Waters of Life: Fighting for Scotland’s Beavers by Tom Bowser (1 May 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
Once common across most of the country, beavers were hunted to extinction in the sixteenth century, but returned to Scottish waters in
the early 2000s. In November 2021 a family of beavers was relocated to Argaty, Perthshire. Never before had beavers in conflict sites
been relocated to new areas instead of being culled. It paved the way for a new era in human/beaver relations. In this deeply personal
account, Argaty’s Tom Bowser tells of his attempts to save these incredible animals.
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There She Goes: New travel writing by women Edited by Esa Aldegheri (6 March 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
There she goes brings together seventeen women writers – of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry – in an anthology of travel
tales to inspire, encourage and empower women adventuring through the world. It celebrates the stories of women getting on
with getting from one place to another – the grit, courage and determination of moving through the world with babies, with periods,
with grief and loss, with the menopause, with magic and humour, with bodies that are ill or disabled or seen as foreign and Other.
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The Pocket Guide to Edinburgh’s Best Buildings by Robin Ward (6 March 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
As a world heritage site and one of the most visited cities in the world, Edinburgh boasts a huge range of buildings in many different
styles. This book introduces 300 of the city’s most fascinating places, from imposing public buildings such as galleries, museums,
banking halls, churches and theatres to pubs, domestic dwellings, monuments and industrial architecture. Conveniently grouped by
location, all areas of the city are covered. All are accessible by walking, cycling, public transport or car.
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Glasgow Harbour by Graeme Smith and Mike McCreery (15 April 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
Glasgow Harbour, the port and shipbuilding centre along the River Clyde from Glasgow Green to Clydebank, became the greatest seaport
in Scotland and one of the largest in Britain. Through a mixture of striking illustrations, this book recounts the early history,
development, pioneering inventions and importance nationally and internationally of Glasgow Harbour, as well as its regeneration
today. From the seventeenth century Glasgow became one of the major hubs of trade to the
world.
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To the Shades Descend by Allan Gaw (5 June 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
A Dr Jack Cuthbert Mystery. Giving them back their names is one thing; giving them justice is quite another. A visit to Glasgow for
a job interview in 1931 unexpectedly places Cuthbert at the centre of a devastating crime. Unwittingly, he finds himself working at
the intersection between rising British fascism, anti-Semitism and the infamous Glasgow razor gangs. To solve the case, Cuthbert
needs to rely on all the expertise he can gather from those around him. But who can he trust?
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Rabbits by Hugo Rifkind (5 June 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
Tommo has just moved to a prestigious boarding school. A product of the middle class, he finds himself invited into fading
crumbling country houses. It’s the early nineties and the elite he is now surrounded by is struggling for relevance. Alienated
from the mainstream, his peers have retreated into snobbery and fatalism. When Tommo’s
friend Johnnie’s brother is found dead, a shotgun at his feet, he realises there are secrets that everyone knows, but no one
speaks about, or even acknowledges. And those secrets can no longer be hidden.
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Scottish West Coast Isles in Photographs by Alastair MacDonald Jackson (15 February 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
From Skye to Seil, Jura to Gigha, the islands off the west coast of Scotland offer some of the most stunning scenery in Europe. Many have
been drawn to live on these islands since Scotland was first populated and many more come to visit these remarkable places. This book
takes a journey through the seasons, highlighting the unique light and colours of the Hebridean and Clyde islands. Look through these
photographs and you will quickly see the unique appeal of these special places.
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Art Deco Scotland: Design and Architecture in the Jazz Age by Bruce Peter (10 April 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
Step into the glamour and energy of the Art Deco era with this beautifully illustrated guide to Scotland’s most iconic Art Deco
architecture and design. Emerging in the 1920s, Art Deco quickly made its mark around the world, including in Scotland. Featuring
breathtaking photography and stunning archival illustrations from Historic Environment Scotland, this elegant hardback edition
offers a fascinating glimpse into Scotland’s architectural past.
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Murray Hall: A Novel by Milo Allan (17 April 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
It is 1901, and Dr Gallagher has just pronounced Murray Hall dead. New York politico, gambler, womaniser - Hall is all these things,
but when the press break the news of his death to the world, they reveal a side to his identity he never wanted known, a secret no
one could have guessed. One journalist is determined to uncover the truth of Hall's past. From humble beginnings in Glasgow's tenements
to a life spent rubbing up against New York's political elite, Murray Hall is the definition of a self-made man.
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A Natural History of Sea Serpents by Adrian Shine (24 October 2024). (Amazon paid link.)
This book re-examines the cold-case enigma of sea serpents and monsters described by impeccable witnesses over three centuries. These
reports have sometimes intrigued and puzzled the most eminent scientists of their times, yet often became the butt of popular derision.
Naturalist Adrian Shine, best known for his fifty years examining Loch Ness as a 'sympathetic sceptic', reveals how the loch holds the
key to the greater mystery. He offers bold and radical interpretations of sightings.
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River Tay Way: From Loch Tay to Perth and Dundee by Jacquetta Megarry (1 May 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
This new, flexible trail appeals to both walkers and cyclists. Walk 50 miles from Loch Tay to Perth, or cycle 65 miles from Loch Tay
to Dundee or mix and match. Or use Scotland’s longest river for part of your journey by boat or kayak. The
guidebook features detailed directions and concise background, with illustrated sections on prehistory, heritage and wildlife. It
offers practical help with accommodation and recommends side-trips along the way. Lavishly illustrated, the book features customised
mapping on 25 of its 80 pages.
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Never to Return: Convoys to Russia in the Second World War by Roderick G MacLean (11 February 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
The story of the Russian convoys with particular focus on HMS Achates. The book tells of the commodores who came out of retirement;
the doctors who diced with death, jumping from one ship to another in rough seas; the astonishing behaviour of Adolf Hitler in belittling
his Kriegsmarine admirals and captains; the rescue ships which pulled freezing survivors from waters. Never to Return shares the story
of those who, despite their fears, sailed in these convoys.
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Thicker Than Water by Ken Lussey (15 September 2024). (Amazon paid link.)
A compelling murder mystery set in northern Scotland. Callum Anderson and Jenny Mackay are spending Hogmanay at Sarclet Castle in Caithness
when they are asked to investigate the brutal murder of a young woman at nearby Sarclet Broch in 1943, a woman whose ghost is believed to haunt
the castle. What seems the coldest of cold cases is not the first murder of a young woman at the broch. Nor is it the last.
On the day that Callum and Jenny arrive, there is a third fatal stabbing there.
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Wild Galloway: From the hilltops to the Solway, a portrait of a glen by Ian Carter (10 February 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
Ian Carter's new home is tucked away between the high, heather-clad hills of Bengairn and the shining, silver Solway with its merse,
mudflats and spectacular cliffs. TThis place encompasses the full range of Galloway's wildlife habitats. Within walking distance of home
there are moors, plantations, flower-rich meadows, fragments of native woodland, and a little, stony burn that rushes down through the
farms to the Solway: this glen is wild Galloway in miniature.
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The Devil's Draper by Donna Moore (1 May 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
When whispers of abuse at Arrol's department store reach Mabel, a determined policewoman, she knows she must act. Enlisting the
help of Johnnie, a cunning thief, and Beatrice, a savvy businesswoman, they embark on a perilous journey to uncover the truth.
Set against the backdrop of 1920s Glasgow, this thrilling tale weaves together crime, justice, and the fight for equality. As the
trio inches closer to exposing the scandal, they realize that in a world where women are rarely believed, their very
lives may be at stake.
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Upland: A Journey through Time and the Hills by Ian Crofton (1 May 2025). (Amazon paid link.)
Britain’s high places are many and varied, from the rolling hills and lush valleys of the Malverns to the vertiginous slopes
of Snowdonia, the romantic peaks and vistas of the Lake District and the silent sub-Arctic tundra of the Cairngorms. As he
explores our hills, moors and mountains, Ian Crofton is keenly aware of the echoes of those who have been there before, from
prehistory to the present day. At the same time, he is finely tuned to the miracles of the present
moment while among hills.
Read our full review.
