THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

Follow the adventures of Molly the hare, Olive the owl and Dexter the fox in a delightful series for toddlers from multi award-winning author and artist Catherine Rayner.

Dexter the fox LOVES to play chase with Molly the hare and Olive the owl… But Molly keeps bounding away on her big feet, and it only takes one flap of her wings for Olive to swoop ahead. They’re just so quick: try as he might, Dexter can’t keep up! Whatever can he do? With each story starring a different member of this adorable trio, the Molly, Olive and Dexter books explore big emotional themes with gentle humour and gorgeous artwork; don’t miss the other stories in the series: Molly, Olive and Dexter and Molly, Olive and Dexter: The Guessing Game!

‘Catherine Rayner has a marvellous gift for capturing the souls of animals in a few, rich washes of colour.’ Daily Telegraph

Follow the adventures of Molly the hare, Olive the owl and Dexter the fox in a delightful series for toddlers from multi award-winning author and artist Catherine Rayner.

Dexter the fox LOVES to play chase with Molly the hare and Olive the owl… But Molly keeps bounding away on her big feet, and it only takes one flap of her wings for Olive to swoop ahead. They’re just so quick: try as he might, Dexter can’t keep up! Whatever can he do? With each story starring a different member of this adorable trio, the Molly, Olive and Dexter books explore big emotional themes with gentle humour and gorgeous artwork; don’t miss the other stories in the series: Molly, Olive and Dexter and Molly, Olive and Dexter: The Guessing Game!

‘Catherine Rayner has a marvellous gift for capturing the souls of animals in a few, rich washes of colour.’ Daily Telegraph

‘Forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod has become one of the most satisfying characters in modern crime fiction’ – Daily Mail

A remote shoreline. A lethal killer. As lone visitors disappear from the rural northwest of Scotland, campsites are becoming crime scenes. The Wild Coast is a chilling thriller from Lin Anderson.

When forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod is brought in to analyse a shallow grave on Scotland’s west coast, she is disturbed by a bundle of twigs crafted into a stickman and left in the victim’s mouth.

Then, when a young woman is reported missing from a nearby campsite with another sinister figurine left in her van, it seems that someone is targeting wild campers. An idyllic coastline known for providing peace and serenity, now the area is a hunting ground.

As her investigation proceeds, Rhona is forced to reconsider her closest bonds. Rumours of sexual assault offences by serving police officers are circling in Glasgow, which may include her trusted colleague DS Michael McNab. Could it be true, or is someone looking to put him out of action?

All the while a young woman’s life is on the line and the clock is ticking . . .

‘Lin Anderson is one of Scotland’s national treasures’ – Stuart MacBride, author of the Logan McRae series

Though they can be read in any order, The Wild Coast is the seventeenth thriller featuring Rhona MacLeod. The forensic crime series continues with Whispers of the Dead.

An island full of secrets. A gripping love story . . .

All her young life Effie Gillies has lived, wild and free, on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda. But when Lord Sholto visits the island, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young Lord around the isle, and falls in love for the first time. But a storm hits and her world falls apart.

Three months later, all the islanders are moved to a better life on the mainland. And Effie is surprised to be offered a job working for Sholto’s father. But Sholto and Effie come from two different worlds – can love ever win?

The Last Summer is based on the true history of St Kilda and its small island community.

‘The most exciting, enchanting story of forbidden love I’ve ever read. – Cathy Bramley

‘I loved it and can’t wait for the next in the series!’ – Jill Mansell

‘Perfect for everyone dreaming of summer’ – Rachel Hore

An island full of secrets. A gripping love story . . .

All her young life Effie Gillies has lived, wild and free, on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda. But when Lord Sholto visits the island, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young Lord around the isle, and falls in love for the first time. But a storm hits and her world falls apart.

Three months later, all the islanders are moved to a better life on the mainland. And Effie is surprised to be offered a job working for Sholto’s father. But Sholto and Effie come from two different worlds – can love ever win?

The Last Summer is based on the true history of St Kilda and its small island community.

‘The most exciting, enchanting story of forbidden love I’ve ever read. – Cathy Bramley

‘I loved it and can’t wait for the next in the series!’ – Jill Mansell

‘Perfect for everyone dreaming of summer’ – Rachel Hore

I’ve always been better with plants than people . . .

Eustacia Rose is a Professor of Botanical Toxicology who lives alone in London with only her extensive collection of poisonous plants for company. She tends to her garden with meticulous care. Her life is quiet. Her schedule never changes. Until the day she hears a scream and the temptation to investigate proves irresistible.

Through her telescope, Professor Rose is drawn into the life of an extraordinarily beautiful neighbour, Simone, and nicknames the men who visit her after poisonous plants according to the toxic effect they have on Simone. But who are these four men? And why does Eustacia Rose recognise one of them?

Just as she preserves her secret garden, she feels inexplicably compelled to protect her neighbour, but Eustacia soon finds herself entangled in a far more complicated web than she could ever have imagined. When her precious garden is vandalised and someone close to Simone is murdered with a toxin derived from a rare poisonous plant, Eustacia becomes implicated in the crime.

After all, no one knows toxic plants like she does . . .

Harold Raeburn was one of Scotland’s greatest ever mountaineers, with a legacy of prized lines scattered far and wide across the Highlands.

In feats of extraordinary vitality, he made winter ascents of Tower Ridge, North-East Buttress and Crowberry Gully in four days, cycling from Fort William to Glencoe in between. His breathtaking ascent of Green Gully, cutting steps up near-vertical ice with a single axe, was doubtless the hardest ice climb anywhere at the time and was unsurpassed in difficulty in Scotland for nearly three decades. But perhaps Raeburn’s finest achievement was the first winter ascent in 1920 of Observatory Ridge, which remains one of Ben Nevis’s longest and most serious winter climbs. These routes, amongst so many others, were visionary, while beyond Scotland, he pioneered climbs in the Alps, Norway and the Caucasus, attempted Kangchenjunga and was Climbing Leader on the calamitous 1921 British Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition. Tragically, the latter was to be his undoing, precipitating a ‘melancholia’ that had perhaps, to some degree, dogged him all his life.

With extracts from Raeburn’s own elegant writings and accounts from his friends and climbing companions, The Steps of a Giant is an intimate portrait of a master craftsman, chronicling his outstanding mountaineering record while digging beneath the surface of his modest reserve to reveal a complex, driven character upon whose shoulders subsequent generations of climbing luminaries stand.

From Angus in the south to the farmland of Moray in the north, the forests, moors and lochs of North-East Scotland lead upwards to a vast plateau of tundra studded with glacier-carved corries and glens – the Cairngorms. Here, across an expanse of 8,000 square kilometres, lie not only several of Scotland’s best and highest Munros but a wealth of Corbetts, Grahams and many other outstanding hills, each distinct in character.

This hillwalking guide is a paean to the wonder of these mountains and their surrounding uplands, amongst whose nooks, crannies and sweeping plains newcomers and aficionados alike will find inspiration for journeys of all lengths and a bewitching sense of space and timelessness.

Route descriptions for all the listed and notable hills are accompanied by colour maps, and sublime imagery showcases the region in all its moods. With their unique climate, geology and habitats, these hills teem with the histories of countless bygone land dwellers, climbers, walkers and wildlife, and you will also find extensive insight and points of interest to deepen your understanding and appreciation of this remarkable corner of Scotland.

A remarkable new collection from our finest lyric poet and the winner of the David Cohen Prize for Literature

‘By far the best British poet alive’ SPECTATOR

‘Burnside wrestles with hugeness in a way that few writers dare to do’ ALI SMITH, author of Autumn

In this powerful, moving new book, John Burnside takes his cue from Schiller, who recognised that, as one thing fades, so another flourishes: everywhere and always, in matters great and small, new life blossoms amongst the ruins.

Here, in poems that explore ageing, mortality, environmental destruction and mental illness, Burnside not only mourns what is lost in passing, but also celebrates the new, and sometimes unexpected, forms that emerge from such losses. An elegy for a dead lover ends with a quiet recognition of everyday beauty – first sun streaming through the trees – a skylark in the near field, flush with song – as the speaker emerges from lockdown after a long illness.

Throughout, the poet attends to the quality of grace – numinous, exquisite, fleeting as an angel’s wing – and the broken tryst between humankind and its spiritual and animal elements, even with itself: the gaunt deer on the roads/like refugees. He acknowledges the inevitability of the fading towards death, but still finds chimes of light in the darkness – insisting that, here and now, even in decline, the world, when given its due attention, is all Annunciation.

The terrifying impact of global warming on vulnerable lives is laid bare in this gripping tale of survival from internationally bestselling author Steve Cole.

Gayla is trapped when floodwater pours into her bedroom in a residential centre for kids with disabilities. The other children have been evacuated while Gayla waited for her father, but now the streets around are cut off and she’s all alone with no way out.

Junjun’s makeshift shack has been washed away in the flood and he needs to find medicine for his sister, who’s sick after drinking contaminated water.

At first these two young people seem to have little in common and pity each other, but as the waters continue to rise, can they find a way to work together to survive ??

Tia and her mum start an adventurous new life on Gull Haven Island, finding lots of animals who need their help along the way.

Tia’s mum has a new job as the vet on Gull Haven Island and there are a lot of animals who need her help.

When she’s called away to help a sickly cow on a nearby island and gets trapped there in a storm, Tia has to step up and care for the animals staying in the surgery. It’s a big responsibility and then she has to deal with a mysterious creature that washes up on the shore after the storm.

Their new life on the Haven Islands is clearly going to be full of adventures!

The pig who cried wolf finally gets his comeuppance in this hilarious gem from bestselling author Ross Montgomery.

Porky Pies is always telling lies, trying to terrify his brothers and sisters into believing that the Big Bad Wolf is back. But when the biggest fibber in the litter tries to plan his most daring prank yet, the joke is on him this time. So who will have the last laugh?

Love is our only hope. It is not always the easiest choice, but it is always the right one, the noble path, the way home to safety, no matter how bleak the future looks.

In Somehow: Thoughts on Love, Anne Lamott explores the transformative power that love has in our lives: how it surprises us, forces us to confront uncomfortable truths, reminds us of our humanity and guides us forward.

In each chapter, Lamott refracts all the colours of the spectrum. She explores the unexpected love for a partner later in life. The bruised (and bruising) love for a child who disappoints, even frightens. Drawing from her own life and experience to delineate the intimate and elemental ways that love buttresses us in the face of despair, as it galvanises us to believe that tomorrow will be better than today. The lessons she underscores are that love enlightens as it educates, comforts as it energises, sustains as it surprises.

Full of the compassion and humanity that have made Lamott beloved by millions of readers, Somehow is classic Anne Lamott: funny, warm and wise.

It is easy to overlook how much of our history is preserved all around us – the way the narrative of bygone days has been inscribed in fields, forests, hills and mountains, roads, railways, canals, lochs, buildings and settlements. Indeed, footprints of the past are to be found almost everywhere. The shapes of fields may reveal the brief presence of the Romans or the labours of medieval peasants; while great heaps of abandoned spoil or the remains of gargantuan holes in the ground mark the rapid decline of heavy industry in the recent past.  These evocative spaces provide unique evidence for the way this land and its wealth of resources has been lived in, worked on, ruined, abandoned, restored and celebrated – offering valuable clues that bring the past to life far more effectively than any written history.

A History of Scotland’s Landscapes explores the many ways that we have used, adapted and altered our environment over thousands of years. Full of maps, photographs and drawings, it offers a remarkable new perspective on Scotland ? a unique guide to tracing memories, events and meanings in the forms and patterns of our surroundings.

Love is our only hope. It is not always the easiest choice, but it is always the right one, the noble path, the way home to safety, no matter how bleak the future looks.

In Somehow: Thoughts on Love, Anne Lamott explores the transformative power that love has in our lives: how it surprises us, forces us to confront uncomfortable truths, reminds us of our humanity and guides us forward.

In each chapter, Lamott refracts all the colours of the spectrum. She explores the unexpected love for a partner later in life. The bruised (and bruising) love for a child who disappoints, even frightens. Drawing from her own life and experience to delineate the intimate and elemental ways that love buttresses us in the face of despair, as it galvanises us to believe that tomorrow will be better than today. The lessons she underscores are that love enlightens as it educates, comforts as it energises, sustains as it surprises.

Full of the compassion and humanity that have made Lamott beloved by millions of readers, Somehow is classic Anne Lamott: funny, warm and wise.

A remarkable new collection from our finest lyric poet and the winner of the David Cohen Prize for Literature

‘By far the best British poet alive’ SPECTATOR

‘Burnside wrestles with hugeness in a way that few writers dare to do’ ALI SMITH, author of Autumn

In this powerful, moving new book, John Burnside takes his cue from Schiller, who recognised that, as one thing fades, so another flourishes: everywhere and always, in matters great and small, new life blossoms amongst the ruins.

Here, in poems that explore ageing, mortality, environmental destruction and mental illness, Burnside not only mourns what is lost in passing, but also celebrates the new, and sometimes unexpected, forms that emerge from such losses. An elegy for a dead lover ends with a quiet recognition of everyday beauty – first sun streaming through the trees – a skylark in the near field, flush with song – as the speaker emerges from lockdown after a long illness.

Throughout, the poet attends to the quality of grace – numinous, exquisite, fleeting as an angel’s wing – and the broken tryst between humankind and its spiritual and animal elements, even with itself: the gaunt deer on the roads/like refugees. He acknowledges the inevitability of the fading towards death, but still finds chimes of light in the darkness – insisting that, here and now, even in decline, the world, when given its due attention, is all Annunciation.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND FROM THE AUTHOR OF WILD HOPE

‘A little corner of calm within life’s storm – wonderful.’ Cat Deeley

‘Donna’s much-needed words will no doubt empower and lift our young people today.’ Lisa Faulkner

‘Like a hug from a wise friend.’ Samia Longchambon

‘Wise and beautiful words to help us reach a place of peace and acceptance.’ Lisa Snowdon

In this fast-paced world, I Wish I Knew is a collection of poems and wisdom to guide us through the wilderness of life, navigating self-esteem, body image, emotions, mental health and personal growth.

With honest lessons learned from rock bottom, Donna Ashworth will help you to find courage in chaos and rise to every challenge. Sparking joy, kindness, gratitude and self-acceptance on each page, her words will soothe your soul, strengthen your spirit and help you find your own unique voice.

Two perfect strangers in San Francisco. Gracie and Weston have their futures mapped out.

Gracie’s future is glossy, glam and loved-up. Flawless like her influencer lifestyle. Weston’s is all tattoo parlors, hitting the bar on the regular, and earning his police officer’s badge. Tough guy, or so he tells himself.

What they have in common is heartbreak. In the aftermath of shattered romances, they’re reeling. Gracie’s been unceremoniously dumped … by the guy who promised to be her forever. While Weston is realizing he never showed his ex quite how much he loved her.

When two sets of friends stage an intervention – no more pity parties – worlds collide in a downtown club. There’s spilled drinks, thrown punches and ugly tears in the back of an Uber. Not exactly a cute meet-cute.

Their futures uncertain, Gracie and Weston gravitate toward one another. The chemistry between them is undeniable – but they’re just friends, right. Right?

Cue unexpected – and blush-worthy – lessons in dating etiquette, life skills and forging a connection to make your heart stand still. Somewhere in the Sunset has all the feels.

Oh, and the sex is fire.

As so many, the author used to take for granted how as a boy he would be taken on a trolleybus or a tram to visit relatives or during the holidays he might travel on the steam train and a paddle steamer ‘doon the water’ to Dunoon, or some other Clyde Coast resort. Other days he might go on a school or Boy Scouts bus run.

Looking back, we can see that Glasgow has gone through periods of huge change in its public transport. The steam-powered railway gave way to the electric ‘Blue Train’ and the modern diesel. Old railways disappeared and new routes took citizens from the new suburbs (or schemes) into the city. The paddle steamers disappeared from the Clyde as did the ferries, along with the ships and the shipyards. Trams and trolleybuses gave way to modern buses. The horse and cart disappeared to be replaced by ever larger petrol and then diesel lorries and vans.

Having lived through many of these changes, the author marks the passing of the many modes of travel and transport by a nostalgic look back over more than a 100 years of change, the story accompanied by evocative photographs of what has been lost today.

So sit doon, and have a ‘wee deoch an dorus’ afore ye gang awa!

Brand New from Lisa Hobman

Can you live your dreams and also find your destiny?

Since having to drop out of her design degree, Bella Douglas has been unlucky in just about everything life has thrown at her.

She’s lost more jobs than she cares to remember and to top it off she’s still single, despite her Granny Isla’s best attempts to set her up with every eligible bachelor in the Scottish Highlands.

Currently PA to her best friend, aka, Lady Olivia MacBain, at Drumblair Castle, Bella is yet to find a role that sets her soul on fire. But when disaster strikes for Olivia, Bella steps into the breach to rescue her bestfriend from a fate worse than a bad interior designer.

When Bella and her Granny find themselves homeless, they relocate to the castle where a handsome new neighbour brings mystery, intrigue and a spark of romance.

Is Bella finally on the track to find true happiness? Or do more catastrophes lie ahead? And does true love hide where you least expect it?

Praise for Lisa Hobman:

‘Involving and intriguing!’ Sue Moorcroft

‘Heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching journey of discovery’ Heidi Swain

‘I love it! – A feel-good, uplifting story of lost love and second chances…’ Holly Martin

‘I loved the book. It’s a captivating story with a relatable heroine and beautifully vivid settings. A perfect holiday read!’ Darcie Boleyn

‘Simply gorgeous’ Jessica Redland

‘A really uplifting, feel-good read about hope and love that really did warm my heart.’ Kim Nash

‘A gorgeous, heart-warming romantic journey, reminds us to never give up on love…’ Lucy Coleman

‘You will fall in love with this story of fresh starts and mending broken hearts’ Mandy Baggot

‘Be prepared to fall in love over and over again.’ Nancy Barone

‘What a beautiful read’ Sarah Bennett