THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

The wages of sin is death.The partial collapse of a disused Edinburgh church reveals a dead body in the rubble, his head badly smashed by falling masonry. Soon identified as an old ex-con – Kenny Morgan – his death is put down to a heart attack and deemed non-suspicious.Tony McLean is approached by a notorious crime lord who suggests the police should be looking into Morgan’s death more closely. Despite struggling with his recent retirement, he is reluctant to involve himself.But when a second man is found dead in another disused church, his forehead branded with a cross, this time it is clearly murder.There’s a killer stalking the streets of Edinburgh. Is it time for McLean to get back to doing what he does best?Praise for James Oswald:’The new Ian Rankin’ Daily Record’Creepy, gritty and gruesome’ Sunday Mirror’Crime fiction’s next big thing’ Sunday Telegraph(P) 2024 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

‘MALORY TOWERS FOR GROWN-UPS’ SOPHIE KINSELLAJenny Colgan returns with all her signature charm in this fourth installment of her Maggie Adair series. The Little School by the Sea is a magical place of friendship, striving, excitement and plenty of mischief.Maggie Adair, the passionate, devoted English teacher at Downey House, is about to ride off into the sunset with her new love when tragedy strikes. Pulled from their happy-ever-after, she and David must put their budding romance aside until they return for a new term, unsure where they now stand.A fresh new year at Downey House comes with more drama from the students – with Fliss and Alice at odds after a summer apart, and Simone trying to nurture her new relationship while dealing with exam stresses, the new term is shaping up to be a challenge for all…’A BRILLIANT BOARDING SCHOOL BOOK, STUFFED FULL OF UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS AND THRILLING ADVENTURES’ LISA JEWELL

‘MALORY TOWERS FOR GROWN-UPS’ SOPHIE KINSELLAJenny Colgan returns with all her signature charm in this fourth installment of her Maggie Adair series. The Little School by the Sea is a magical place of friendship, striving, excitement and plenty of mischief.Maggie Adair, the passionate, devoted English teacher at Downey House, is about to ride off into the sunset with her new love when tragedy strikes. Pulled from their happy-ever-after, she and David must put their budding romance aside until they return for a new term, unsure where they now stand.A fresh new year at Downey House comes with more drama from the students – with Fliss and Alice at odds after a summer apart, and Simone trying to nurture her new relationship while dealing with exam stresses, the new term is shaping up to be a challenge for all…’A BRILLIANT BOARDING SCHOOL BOOK, STUFFED FULL OF UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS AND THRILLING ADVENTURES’ LISA JEWELL

?It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood?In 11th century Scotland, Macbeth receives a prophecy that he will become king. Three witches promise Macbeth that he will rise in the military to become Thane of Cawdor before ascending to the throne. But his fellow soldier Banquo receives a message of his own: his sons will, too, become kings.Upon their return, Macbeth is indeed promoted to Thane of Cawdor, and when his ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth, hears of his promotion, they both become convinced that the prophecy is indeed true, and she vows to help him become King of Scotland – by any means necessary.The Macbeths’ pursuit of power leads them down a dark and bloody path of murder and increasing paranoia, unravelling both Macbeth’s mind and his reign as the witches’ prophecies take hold.STAGED is a beautifully designed, six-part collection of Shakespeare?s most beloved works and the archetypes that they popularised, celebrating the genius of the Bard and the tropes that continue to delight YA readers to this day.

Laura has a husband, children, a home in a city she loves. She thinks she can be happy, despite her past.If they only knew my secret.Until someone walks back into her life who she knows will shatter everything. Alexis was her first love. A love so exhilarating, it is impossible to resist.I know I should end it. But I can’t.Then Alexis is found dead, and the police are knocking at Laura’s door. They’re asking her questions and she’s telling them lies.I didn’t kill him. I promise.Someone wants Laura to pay for what she’s been running from. Someone with an obsession that they can’t let go.

‘MALORY TOWERS FOR GROWN-UPS’ SOPHIE KINSELLAJenny Colgan returns with all her signature charm in this fourth installment of her Maggie Adair series. The Little School by the Sea is a magical place of friendship, striving, excitement and plenty of mischief.Maggie Adair, the passionate, devoted English teacher at Downey House, is about to ride off into the sunset with her new love when tragedy strikes. Pulled from their happy-ever-after, she and David must put their budding romance aside until they return for a new term, unsure where they now stand.A fresh new year at Downey House comes with more drama from the students – with Fliss and Alice at odds after a summer apart, and Simone trying to nurture her new relationship while dealing with exam stresses, the new term is shaping up to be a challenge for all…’A BRILLIANT BOARDING SCHOOL BOOK, STUFFED FULL OF UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS AND THRILLING ADVENTURES’ LISA JEWELL

“The beautiful rolling hills and coastlines are for all of us. Together, we can reimagine the British countryside (and all it represents) and make space so that everyone is welcomed.”Gathering brings together essays by women of colour across the UK writing about their relationships with nature, in a genre long-dominated by male, white, middle-class writers. In redressing this imbalance, this moving collection considers climate justice, neurodiversity, mental health, academia, inherited histories, colonialism, whiteness, music, hiking and so much more.These personal, creative, and fierce essays will broaden both conversations and horizons about our living world, encouraging readers to consider their own experience with nature and their place within it.

?It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood?In 11th century Scotland, Macbeth receives a prophecy that he will become king. Three witches promise Macbeth that he will rise in the military to become Thane of Cawdor before ascending to the throne. But his fellow soldier Banquo receives a message of his own: his sons will, too, become kings.Upon their return, Macbeth is indeed promoted to Thane of Cawdor, and when his ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth, hears of his promotion, they both become convinced that the prophecy is indeed true, and she vows to help him become King of Scotland – by any means necessary.The Macbeths’ pursuit of power leads them down a dark and bloody path of murder and increasing paranoia, unravelling both Macbeth’s mind and his reign as the witches’ prophecies take hold.STAGED is a beautifully designed, six-part collection of Shakespeare?s most beloved works and the archetypes that they popularised, celebrating the genius of the Bard and the tropes that continue to delight YA readers to this day.

Aaron Alexander Zubia argues that the Epicurean roots of David Hume?s philosophy gave rise to liberalism?s unrelenting grip on the modern political imagination.Eighteenth-century Scottish philosopher David Hume has had an outsized impact on the political thinkers who came after him, from the nineteenth-century British Utilitarians to modern American social contract theorists. In this thorough and thoughtful new work, Aaron Alexander Zubia examines the forces that shaped Hume?s thinking within the broad context of intellectual history, with particular focus on the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus and the skeptical tradition.Zubia argues that through Hume?s influence, Epicureanism?which elevates utility over moral truth?became the foundation of liberal political philosophy, which continues to dominate and limit political discourse today.

The classics heavily influenced many aspects of European modern culture, yet it is not easy to trace their intellectual power on any author. In this volume, Gloria Vivenza takes on the impressive task of examining how philosophy, history, literature, politics, ethics all played a part in shaping Adam Smith?s thought as a scholar, philosopher and economist.This book will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in the history of economic thought, the history of philosophy, moral philosophy, political theory and the Enlightenment.

Life under Brazil?s brutal ?cordial racism? comes painfully alive in this novel of fathers and sons.How do you become the protagonist of your own life? For Pedro, it means searching for himself in the objects his father left behind: the layers that make up his life, and that of his parents, and the circumstances, geographies, and wounds that shaped them all. It?s an archaeology of affections, but also of life in southern Brazil, where being black on the streets of Porto Alegre manifests violences large and small. Where being a young woman, raised by a single mother, may find you seeking security in the untrustworthy arms of men. In Dark Side of Skin , Jeferson Tenório takes on fathers and sons, Shakespeare and Cervantes, and the inescapable bonds and burdens of family and history in one delicately rendered, painfully precise account of loved ones lost and found.

The wages of sin is death.The partial collapse of a disused Edinburgh church reveals a dead body in the rubble, his head badly smashed by falling masonry. Soon identified as an old ex-con – Kenny Morgan – his death is put down to a heart attack and deemed non-suspicious.Tony McLean is approached by a notorious crime lord who suggests the police should be looking into Morgan’s death more closely. Despite struggling with his recent retirement, he is reluctant to involve himself.But when a second man is found dead in another disused church, his forehead branded with a cross, this time it is clearly murder.There’s a killer stalking the streets of Edinburgh. Is it time for McLean to get back to doing what he does best?Praise for James Oswald:’The new Ian Rankin’ Daily Record’Creepy, gritty and gruesome’ Sunday Mirror’Crime fiction’s next big thing’ Sunday Telegraph

Life under Brazil?s brutal ?cordial racism? comes painfully alive in this novel of fathers and sons.How do you become the protagonist of your own life? For Pedro, it means searching for himself in the objects his father left behind: the layers that make up his life, and that of his parents, and the circumstances, geographies, and wounds that shaped them all. It?s an archaeology of affections, but also of life in southern Brazil, where being black on the streets of Porto Alegre manifests violences large and small. Where being a young woman, raised by a single mother, may find you seeking security in the untrustworthy arms of men. In Dark Side of Skin , Jeferson Tenório takes on fathers and sons, Shakespeare and Cervantes, and the inescapable bonds and burdens of family and history in one delicately rendered, painfully precise account of loved ones lost and found.

The brand new Scottish spring escape from bestselling author, Julie Shackman

Lexie Dunbar is a book lover. And her favourite place in the world is her local bookstore, Book Ends. So when she hears that it’s going to be sold, Lexie decides she needs to do something to help.

Lexie’s plan to save the ailing shop is fully underway until gorgeous-but-grouchy artist Tobias Black arrives on the scene determined to turn the bookstore into an art gallery. Lexie is horrified, the last thing the quaint town of Bracken Way needs is a pretentious artist, even if he does seem to charm everyone but her.

Tensions continue to rise until Tobias discovers a shocking secret that shows they might have more in common than they realise. As sparks fly, can Lexie and Tobias work together, or will opposing ideas get in the way of them finding their very own happy ever after?

Praise for Julie Shackman

‘A true page-turner’ Chat Monthly

The brand new Scottish spring escape from bestselling author, Julie Shackman

Lexie Dunbar is a book lover. And her favourite place in the world is her local bookstore, Book Ends. So when she hears that it’s going to be sold, Lexie decides she needs to do something to help.

Lexie’s plan to save the ailing shop is fully underway until gorgeous-but-grouchy artist Tobias Black arrives on the scene determined to turn the bookstore into an art gallery. Lexie is horrified, the last thing the quaint town of Bracken Way needs is a pretentious artist, even if he does seem to charm everyone but her.

Tensions continue to rise until Tobias discovers a shocking secret that shows they might have more in common than they realise. As sparks fly, can Lexie and Tobias work together, or will opposing ideas get in the way of them finding their very own happy ever after?

Praise for Julie Shackman

‘A true page-turner’ Chat Monthly

‘One hat-loving lady,Two pipers with puff,Three grandads in pinnies,They’ve all had enough!She sprints to the field — it’s time for a play,But some cumbersome cabers get in the way.CRASH! SMASH! BANG!”Stop, ye WEE RASCAL!” the four strong folk cry.’Uh-oh! There’s a great Highland Games chase afoot when Wee Rascal, a cheeky Scottie dog, runs off with a delicious-looking hat!Dodging out-of-puff pipers, cake-covered grandads, runaway coos and dizzy Highland dancers, Wee Rascal leads an increasingly hilarious pursuit through a Scottish Highland Games. Can anyone catch the mischievous puppy?This quirky counting and rhyming picture book is full of chaotic charm. With humorous text from author Kate Abernethy and lively illustrations from illustrator Laura Darling, The Great Highland Games Chase is a fun, memorable read that’s perfect for children from Scotland and beyond.

From the Big Bang to the abundance of life that surrounds us today, this beautiful book – the third by the award-winning duo Gill Arbuthnott and Chris Nielsen – is the story of evolution, from the very first cells to ourselves.How old exactly is the Earth? How do we know what was here before us? Are we still evolving? From Cells to Ourselves is the story of the beginnings of life around 3.8 billion years ago, to the millions of species alive today, including humans.Learn about mythology giants who formed the Earth, analyse fossils, walk with the dinosaurs, join Charles Darwin on his exploration of the Galápagos islands and marvel at some of the random and bizarre acts that have shaped our world in this beautifully illustrated book.Created by the author and illustrator duo of the award-winning Balloon to the Moon.

An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! Liv’s best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program – but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water?

It should have been the trip of a lifetime.

When Liv lands an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study aboard the luxury cruise ship the Eos for a semester, she can’t believe her luck. Especially since it will offer her the chance to spend time with Will, her ex-best friend, who’s barely spoken to her since the night their relationship changed forever.

But as soon as she steps on board, Liv realizes just how out of her depth she is. With Will, with the rest of the Seamester students – including the brittle and beautiful Constantine, who may be hiding his own ties to the Eos – and most of all, with the Sirens, three glamorous and mysterious influencers who seem to have the run of the ship.

Liv quickly discovers that the only reason she was invited to join the trip is because another girl disappeared shortly after enrolling-and no one seems to know what happened to her. When further disappearances rock the ship and strange creatures begin haunting Liv’s dreams, she wonders: Is the Eos hiding a dark secret within its shadowy decks?

The truth will come at a price . . . only, how much is Liv willing to pay?

The Bowerbird is the irresistible tale of Bert ? a small bird with a very big heart, from Number One bestselling Julia Donaldson and Catherine Rayner, winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration.Bert the bowerbird has made the most perfect bower nest, complete with a pretty purple flower, and is hoping it will help him to meet the bird of his dreams. But will all his efforts to create a beautiful display be enough to win over Nanette?A stunningly illustrated book with a wonderful rhyming tale for little ones, from the creators of The Go-Away Bird.

Meet Rosie the Shetland pony in this unique novelty shaped board book!Rosie likes splashing and showjumping, but she does not like loud noises. Rosie likes hugs, but she does not like tangles in her mane. And Rosie LOVES her friends!Young ones will enjoy spending time with a sweet Shetland pony in this colourful and sturdy board book, which is full of bright and dynamic illustrations and lots of fun details to spot.