THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

It is fascinating to study the structures of Aboriginal, Polynesian and Native American society and beliefs. It doesn’t take long to realise that whatever form a person’s sexuality took, it would have been considered a normal and healthy part of these societies. As our understanding of sexuality(ies) grows it is hoped that everyone will be able to take their place proudly within the world, no longer confined by the clichés that some people have been tagged with. This book is a guide and tool, not just to the Pagan LGBT+ community, but to every Pagan. When we see everyone as equal in spirit and voice then we really can make a difference.

Beneath all the anxieties about church decline and strategies and restructures to reverse that, this book speaks to a problem that has not been addressed – the widespread disinterest in the church and the church’s inability to capture the public imagination or to be relevant.

It argues that the church needs to recover a sense of authenticity – in the gospel it believes, in the vision of human flourishing it promotes, in its place within a multicultural society, in its primary vocation to serve society and not be its moral guardian. It calls on all kinds of resources that can help refresh the church’s self-expression – in engagement with art, music and poetry, in searching for better language (drawing on people like Barbara Brown Taylor, Padraig O Tuama and George MacLeod), through biblical stories that resonate with the Scottish experience, through meaningful engagement with communities and with the landscape, and more.

Power. History. Love. Hate. Vengeance

.She will be Queen. Whatever it takes…

Daughter of an ousted king. Descendant of powerful druids. Destined to take her place in history.

As a child, Gruoch’s grandmother prophecies that she will one day be Queen of Alba and reclaim the lands of her Pictish kin. When, many years later, she is betrothed to Duncan, the heir-elect, the prophecy appears to come true. Determined to never to be as powerless as her parents, Gruoch leaves behind her home, her family and her friend MacBethad, and travels to the royal seat at Scone to seal her fate.

But when a deadly turn of events forces Gruoch to flee Duncan and the capital, Gruoch finds herself at the mercy of an old enemy.

Her hope of becoming Queen all but lost, Gruoch does what she must to survive, until she is given a choice: live a long, peaceful life but fall into obscurity, or seize her chance for vengeance and a path back to the throne.

An unputdownable, sweeping historical epic, Lady MacBethad reimagines the life of Gruoch – the real life Scottish Queen who inspired one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters.

Reader Reviews:

‘I adored this book’

‘One of the most interesting, complex and captivating protagonists I’ve ever come across’

‘I could not put this book down’

‘So good that I’m almost sad I’ve finished it’

Hugh McMillan’s first collection in Scots, Whit if? poses the questions that you never thought to ask about Scottish history like ‘Whit if Alexander haed Twitter?’, ‘Whit if John Knox haed fawen in luve wi Mary Queen o Scots’? and ‘Whit if Jacques Brel haed jynt the Corries?’

As both poet and long-time student of Scotland’s strange and undervalued history, McMillan is the ideal guide to all the micht-hiv-bins of Scottish history, as well as all that wis. Humour is guaranteed, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be digging up many an educational gem along the way!

Published to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the 1984-1985 national UK Miners’ Strike – the largest industrial action by a UK union in the 20th Century – Here We Go, Here We Go, Here We Go! Is comprised of Rab’s previous mining poems as well as new poems that relate to current social and economic problems in Scotland and the UK.

Once he left school in 1977, Rab Wilson worked in the mining industry along the west coast of Scotland for eight years. On the 12th March 1984 Rab joined the Miners? Strike, where he remained on strike until the 21st March 1985, after nearly a full year on strike.

The poetry in this collection chronicles the events and aftermath of the Miners’ Strike, through the eyes of a miner who was very much involved in it, a momentous landmark of the working-class struggle. Rab has witnessed the first-hand implications of the demise of Scotland’s mining industry. No other Scots poet today is better placed than Rab to record the history and importance of Scotland’s mining industry and the challenging strike.

This poetry collection is beautifully and skilfully read by the author, renowned poet Jackie Kay.

May Day is the long-awaited new collection from one of our best-loved poets and former Makar of Scotland, Jackie Kay. As the title suggests, these poems cast an eye over several decades of political activism, from the international solidarity of the Glasgow of Kay’s childhood, accompanying her parents’ Socialist campaigns, through the feminist, LGBT+ and anti-racist movements of the 80s and 90s, up to the present day when a global pandemic intersects with the urgency of Black Lives Matter.

Kay brings to life a cast of influential figures, delving beneath the surfaces of received narratives: the Jamaican model Fanny Eaton, for example, muse of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in England; Paul Robeson, Angela Davis and the poet Audre Lorde; and a ‘what-if’ poem concerning Rabbie Burns and a road-not-taken towards the West Indian slave trade. Woven through the collection is a suite of lyric poems concerning the recent losses of Kay’s parents: poems of grief and profound change that are infused with the light of love and celebration.

‘A delicious trip through the geography, history and culture of the region’ – Sunday Telegraph

Ever since the days of the Grand Tour, Tuscany has cast its magic spell on foreign vistiors. Attracted by the perfect combination of history, art, architecture, superb natural beauty and weather – not to mention magnificent traditions of food and drink – British visitors and residents have been at times so numerous that the local word for foreigners was simply ‘gli inglesi’ – ‘the English’.

What is it that makes this exquisite part of Italy so seductive? Alistair Moffat embarks on a journey into Tuscany’s past. From the flowering of the Etruscan civilization in the seventh century bc through the rise of the powerful medieval communes of Arezzo, Luca, Pisa and Florence, and the role the area played as the birthplace of the Renaissance, he underlines both the area’s regional uniqueness as well as the vital role it has played in the history of the whole of Italy. Insightful, readable and imbued with the author’s own enthusiasm for Tuscany, this book includes a wealth of information not found in tourist guides.

‘A sun-drenched meditation on the character of the place and its people’ – The Scotsman

Sudden Deaths and Fatal Accident Inquiries in Scotland: Law, Policy and Practice considers the unique Scottish system of sudden deaths investigations leading to Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs).

This book explains the role of the Lord Advocate and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) as core to the death investigation process. It examines the reporting of sudden deaths, COPFS?s investigation process, and the holding of mandatory and discretionary FAIs, concluding with issuing of determinations and recommendations.

The historical development of the FAI system charts their inception from the late nineteenth century to the FAIs held under the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths (Scotland) etc. Act 2016 (2016 Act).

This new title:

– Examines the FAI process from the sudden deaths to the holding of an FAI

– Contrasts the FAIs with inquiries held under the Inquiries Act 2005

– Analyses how the 2016 Act works given current issues of delay and Covid-19

– Considers the judiciary’s role relating to FAI determinations and recommendations made under the 2016 Act

– Focuses on mandatory FAIs relating to deaths in custody

– Compares the FAI process in Scotland with England and Wales and provides a brief international overview

– Considers the State’s requirements under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights

– Discusses availability of public information on FAIs and access to legal aid

– Advises how the public may access FAI records

This first comprehensive survey takes account of changes made by the 2016 Act, providing fresh insight into the investigations into sudden deaths and the holding of FAIs. It provides an essential basis to understand and assess the current working practices of the FAI system.

This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional’s Scottish Law Service.

May Day is the long-awaited new collection from one of our best-loved poets and former Makar of Scotland, Jackie Kay. As the title suggests, these poems cast an eye over several decades of political activism, from the international solidarity of the Glasgow of Kay’s childhood, accompanying her parents’ Socialist campaigns, through the feminist, LGBT+ and anti-racist movements of the 80s and 90s, up to the present day when a global pandemic intersects with the urgency of Black Lives Matter.

Kay brings to life a cast of influential figures, delving beneath the surfaces of received narratives: the Jamaican model Fanny Eaton, for example, muse of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in England; Paul Robeson, Angela Davis and the poet Audre Lorde; and a ‘what-if’ poem concerning Rabbie Burns and a road-not-taken towards the West Indian slave trade. Woven through the collection is a suite of lyric poems concerning the recent losses of Kay’s parents: poems of grief and profound change that are infused with the light of love and celebration.

‘Wonderful and moving’ Clare Chambers

‘Utterly absorbing’ Sunday Post

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE

Jamesina Ross is long finished with men. But one night a stranger seeking lodgings knocks on the door of her tenement flat. He doesn’t recognise her, but she remembers him at once. Not that she plans to mention it. She has no intention of trusting anyone enough to let herself be vulnerable again.

A lifetime ago, growing up in a Highland glen, Jamesina Ross wrote songs about the land and the kin who had worked it for generations. But her music was no match for the violence her community faced in the Highland Clearances. Jamesina has borne the disfigurements of that day ever since, on her face and inside her head. Her lodger thinks that if she would only dare to open the past, she might have the chance of a future.

This is a story about resilience, memory, resurrection – and those parts of who we are that nobody can take away.

A beautiful exploration of unlooked-for love in later life, its contrariness and its awkward, surprising joys, this is a story about resilience, memory, resurrection – and those parts of who we are that nobody can take away.

May Day is the long-awaited new collection from one of our best-loved poets and former Makar of Scotland, Jackie Kay. As the title suggests, these poems cast an eye over several decades of political activism, from the international solidarity of the Glasgow of Kay’s childhood, accompanying her parents’ Socialist campaigns, through the feminist, LGBT+ and anti-racist movements of the 80s and 90s, up to the present day when a global pandemic intersects with the urgency of Black Lives Matter.

Kay brings to life a cast of influential figures, delving beneath the surfaces of received narratives: the Jamaican model Fanny Eaton, for example, muse of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in England; Paul Robeson, Angela Davis and the poet Audre Lorde; and a ‘what-if’ poem concerning Rabbie Burns and a road-not-taken towards the West Indian slave trade. Woven through the collection is a suite of lyric poems concerning the recent losses of Kay’s parents: poems of grief and profound change that are infused with the light of love and celebration.

This pilgrimage walk runs for 55 miles (89 km) from the Firth of Forth via Dunfermline Abbey to its famous destination of St Andrews. It is rich in industrial heritage, passing through mining communities, former railways, castles and former textile centres.  Above all, it celebrates Fife’s pilgrim kingdom and history through many churches and religious sites.

Start from either the historic village of Culross or the pilgrim landing at North Queensferry, and make your way across the heartlands of Fife.  The route has fine scenery and passes through country parks, native woodlands and river valleys rich in wildlife.  Most walkers will need 5-6 days to complete the journey.

Cyclists with mountain or gravel bikes can enjoy most of the route in most conditions, but in some circumstances – where the ground is very wet or the path too narrow – they may need to dismount.  Most cyclists will want 2-3 days to complete the route.

The guidebook features step-by-step directions with detailed mapping, and illustrated sections on history, heritage and wildlife.  It directs readers to side-trips, refreshments and accommodation along the way.  Lavishly illustrated, the book features custom mapping at 1:40,000 on 12 of its pages and has nearly 100 colour photos.

This book offers an in-depth exploration of the lives of EU migrant workers in the UK following Brexit and COVID-19.

Drawing on a longitudinal study, the book delves into the legal problems migrant workers face and sheds much-needed light on the hidden interactions between the law and communities around issues such as employment, housing, welfare and health. Through personal narratives and insights gathered from interviews, it reveals how (clustered) legal problems arise, are resolved and often bypass formal legal resolution pathways.

This is an invaluable resource that provides a rich picture of everyday life for migrant workers in the UK and highlights the vital role of NGOs working to support them.

This book offers an in-depth exploration of the lives of EU migrant workers in the UK following Brexit and COVID-19.

Drawing on a longitudinal study, the book delves into the legal problems migrant workers face and sheds much-needed light on the hidden interactions between the law and communities around issues such as employment, housing, welfare and health. Through personal narratives and insights gathered from interviews, it reveals how (clustered) legal problems arise, are resolved and often bypass formal legal resolution pathways.

This is an invaluable resource that provides a rich picture of everyday life for migrant workers in the UK and highlights the vital role of NGOs working to support them.

From the million-copy internationally bestselling author comes a devastatingly dark and gripping thriller that you will devour in one sitting. Available to pre-order now!

He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet.

What would you do if you found a killer?

Would you run? Would you hide?

Or would you face your greatest fear?

Midnight Jones is an analyst trained to understand the human mind. But everything changes when, in the course of her work, she discovers Profile K’s file – because K stands for killer, and she knows that someone more dangerous than she could have ever imagined walks among them.

Midnight knows what Profile K is capable of before he even commits his first crime. But as the news rolls with the brutal murder of a local woman, no one believes what she tells them: that he’s capable of so much more.

Profile K will kill again – and slowly, terrifyingly, Midnight realises that the moment she found his file was the moment she became his next target. Because Profile K is coming for Midnight – and the only way to escape with her life is to find him before he finds her?

The million-copy bestseller is back with a dark, terrifying journey into the mind of a killer that you won’t forget. The perfect read for fans of John Marrs: The One.

From the million-copy internationally bestselling author comes a devastatingly dark and gripping thriller that you will devour in one sitting. Available to pre-order now!

He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet.

What would you do if you found a killer?

Would you run? Would you hide?

Or would you face your greatest fear?

Midnight Jones is an analyst trained to understand the human mind. But everything changes when, in the course of her work, she discovers Profile K’s file – because K stands for killer, and she knows that someone more dangerous than she could have ever imagined walks among them.

Midnight knows what Profile K is capable of before he even commits his first crime. But as the news rolls with the brutal murder of a local woman, no one believes what she tells them: that he’s capable of so much more.

Profile K will kill again – and slowly, terrifyingly, Midnight realises that the moment she found his file was the moment she became his next target. Because Profile K is coming for Midnight – and the only way to escape with her life is to find him before he finds her?

The million-copy bestseller is back with a dark, terrifying journey into the mind of a killer that you won’t forget. The perfect read for fans of John Marrs: The One.

When an ex-catholic woman develops a sexual relationship with a vampire, she is forced to confront the memories that haunt her religious past.

Struggling to deal with the familial trauma of her Catholic upbringing, hotel cleaner, Noelle, travels to the Isle of Bute. There, she meets a man who claims to be a vampire, and a relationship blooms between them based solely on confession. But as talk turns sacrilegious, and the weather outside grows colder, Noelle struggles to come to terms with her blasphemous sexuality. She becomes hounded by memories of her past: her mother’s affair with the local priest, and the part she played in ending it.

From the million-copy internationally bestselling author comes a devastatingly dark and gripping thriller that you will devour in one sitting. Available to pre-order now!

He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet.

What would you do if you found a killer?

Would you run? Would you hide?

Or would you face your greatest fear?

Midnight Jones is an analyst trained to understand the human mind. But everything changes when, in the course of her work, she discovers Profile K’s file – because K stands for killer, and she knows that someone more dangerous than she could have ever imagined walks among them.

Midnight knows what Profile K is capable of before he even commits his first crime. But as the news rolls with the brutal murder of a local woman, no one believes what she tells them: that he’s capable of so much more.

Profile K will kill again – and slowly, terrifyingly, Midnight realises that the moment she found his file was the moment she became his next target. Because Profile K is coming for Midnight – and the only way to escape with her life is to find him before he finds her?

The million-copy bestseller is back with a dark, terrifying journey into the mind of a killer that you won’t forget. The perfect read for fans of John Marrs: The One.

Do you feel like we’re in a permacrisis? Chances are you feel some anxiety about the state of the world. Gordon Brown, Mohamed A. El-Erian and Michael Spence certainly did.

Three of the most internationally respected and experienced thinkers of our time, these friends found their pandemic Zooms increasingly focused on a cascade of crises: sputtering growth, surging inflation, poor policy responses, an escalating climate emergency, worsening inequality, increasing nationalism and a decline in global co-operation.

They shared their fears and frustrations. And the more they talked, the more they realised that while past mistakes had set the world on this bumpy course, a better path leading to a brighter future exists. Informed by their different perspectives, they sought a common goal: achievable solutions to fix our fractured world. This book is the product of that thinking. At the heart of today’s permacrisis are broken approaches to growth, economic management, and governance. While these approaches are broken, they are not beyond repair. An explanation of where we’ve gone wrong, and a provocative, inspiring plan to do nothing less than change the world, Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World, written with Reid Lidow, sets out how we can prevent crises and better manage the future for the benefit of the many and not the few.

The longer a problem goes unresolved, the worse it will get; that’s what happens in a permacrisis – and that’s why we must act now.

If not perhaps the most popular Highland clan, the Campbells are undoubtedly one of the most successful. The Campbell earls of Argyll have traditionally enjoyed a rather unsavoury historical reputation, viewed by their rivals with a mixture of fear, envy and respect. The spectacular advance of Campbell power in the medieval Scottish kingdom has normally been explained in terms of the family’s ruthless and duplicitous suppression of their fellow-Gaels in Argyll and the Hebrides at the behest of the Scottish crown. In particular, Clan Campbell’s success is seen to be built on the destruction of older and more prestigious regional lordships in the west, such as those of the MacDougall lords of Argyll and the MacDonald lords of the Isles.

This book reassesses these negative images and interpretations of the growth of Campbell authority from the thirteenth century and the opening of the Wars of Independence through to the death of Archibald, 2nd earl of Argyll, at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The lords who dominated the medieval Clan Campbell emerge more as individuals enjoying complex and ambiguous relationships with the Scottish crown and the culture and politics of Gaelic-speaking Scotland, rather than as unquestioning agents of the Stewart monarchy and committed converts to the aristocratic culture of lowland Scotland.