The Eye of Horus by Ken Lussey (18 June 2024).
An atmospheric World War Two thriller with settings that move from the Highlands of Scotland via Gibraltar to Malta. It's June
1943. Bob and Monique Sutherland are on honeymoon in Kyle of Lochalsh when an unexpected visitor arrives to spoil their idyll.
They agree to travel to Malta to search for two missing men, a young naval lieutenant and an MI6 officer who has disappeared
while looking for him. The aerial siege of the island is over and the tide of war has turned but, after three years of bombing,
Malta remains a shattered place.
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The Highlands and Islands of Scotland: A New History by Alistair Moffat (6 June 2024). (Amazon paid link.)
From dramatic geological events that formed the awe-inspiring yet beloved landscapes, via hunter gatherers and the monumental achievements
of prehistoric peoples in places like Skara Brae in Orkney. The story continues with the mysterious Picts; the arrival of the Romans; the
coming of Christianity and the Gaelic language from Ireland; the Viking invasion and the establishment of the great Lordship of the Isles
and on to Jacobites, Clearances and more recent history.
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Redfalcon: Richard Hannay Returns by Robert J. Harris (6 June 2024). (Amazon paid link.)
Richard Hannay is called into action on a mission that will test him as never before. At stake is the fate of the beleaguered island of
Malta where Hannay’s son is stationed as a fighter pilot. The German master spy Ravenstein has stumbled upon a centuries old secret which
will give the Nazis the key to conquering Malta and so take control of the entire Mediterranean. To stop them, Hannay and his allies the
Gorbals Diehards must track down the mysterious Karrie Adriatis, who alone knows the nature of the ancient secret.
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The Final Frontier: Scotland's Early Roman Landscape by Andrew Tibbs (15 February 2024). (Amazon paid link.)
In this revealing book, Roman historian and archaeologist Andrew Tibbs uncovers the earliest Roman fortifications in Scotland and
examines the landscape and context in which they were built. Although the most visible high-water marks of the Roman Empire in Britain
are Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall, less is known about the fortifications which marked the early Roman forays into Scotland
before the Romans decided that the land was ungovernable.
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The Days of Our Birth by Charlie Laidlaw (27 June 2024). (Amazon paid link.)
A book that delves into the intricate bond between Peter and Sarah as they navigate their formative years. Spanning from
their sixth birthday through two decades, the narrative unfolds against the backdrop of Sarah’s placement on the autism
spectrum. With a blend of humour and poignancy, the book intricately weaves together themes of love and friendship, unravelling
the tale of two individuals who grapple with their emotions for each other, even though they remain
unacknowledged.
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A Tangled Web by Ken Lussey (15 November 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
A fast-paced thriller set in northern Scotland. Callum Anderson returns to Sutherland to help local GP Jenny Mackay investigate the death
of her husband. The authorities say it was suicide but she’s convinced he was murdered. It soon becomes clear that Iain Mackay lied to
everyone who thought he loved them: especially his wife and his daughters. But that becomes the least of their problems when they come up
against people who have already killed and would have no qualms about killing again.
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Landscape Change in the Scottish Highlands: Imagination and Reality by James Fenton (29 September 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
The Scottish Highlands are now symbolic of Scotland as a whole: a land of mountains, glens and lochs, of golden eagles and red deer; a
land with a rich cultural history of clans and clanship, of kilts and castles, of crofts, crofting, Highland cows and sheep, of music and
dance. But does this imagined landscape relate to the actuality? Is it in fact a wild landscape or does such untrammelled wildness only
reside in the mind?
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Salt: Scotland’s Newest Oldest Industry by Christopher Whatley & Joanna Hambly (14 September 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
Sea-salt manufacturing is one of Scotland’s oldest industries, dating to the eleventh century if not earlier. Panhouses were once a common sight
along our coastline and are reflected in many placenames. This book celebrates both the history and the rebirth of the salt industry in Scotland.
Although salt manufacturing declined in the nineteenth century, in the second decade of the twenty-first century the
trade was revived.
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The Eagle and the Bear: A New History of Roman Scotland by John Reid (6 April 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
For over three centuries, the inhabitants of North Britain faced the might of Rome, resulting in some of the most extraordinary archaeology
of the ancient world. This book explores the interaction between the world’s first superpower and the peoples who would ultimately form the
country we now call Scotland and shows what it was like to be at the dark heart of imperialism and slavery, and to be on the receiving end
of Rome’s merciless killing machine.
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The Bone Cave: A Journey through Myth and Memory by Dougie Strang (5 October 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
A vivid account of a month-long journey in the Scottish Highlands. Walking and occasionally hitching, Dougie Strang follows a series of folktales
to the locations in which they’re set, encountering along the way a depth of meaning to them that allows him to engage with the landscape from
a different perspective – one where the distinction between history and legend is supple, and where his own
narrative becomes entangled with figures both real and mythic.
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The Hollow Mountain by Douglas Skelton (2 May 2024). (Amazon paid link.)
The Tunnel Tigers were an elite group of construction workers who specialised in blasting tunnels through mountains and under rivers,
in dangerous conditions few men could endure. Alice Larkin, the headstrong daughter of a millionaire and former news reporter, claims
her lover, a Tunnel Tiger, died in mysterious circumstances many years ago, and she wants journalist Rebecca Connolly to investigate.
Intrigued, Rebecca throws herself into investigating the story, but she soon comes face to face with an old adversary.
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The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I by Steven Veerapen (7 September 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
James VI and I has long endured a mixed reputation. Here James’s story is laid bare, and a welter of scurrilous,
outrageous assumptions penned by his political opponents put to rest. What emerges is a portrait of James VI and I as his contemporaries
knew him: a gregarious, idealistic man whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality. It casts fresh light on the
his personal, domestic, international, and sexual politics.
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Seafood Journey: Tastes and Tales From Scotland by Ghillie Basan (2 November 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
Scotland has some of the best seafood in the world, so we why don’t we eat more of it? Acclaimed cooker writer Ghillie Basan
embarks on a journey around Scotland’s coastline and islands to capture the essence of our nation’s seafood through the stories
of fisherman, farmers, artisan smokers and curers, boat builders and age-old traditions. In addition, she offers 90 original
recipes showcasing the wonderful produce she encounters on her journeys to all parts of the country.
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Mousa to Mackintosh: The Scottishness of Scottish Architecture by Frank Arneil Walker (29 June 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
In Mousa to Mackintosh, Frank Arneil Walker examines the recognisable and recurring features
evident in Scotland’s buildings across the centuries to build a picture of ‘Scottishness’ in architecture. This chronological history presents
an expansive view of architecture in Scotland, from neolithic brochs and classical country houses to baronial tower-houses and modernist New
Towns, including the work of renowned architects.
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Dark Encounters: A Collection of Ghost Stories by William Croft Dickinson (5 October 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
Dark Encounters is a collection of classic and elegantly unsettling ghost stories first published in 1963. A spine-tingling collection,
these tales are set in the brooding landscape of Scotland, with an air of historic authenticity – often referring to real events, objects
and people. From a demonic text that leaves its readers strangled to the murderous spectre of a feudal baron, this is a crucial addition
to the long and distinguished cannon of Scottish ghost stories.
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Kayaking the Sea Roads: Exploring the Scottish Highlands by Ed Ley-Wilson (29 September 2023). (Amazon paid link.)
Kayaking the Sea Roads is a personal journey by sea kayak into the heart of the sea roads that make up our Scottish Highlands and islands.
Blending the intensity of the journey with a careful observation of the natural world and first-hand knowledge of the challenges of
living and working in this place, the author reminds us that mother nature, vast and resilient, is still out there beyond our mobile
phones and urban lives.
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