THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

When Frank’s hiccups just won’t STOP, they get him into all kinds of trouble in this madcap caper from comedy genius and bestselling author Jo Simmons.A case of incurable hiccups leads to hilarity in this hilarious caper from comedy genius and bestselling author Jo Simmons.Frank has a big day ahead of him, with a trip to the dentist, a trumpet exam, a swimming contest and, most important of all, he has tickets to see his knitting hero on stage right here in his hometown! But all that is put at risk when Frank wakes up with the hiccups. And they just won?t STOP! Helped by his new friend Daisy, Frank tries ever more madcap ideas to get the hiccups to go away. But will the whole day end in disappointment and humiliation, or will Frank manage to turn calamity into a dramatic triumph?

Carnegie Medal winner Katya Balen returns with a stunning tale about a fractured bond between father and son ? and the injured bird that helps to heal it.Carnegie Medal winner Katya Balen returns with a stunning tale about a fractured bond between father and son ? and the injured bird that helps to heal it.When Noah?s dad visits from New York, he and Noah come across an injured nightjar during a walk in the countryside. Noah is determined to save the bird, but his dad believes they should leave it alone to let nature take its course. As father and son argue, it becomes clear that Noah is angry about more than just the bird. He feels abandoned and misunderstood by his dad, who has moved to the US and started a new family there that doesn?t seem to have room for Noah. Can they find a way to build a new relationship and rediscover the common ground between them?

A WATERSTONES NATURE AND TRAVEL BEST BOOK OF 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT NATURE WRITING PRIZE 2023

‘Modern, revealing and restorative, a coastal treasure’ Amy Liptrot

‘Like its talismanic title, Huband’s voice is distinct and singular. A gorgeous reckoning with the sea, islands and mythology’ Sinéad Gleeson

‘A wild melding of body and landscape. A deep, immersive, storm-tossed read’ Helen Jukes

‘As vital and complex as the oceans themseleves’ Joanna Pocock

A powerful journey of sea and self, trial and hope on the islands of Shetland

On the storm-tossed beaches of the Shetland Archipelago, Sally Huband is searching. A message in a bottle, a mermaid’s purse, a lobster trap tag, each find connects her more deeply with our oceans. But it is Sally’s quest for a fabled sea bean that unlocks the myths of these islands and carries her through chronic illness towards a new and more resilient self.

THE FIRST NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF WORD-OF-MOUTH BESTSELLER IF WOMEN ROSE ROOTED

‘You and me against the world, you used to sing. In the days before it became you and me against each other.’

Cat Munro – who has never taken a day off in her working life – quits her corporate job and starts flying lessons in a small plane over the Arizona desert, confronting her fear not only of death, but of life. Her mother, Laura, moves back to the Scottish village where she spent the first years of her marriage to Cat’s abusive father. Though they are apart, the past connects mother and daughter, haunts them, binds them.

From the excoriating heat of the Arizona desert to the misty flow of a Highland sea-loch, Sharon Blackie’s soaring first novel presents us with the transformative power of landscape, and of storytelling, in women’s lives.

Above all, The Long Delirious Burning Blue is a story of courage, endurance and redemption.

‘It is that rarity, a first novel that smacks of not merely confidence, but authority … The ending is powerful, filmic, and achieving the kind of symmetry that novels often aspire to, but rarely reach.’ The Scotsman

What can one girl do to fight back against the Nazis? Multi-award-winning author Tom Palmer shines a light on life under wartime occupation, in a beautifully told story inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn.As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat and the population lives under the constant threat of arrest and enslavement.After the murder of her beloved uncle and the capture of her brother by the Germans, Edda is determined to do anything she can to help the resistance fight back against their oppressors. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?Award-winning author Tom Palmer shines a light on the incredible work of the WWll Dutch resistance, in a story inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn.

Noah has felt misunderstood and abandoned since his dad moved away, but can they find a way to build a new relationship? Carnegie Medal winner Katya Balen returns with a stunning tale about a fractured bond between father and son ? and the injured bird that helps to heal it.Carnegie Medal winner Katya Balen returns with a stunning tale about a fractured bond between father and son ? and the injured bird that helps to heal it.When Noah?s dad visits from New York, he and Noah come across an injured nightjar during a walk in the countryside. Noah is determined to save the bird, but his dad believes they should leave it alone to let nature take its course. As father and son argue, it becomes clear that Noah is angry about more than just the bird. He feels abandoned and misunderstood by his dad, who has moved to the US and started a new family there that doesn?t seem to have room for Noah. Can they find a way to build a new relationship and rediscover the common ground between them?

After a devastating accident, a special new friendship helps talented musician Annie heal and rediscover her love of music through the joyous song of a blackbird nesting near her home. A stunning new novella from Katya Balen, the Carnegie Medal winning author of October, October.The blackbirds? song uplifts and restores in this captivating novella from one of the most exciting voices in children?s fiction.After a devastating car crash, Annie is unable to play her flute and retreats from the music she?s always loved.She exists in a world of angry silence ? furious with her mum and furious she can?t seem to play her beloved flute any more.Then she meets Noah, who shows her the blackbirds? nest hidden in the scrubland near their flats. As their friendship grows, the blackbirds? glorious song reignites Annie?s passion for music. But when tragedy strikes again, will her fragile progress be put at risk?

Stanley is a normal little boy, with a very unusual family. His Dad is a superhero, saving the world from disasters, aliens and bad guys. Even a trip to the seaside with his Gran ends up filled with plane crashes and robberies! Luckily, Stanley is always on hand to help out ? Two hilarious superhero stories from award-winning author Phil Earle, available in one action-packed bundle for the first time.Stanley is a normal little boy, with a very unusual family.His Dad is a superhero, saving the world from disasters, aliens and bad guys. Even a trip to the seaside with his Gran ends up filled with plane crashes and robberies! Luckily, Stanley is always on hand to help out ?Two hilarious superhero stories from award-winning author Phil Earle, available in one action-packed bundle for the first time.

WINNER OF THE SALTIRE SOCIETY HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR

Next morning at about 6 o’clock my mother wakened us to say there had been a shipwreck and bodies were being washed ashore. My father had gone with others to look for survivors … I don’t think any survivors came in at Port Ellen but bodies did.

The loss of two British ships crammed with American soldiers bound for the trenches of the First World War brought the devastation of war directly to the shores of the Scottish island of Islay.

The sinking of the troopship Tuscania by a German U-Boat on 5 February 1918 was the first major loss of US troops in in the war. Eight months after the people of Islay had buried more than 200 Tuscania dead, the armed merchant cruiser Otranto collided with another troopship during a terrible storm. Despite a valiant rescue attempt by HMS Mounsay, the Otranto drifted towards Islay, hit a reef, throwing 600 men into the water. Just 19 survived; the rest were drowned or crushed by the wreckage.

Based on the harrowing personal recollection of survivors and rescuers, newspaper reports and original research, Les Wilson tells the story of these terrible events, painting a vivid picture which also pays tribute to the astonishing bravery of the islanders, who risked their lives pulling men from the sea, caring for survivors and burying the dead.

Sea monsters, mermaids, shipwrecks and old wives’ tales abound in this collection of traditional folk tales retold by master storyteller Tom Muir. Gathered from the towns, villages and wild places that lie on the edge of the land, these tales reflect the ancient wisdom of living by the sea.

All sorts of stories have grown from our fascination with the unknown depths of the sea and the mysteries it can bring. Developed over time and passed down through telling, these old stories are very much still alive to enjoy today.

Sea monsters, mermaids, shipwrecks and old wives’ tales abound in this collection of traditional folk tales retold by master storyteller Tom Muir. Gathered from the towns, villages and wild places that lie on the edge of the land, these tales reflect the ancient wisdom of living by the sea.

All sorts of stories have grown from our fascination with the unknown depths of the sea and the mysteries it can bring. Developed over time and passed down through telling, these old stories are very much still alive to enjoy today.

A fractured account of family abuse, secrets, and the cost of pursuing the truth.

In the most private spaces, the most intimate betrayals occur. Belén López Peiró places us squarely in the tenderest of times?young teenagehood, in a home about to be ruptured by sexual assault. In this home, for this young woman, your assailant is your uncle, and also a police commissioner. The people who shelter you will reject you: your mother is his sister-in-law, your beloved aunt his wife and your cousin and friend his daughter. And the truth of what happened will depend entirely on you. Why Did You Come Back Every Summer is a document of uncertainty, self-doubt, and the appearance of progress when there is none. A chorus of voices interrupt and overtake each other; interviews and reports are filed. The truth will be heard but how and by whom? Loyalties will shift and slip. And certain questions have no easy answers. What do you owe to your family? What do they owe you? How far will you go to get yourself back?

‘One of the most strikingly original police procedurals this year . . . It is breathtakingly good’ – Daily Mail

‘A masterclass of suspense’ – David Baldacci

The electrifying crime novel featuring DS Saul Anguish from the award winning author, Fiona Cummins, author of Into the Dark and Rattle.

Every one of them has a dark secret

The Family

After a year they want to forget, the Hardwicke family set out to the Scottish Highlands for a much needed holiday.

The Crimes

They are about to cross paths with Missy and Fox, a violent and dangerous young couple hell-bent on infamy, their love story etched in blood and a dark past which must be uncovered.

The Detective

As the clock ticks down, Detective Saul Anguish is on the hunt to find the couple before more lives are lost.

The Mother – who will be forced to make an impossible decision.

Praise for Fiona Cummins:

‘Grips like a vice’ – Val McDermid

‘Savage, heartbreaking, beautiful and chilling. Fiona Cummins rips up the rule book in this quite brilliant story of love and loss, murder and redemption’ – Chris Whitaker

‘Breathless plotting and twist after twist’ – Ian Rankin

‘So good I read it twice. Trust me – Cummins is a keeper’ – Lee Child

Scotland has one of the richest traditions of folklore in the world, and the nation?s greatest writers have been influenced by the country?s abundance of customs, superstitions, ghost stories and folktales. Robert Burns, Walter Scott, James Hogg and Robert Louis Stevenson all used Scottish folklore in their work.This book traces the roots and traditions of Scottish folklore and introduces all its key parts, combining a huge range of material from gypsy-lore and Arthurian legend to tales of magical beasts, demons and witches and lore associated with the natural world.

Shortlisted for the 2023 Sports Book Awards for Best Sports Writing of the Year

Shortlisted for the USGA Herbert Warren Wind Book Award

The Long Golden Afternoon tells the story of the transformative generation of golf that followed the rise of Young Tom Morris – an era of sweeping change that saw Scotland’s national pastime become one of the rare games played around the world.

It begins with the first epochal performance after Tommy – John Ball’s victory at Prestwick in 1890 as the first Englishman and the first amateur to win the Open Championship – and continues through the outbreak of the Great War. If Tommy ignited the flame of golf in England, Ball’s breakthrough turned that smoldering fire into a conflagration.The generation that followed would witness the game’s coming of age. It would see an explosion in golf’s popularity, the invention of revolutionary new balls and clubs, the emergence of professional tours, the organization of the game and its rules, a renaissance in writing and thinking about golf, and the decision that the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews must always remain the sport’s guiding light.

‘A beautifully crafted examination of a period in the history of golf that will never again be witnessed. It is not to be missed’ – Jim Davis, The Golf

MasterChef finalist Sarah Rankin has a passion for Scottish produce and flavours and for feeding people. Being a food lover encompasses not just a passion for the ingredients themselves, but also for the seasons and weather which nurtures them, and the people who tend, harvest and prepare them. Taking those ingredients and creating something delicious for those you love, is the highest compliment you can pay any vegetable, beast or fowl.

Kith is a collection of practical, seasonal dishes mixing the traditional and the contemporary, and celebrating the extraordinary versatility of Scotland’s larder in a hundred recipes, From Grouse with beetroot and cherry, and Arbroath smokie souffle, to Squash ravioli with sage butter, and Lemon posset with caramelised white chocolate and oat crumble. It also includes a section of drinks and canapes and a section named ‘firm foundations’ which helps to arm the home cook with a repertoire of sauces, stocks, pastry, bread and pasta, and butters and creams.

Using descriptions from stories about early Scottish and Celtic saints, photographer Thomas Joshua Cooper and Catherine Mooney made pilgrimages to the birth sites, death sites and places of significance to the early Scottish Christian pioneers. The beautiful, often ethereal, photographs they made once they’d arrived in these places are reproduced in a format reminiscent of a Calendar of Saints, in which saints’ days were honoured – here illuminated by 79 of Thomas’ arresting black and white images. Locations depicted include Lothian, Scotland and Donegal, Ireland, mimicking journeys made first by St Enoch, her son St Mungo and his contemporary St Columba, among others, such as sites relating to St Ninian, St Constantine, St Serf, St Mirren and St Kessog; the latter was evangelised in Loch Lomond, Lennox and Perthshire and a number of views relate to his journey.

The stories of these early Celtic saints are fascinating and the corresponding landscape views by Cooper are transportive in evoking an earlier age, where the trappings of modern society are largely absent, and one can very easily imagine the paths, routes and journeys – or’ desire lines’ – taken by these inspiring people.

The Underground Sea is a succinct, urgent collection of writing from John Berger’s archive. It brings together for the first time his work on mineworkers and the miners’ strikes and has been edited as a set of actions for today. Publication of The Underground Sea marks the 40th Anniversary of the 1984-5 Strike, at a time when people are rediscovering the necessity, power and possibilities of collective action.Including transcripts and image-essay of his rarely-seen BBC programme, Germinal; interviews and his essay ‘Miners’, it places itself in the heart of a Derbyshire mining village, with reflections on the everyday life of a typical pit community. Berger grapples with the politics of witness as he studies the miners’ labour and the wider community shaped in service to this work. Reflecting on their precarity, he goes back to Zola’s novel for hope that ‘a new world is germinating underneath the ground. And when it arrives, it will crack open the earth.’

Let Secret Edinburgh guide you around the unusual and unfamiliar.Step off the beaten track with this fascinating Edinburgh guide book, now in its 3rd edition. Featuring over 20 new locations, our local expert, Hannah Robinson, will show you the well-hidden treasures and hidden places of this amazing city. Featuring over 160 unusual and unfamiliar places, this Secret Edinburgh guide is ideal for local inhabitants, curious visitors and armchair travellers alike.Descend into a Cold War bunker, piece together guerrilla mosaics, unearth the most glorious of grottoes, genuflect before the wooden robot overlord, sniff out dogs more dazzling than Greyfriars Bobby, peruse a 17th-century list of ladies of pleasure, get water-boarded in a prototype Jacuzzi, travel to the Wild West of Morningside, discover hidden gardens and clandestine art that not even the neighbours know about.Far from the tourist traps and the crowded landmarks, you may have thought Edinburgh had no more to reveal, but the city still keeps many treasures hidden away in the most unexpected of places.An indispensable street and armchair guide for those who thought they knew Edinburgh well or who would like to explore the curiosities of this most secretive of cities.”If you think you know Edinburgh, this book will prove you wrong. A delight on every page”Val McDermid”Most visitors only scratch the surface of the cities they visit. Most residents accidentally take for granted the places they live. This book delves deep into Edinburgh’s rich history and the stories its special places tell, nudging its reader to find delight in the esoteric details, and to go and explore our wonderful and beautiful city with fresh eyes, a spring in the step and song in the soul.”?Adam Wilkinson, Director of Edinburgh World Heritage

She thought his death was the worst thing that could happen . . . then he came backNancy and Calder are moving from London to an isolated slate island, off the west coast of Scotland. Nancy is focussed on their new beginning, but is increasingly unsettled by the stark island, the mysterious inhabitants and Calder’s dark past, which he’s kept hidden from her.Then one of Nancy’s nightmares plays out in real life: she finds Calder’s boat upturned in the bay, his body adrift in the icy water. He’s clinically dead with no heartbeat. But miraculously the doctors manage to bring him back to life. Everyone think he has made a full recovery, but Nancy doesn’t recognise the man who has come back from the dead. She is now living with a stranger. As secrets, lies and bodies begin to wash up on the island, Nancy must come to terms with the fact that despite the fresh start, sometimes the slate cannot be wiped clean.