighth book in an exciting new fantasy series from the highly acclaimed author of Orion Lost, brilliantly illustrated throughout, and perfect for fans of Beast Quest and Dragon Mountain.

This is the first fully revised and expanded guide to the buildings of Lothian since Colin McWilliam’s pioneering volume of 1978, with new colour photography, maps and plans to accompany the unrivalled coverage of the area. Lothian surrounds the capital city of Edinburgh, which has done much to influence the character of its buildings. Among these are some important medieval relics, including the internationally-famous Rosslyn Chapel, the royal Renaissance palace at Linlithgow and the ruins of great castles and tower houses. Among major country houses, none are more splendid than Hopetoun and the ducal seat of Dalkeith Palace but Lothian also has the extraordinarily well-preserved Newhailes and mighty Gosford House. This is also an area of picturesque small towns and resorts along the Firth of Forth with outstanding villas for the Edwardian elite, and rural villages of unspoiled character, preserving remains of their agricultural heritage. The industrial legacy is important, including not only one of the most complete collieries in Scotland but also the world-famous Forth Rail Bridge. This volume is an essential reference for visitors and residents alike.

‘I’ll always love you no matter what.’

‘No matter what?’ Small asks. But what if he turns into a bug, or a crocodile, or even a grizzly bear?

Small has all sorts of questions about love, and his mummy must reassure him that her love will never, ever run out – no matter what.

A heartfelt story about the unconditional love each parent feels for their child, beautifully told and exquisitely illustrated by Kate Greenaway-shortlisted Debi Gliori and repackaged for a new generation to enjoy.

‘An instant childhood classic’ – Independent on Sunday

‘A brilliant gem of a book’ – Guardian

‘The literary equivalent of a big hug’ – The Times

Uncovers a distinctly Scottish experience of the Second World War

Provides an original overview of Scottish society during the Second World War

The first academic monograph that attempts a national approach to the British home front, and also draws out areas of cultural difference with established scholarship on other nations and/or regions of Britain

Makes a significant contribution to knowledge of Scottish culture and society during the Twentieth Century

Uses a diverse and largely untapped range of archival sources, and features 19 black & white illustrations

Includes the experiences of women, children, prisoners of war, Irish in Scotland, Scottish Jews

Surprisingly little is known about Scottish experiences of the Second World War. Scottish Society in the Second World War addresses this oversight by providing a pioneering account of society and culture in wartime Scotland. While significantly illuminating a pivotal episode in Scottish history, this book also charts the uncertainties that permeated Scottish society at that time: relating to nationhood, to cultural identity, to Scotland’s place within the Union, and towards the country’s future.Using recently discovered archives, this text examines key aspects of wartime life, including work, leisure, morale, and religion. It also explores the underlying tension between conformity and resistance, and the ways that social fissures shaped Scottish responses to war. Further, in taking a national approach to the British home front, it draws out areas of cultural difference between Scotland and established scholarship on other nations and regions of Britain.

George Orwell’s vivid memoir of his time living among the desperately poor and destitute, Down and Out in Paris and London is a moving tour of the underworld of society.

Written when Orwell was a struggling writer in his twenties, it documents his “first contact with poverty”. Here, he painstakingly documents a world of unrelenting drudgery and squalor – sleeping in bug-infested hostels and doss houses of last resort, working as a dishwasher in Paris’s vile “Hôtel X”, surviving on scraps and cigarette butts, living alongside tramps, a star-gazing pavement artist and a starving Russian ex-army captain. Exposing a shocking, previously-hidden world to his readers, Orwell gave a human face to the statistics of poverty for the first time – and in doing so, found his voice as a writer.

George Orwell’s vivid memoir of his time living among the desperately poor and destitute, Down and Out in Paris and London is a moving tour of the underworld of society.

Written when Orwell was a struggling writer in his twenties, it documents his “first contact with poverty”. Here, he painstakingly documents a world of unrelenting drudgery and squalor – sleeping in bug-infested hostels and doss houses of last resort, working as a dishwasher in Paris’s vile “Hôtel X”, surviving on scraps and cigarette butts, living alongside tramps, a star-gazing pavement artist and a starving Russian ex-army captain. Exposing a shocking, previously-hidden world to his readers, Orwell gave a human face to the statistics of poverty for the first time – and in doing so, found his voice as a writer.

THE THIRD COLD-CASE INVESTIGATION FOR ENZO MACLEOD, FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE RICHARD AND JUDY MEGASELLER THE BLACKHOUSE.FRANCE.

A death sentence.

Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Enzo Macleod is running out of time to crack the most confounding of unsolved French murders.

A death threat.

His daughter is nearly killed, Enzo is mugged – and then he is arrested. Someone is trying to destroy his character. Someone is framing him for murder.

A deathly enemy.Killers from the past will stop at nothing to halt Enzo, who must use all his forensic skills to solve the case – before they succeed.

Scotland has some of the best seafood in the world, so we why don’t we eat more of it? Why don’t we highlight the bounty of our seas and the people who fish, produce, sell, preserve and cook it?

Acclaimed cooker writer Ghillie Basan embarks on a journey around Scotland’s coastline and over to the islands to capture the essence of our nation’s seafood through the stories of fisherman, farmers, artisan smokers and curers, boat builders and net makers, creels and shacks, skin tanners and age-old traditions.

In addition, she offers 90 original recipes showcasing the wonderful produce she encounters on her journeys to all parts of the country.

Features a foreword by Gary Maclean, winner of MasterChef: The Professionals

The Special Dead is the thrilling tenth book in Lin Anderson’s forensic crime series featuring Rhona MacLeod.

When Mark is invited back to Leila’s flat and ordered to strip, he thinks he’s about to have the experience of his life. Waking later he finds Leila gone from his side. Keen to leave, he opens the wrong door and finds he’s entered a nightmare; behind the swaying Barbie dolls that hang from the ceiling is the body of the girl he just had sex with.

Rhona MacLeod’s forensic investigation of the scene reveals the red plaited silk cord used to hang Leila to be a cingulum, a Wiccan artefact used in sex magick. Sketches of sexual partners hidden in the dolls provide a link to nine powerful men, but who are they? As the investigation continues, it looks increasingly likely that other witches will be targeted too.

Working the investigation is the newly demoted DS Michael McNab, who is keen to stay sober and redeem himself with Rhona, but an encounter with Leila’s colleague and fellow Wiccan Freya Devine threatens his resolve. Soon McNab realizes Freya may hold the key to identifying the men linked to the dolls, but the Nine will do anything to keep their identities a secret.

Follow Rhona MacLeod in more forensic thrillers with None but the Dead, Follow the Dead, Sins of the Dead and Time for the Dead.

None but the Dead is the thrilling eleventh book in Lin Anderson’s forensic crime series featuring Rhona MacLeod.

Sanday, one of Britain’s northernmost islands, inaccessible when the wind prevents the ferry crossing from the mainland, or fog grounds the tiny, island-hopping plane.

When human remains are discovered to the rear of an old primary school, forensic expert Dr Rhona MacLeod and her assistant arrive to excavate the grave. Approaching midwinter, they find daylight in short supply, the weather inhospitable and some of the island’s inhabitants less than co-operative. When the suspicious death of an old man in Glasgow appears to have links with the island, DS Michael McNab is dispatched to investigate. Desperately uncomfortable in such surroundings, he finds that none of the tools of detective work are there. No internet, no CCTV, and no police station.

As the weather closes in, the team – including criminal profiler and Orkney native Professor Magnus Pirie – are presented with a series of unexplained incidents, apparently linked to the discovery of thirteen magic flowers representing the souls of dead children who had attended the island school where the body was discovered. But how and in what circumstance did they die? And why are their long forgotten deaths significant to the current investigation?

As a major storm approaches, bringing gale-force winds and high seas, the islanders turn on one another, as past and present evil deeds collide, and long buried secrets break the surface, along with the exposed bones.

Follow Rhona MacLeod in more forensic thrillers with Follow the Dead, Sins of the Dead and Time for the Dead.

Paths of the Dead is the thrilling ninth book in Lin Anderson’s forensic crime series featuring Rhona MacLeod.

When Amy MacKenzie agrees to attend a meeting at a local spiritualist church, the last person she expects to hear calling to her from beyond the grave is her son. The son whom she’d only spoken to an hour before.

Then the body of a young man is found inside a Neolithic stone circle high above the city of Glasgow and forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod is soon on the case. The hands have been severed and there is a stone in the victim’s mouth with the number five scratched on it. DI Michael McNab is certain it’s a gangland murder, but Rhona isn’t convinced.

When a second body is found in similar circumstances, a pattern begins to emerge, of a killer intent on masterminding a gruesome Druidic game that everyone will be forced to play . . .

Follow Rhona MacLeod in more forensic thrillers with The Special Dead, None but the Dead, Follow the Dead, Sins of the Dead and Time for the Dead.

Ever since the time of his early interpreters, beginning with David Hume, Adam Smith’s theory of value has been the subject of confusion and misunderstanding – including a controversy which still rages over whether Smith held a labour theory of value, and, if so, whether he held to it throughout Wealth of Nations, or if it was confined to the ‘Early and Rude State’?

This book provides a close reading of Smith’s key text, and also incorporates material from the other parts of Smith’s oeuvre, especially from The Theory of Moral Sentiments, to yield original and important insights into Smith’s theory of value. The book operates on the assumption that Smith is proposing relatively simple ideas about price and takes a conventional view that simple Supply and Demand models can illuminate, clearly and consistently with his text, his theory of price. Combining these elements, the book argues that, contra Marx, Smith does not have a labour theory of value at all, understood as a theory of the determination of the relative price structure. Instead, Smith is placed squarely in the supply and demand, general equilibrium framework and the claim that he is part of a ‘surplus tradition’, which receives its highest treatment in the work of Piero Sraffa, is refuted.

This book will be of particular interest to Adam Smith specialists, historians of economic thought, and research economists who have an interest in Smith.

Ever since the time of his early interpreters, beginning with David Hume, Adam Smith’s theory of value has been the subject of confusion and misunderstanding ? including a controversy which still rages over whether Smith held a labour theory of value, and, if so, whether he held to it throughout Wealth of Nations, or if it was confined to the ‘Early and Rude State’?This book provides a close reading of Smith’s key text, and also incorporates material from the other parts of Smith’s oeuvre, especially from The Theory of Moral Sentiments, to yield original and important insights into Smith’s theory of value. The book operates on the assumption that Smith is proposing relatively simple ideas about price and takes a conventional view that simple Supply and Demand models can illuminate, clearly and consistently with his text, his theory of price. Combining these elements, the book argues that, contra Marx, Smith does not have a labour theory of value at all, understood as a theory of the determination of the relative price structure. Instead, Smith is placed squarely in the supply and demand, general equilibrium framework and the claim that he is part of a ‘surplus tradition’, which receives its highest treatment in the work of Piero Sraffa, is refuted.

This book will be of particular interest to Adam Smith specialists, historians of economic thought, and research economists who have an interest in Smith.

A PhD student uncovers dark secrets in this ‘richly atmospheric and irresistibly readable’ (Joyce Carol Oates) Gothic mystery set in Scotland, Italy, and France. For fans of Donna Tartt and Elizabeth Kostova.

Fleeing a disastrous affair with a colleague, Isabel Henley leaves the US to begin a PhD in Scotland. There she reconnects with the charismatic scholar Rose Brewster, a former classmate, who becomes a much-needed friend. When Rose reveals she’s in trouble, Isabel decides to help her.

Then Rose vanishes.

At first it seems she has taken her own life, but then Isabel receives a coded message: Rose is alive but held captive by people who don’t want her to complete her research. Isabel realises she must finish it if she wants to save her friend’s life – and her own.

Isabel’s search takes her to Italy and France where she uncovers a chain of betrayal and treason lasting centuries. She must solve a 400-year-old mystery… or risk being claimed by it too.

For fans of The Cloisters, The Secret History and The Maidens, and combining epistolary elements, this is a gripping literary thriller set in the world of dark academia.

Reviews for The Bequest

‘A brilliant debut, as smart as it is compelling’ Tasha Alexander

‘A first rate mystery by a first time author. Intriguing plot and well drawn characters’ Martin Cruz Smith

The poetry of Helen Craik (1751-1825), Gothic novelist and friend of Robert Burns, was long thought lost. The rediscovery of her manuscript Poems of a Lady (1790), transcribed and annotated here for the first time, invites a fresh evaluation of her life and work. From short satires and verse-letters to longer dramatic monologues of psychological introspection, these thirty-nine poems offer an invaluable insight into her social circle in the Dumfries area and her wide literary interests, demonstrating the distinctive imagination later seen in Craik’s novels. The introduction discusses Craik’s biography and the major themes in her work, casting new light on why, two years after finishing these poems, she suddenly left home and family. With full notes on each poem’s background, and additional source material, this volume adds significantly to Craik scholarship and to the critical reassessment of poetry by Scottish women in the Romantic era.