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Scottish Heritage - Book Reviews

Welcome to the Book Reviews page of The Capital Scot.  Readers of The Capital Scot are invited to submit .
Please see Policy, Guidelines, and Format for information on submission of book reviews.

New items this week under topics marked

Scottish Authors - Any Topic

Scottish Authors are born in Scotland and living in the United Kingdom.

Fiction and Historical Fiction --

After Gus is a semi-autobiographical tale of the author, Kathryn Glendenning.  Greed, snobbery and backstabbing among the Scottish Landed Gentry!

Bell in the Tree, by Edward F. H. Chisnall is an historical novel outlining the world-wide story of Glasgow and Glaswegians over the centuries from medeival times to the present.

The Curewife, by Claire-Marie Watson is a thriller set in 17th Century Scotland - A tale of Scottish witchcraft, myth, and legend. It is an historical novel based on a few known facts about the life of a real character that subtly embraces major historical figures and events, from Bannockburn. [Capital Scot advisory: The Dundee Book Prize Winner (2002) - Scotland biggest literary award of its type!]

Marching in Scotland, Dancing in New York, by Margaret M. Dunlop, is set in Glasgow and other parts of Scotland in the 1920's and 30's and in New York.  It is about two large families who grow up alongside each other in the village that was sucked into the industrial melting-pot of Central Scotland to form part of the great city of Glasgow.  A parallel story is played out in New York.

Sanctuary, by Robert McMurray, is an adventure novel set in the time after the battle of Culloden.

History & Biography

By Yon Bonnie Banks By Yon Bonnie Braes: A Tayside Childhood, by Vera Milne is an amusing, nostalgic yet moving account of everyday living in a small Scottish town on the bonnie banks and braes of the River Tay just after the second world war, as remembered by the author.

Scotland's First War of Independence, by Sarah Crome, examines Scotland's Wars of Independence with England during the 13th and 14th centuries more comprehensively than other books available until now.

Children of the Sea: The Story of the Eyemouth Disaster, by Peter Aitchison, is the true story of a people who lived through some of the darkest periods in Scottish history and who survived a tragedy that would be hard to comprehend today.

Good God In Govan, the autobiography of "a common old working man" by Joseph Sharp of Stra'ven, Lanarkshire. "Govan in the forties was full of tenement buildings, which in turn were packed full of large families, crammed sardine-fashion into the rooms and closes. Born of an Irish Catholic mother and Scottish Protestant father, Joe Sharp was from one such family, a bright middle child from a brood of thirteen."

Science

Humanities

Contemporary

Other Contributors --

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Other Authors - about Scotland

Other Authors are born in Scotland or elsewhere and living outside the United Kingdom.  Their books are about Scotland, Scots, or Scottish heritage abroad.

Fiction and Historical Fiction --

The epic war novel Coronach by Kimberley Jordan Reeman is a tribute to unvarnished truth, exposing the bloody reality and lingering consequences of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.

Set during the eighteenth century, Highland Rebel by , is the story of people thrown together during a Highland rebellion who are forced to embark on a perilous journey from the Highlands of Scotland to frontier America - and to a destiny they could never have imagined.

In the Shadow of My Truth, by , FSAScot, is the second book of the Douglas Trilogy; a tale encompassing the dangerous times during Scotland's Wars for National Independence; written as the sequel to the 'Braveheart' legacy.

My Truth Lies in the Ruins, by , FSAScot, is the true story of the Douglases during the Scottish Wars for National Independence.  The central figure of the book is William le Hardi Douglas, Lord Douglas; a Crusader knight, a man of core values he was the first nobleman to join with William Wallace in rebellion.  Le Hardi paid for his defiant patriotism with his life; his suffered his martyred end in deep sorrow, diminished to poverty and executed in the Tower of London in 1298.

Rebel King (Book One - Hammer of the Scots), by Charles Randolph Bruce and Carolyn Hale Bruce, is the first of a series of four historical novels the authors have planned about the struggles of Robert de Brus, the Scottish nobleman who went to war against 14th Century Europe's most powerful army to reclaim the throne of his ancestors.

The Scottish Thistle, by Cindy Vallar, is an historical novel about the Rising of 1745 from the perspectives of the MacGregors and the Camerons.

Tails of the Collie Lama, by Heather C. Russell, is a children's book for ages 8 and above.  Through the use of dogs this story, about a very wise border collie, helps children think for themselves, take care of themselves, and be true to themselves.

Non-Fiction --

The American Dream in a Kilt: CEO Shares Secrets of Leadership, Life, and Laughter, by George D. Wells  Meet former Silicon Valley CEO George D. Wells, authentic leader who shares how his Scotland roots shaped his corporate cultural values, his top 11 communication secrets that created profitable and healthy working environments and how empowering employees leads to success.

Ancient Animosity: The Appin Murder and the End of Scottish Rebellion, by Dr. Lee Holcombe, published by Tim Breen involves Scotland's infamous Appin murder - unsolved until now - and the 18th century era of warring clans, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and rebellion. It is the definitive volume on the 1752 Appin murder an infamous crime that went unsolved for more than 250 years. The murder provided material for stories by several authors, including Robert Louis Stevenson, but no one has been confident enough to name the culprit. Holcombe, the first American to publish on the subject, shows who really killed Colin Campbell, and discusses whether the hanging of James Stewart was justified, and how the deaths of both men described the historical trends then shaping Scotland.

Looking up in Edinburgh, by Jane & Helen Peyton, is a treasure hunt to discover the amazing architecture and history of Edinburgh. It is a really fun way of exploring Scotland's capital city by the author of Looking up in London published in 2003. Are you ready to discover a secret Edinburgh? A world where mythical creatures live with Greek Goddesses, and cherubs consort with Queens. Looking up in Edinburgh will enable you to see the city as those people who walk the streets looking straight ahead do not. Entering Edinburghâs hidden universe is simple, just look up above eye-level and prepare for a surprise. Unicorns, dragons, and mermaids are gazing down, waiting to be admired.

Turas Troimh Alba, A Photographic Journey Through Scotland, by T.R. Gordon, is filled with evocative photographs of the idyllic countryside and picturesque villages, and narrated by insightful text. What sets it apart is the personal element that the author and photographer, T.R. Gordon, lends to his work. The passion he feels for the Scottish country and people is evident.

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Other Authors - about Scottish Heritage Abroad

Fiction and Historical Fiction --

The Capital Scot, as an experiment to test the popularity of this feature, encourages reviews of books that have plot, character, or environmental elements that are distinctly Scottish even if their main themes are not necessarily relevant to Scottish heritage.

The Wolfman, the Shrink, and the Eighth-Grade Election, by , features a middle school student named David Cameron who dares to wear a kilt to class on the most important day of his life!

Non-Fiction --

[Pending contributions.]

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A Bibliography of Scottish Literature in Translation

The National Library of Scotland has a resource titled A Bibliography of Scottish Literature in Translation (BOSLIT) which is an online resource that offers an extensive and readily accessible source of information about Scottish literature in translation [i.e., into other languages]. ... As well as poetry, drama and prose writing, BOSLIT records translations of material from the oral tradition, together with works by Scottish historians, philosophers,scientists, theologians and others whose works have aesthetic, intellectual and cultural significance.

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Scottish Book Links and Children's Books

Children's Books

Scottish Cultural Press and Scottish Children's Press - Scottish Cultural Press are based outside Edinburgh, Scotland, and publish quality books with a Scottish interest. ... If you are interested in Scottish history, clans, Scotland and its environment, its culture, lifestyle and traditions, in Scottish language (Scots or Gaelic), then we have the books for you.

Visit the Scottish Publishers Association for Scottish books including those especially for children.   The Scottish Publishers Association was founded in 1973, by a group of 12 publishers as the Scottish General Publishers Association.  The aim of the Association is the collaboration of gathering information, marketing, and of exhibiting at book fairs around the world.

There is a cute children's activity book, Tammy The Tartan Haggis that may be downloaded at a most reasonable price.  Tammy the Tartan Haggis lives on Tartan Island with her Mum Helen, Dad Tom and sister Kirsty.  Have fun colouring in Tammy's unique family and her Tartan friends.  Every picture of Tammy, her tartan family and tartan friends tells a story.  Learn the alphabet and count the numbers.  Draw a picture of yourself and colour it in.  132 pages.  The author is

Readers who are interested in the Scots' tongue and its many regional variants would be well advised to visit Itchy Coo, Braw books for bairns of aw ages, including books in braille, listed according to grade and with teacher's notes.  Itchy Coo is a best-selling, award-winning new imprint which specialises in Scots Language books for children and young people. .. Itchy Coo's funding comes from the National Lottery's Children and Young Peoples Award Scheme, administered by the Scottish Arts Council. ...   There is an interesting short history titled What is the Scots Language?.  The hame page has a Scots word-of-the-day.  This is a neat site.  Try it, you'll like it.

General Book Links

The Association for Scottish Literary Studies

In May 2007, The Association for Scottish Literary Studies (ASLS) launched a new Scottish Studies ezine, The Bottle Imp.  There you will find a variety of articles about Scottish writing, including the relationship between Scotland and America, Scotland's literary relationship to England and the rest of the world, Scottish literary projects, plus a page for new publications and conferences.  Please have a look!  You can email from the site to be added to their mailing list (twice yearly).

The ASLS has papers that were delivered at their symposium:
  1000 Years of Scottish Literature.
  Scottish Literature in 1400
  Scottish Literature: '1600 and All ThatÕ
  1800: Scottish Literature's Grand Tour.

Books On-Line

A warm welcome to Read Print, your free online library.  Our website offers thousands of free books for students, teachers, and the classic enthusiast.  To find the book you desire to read, start by looking through the author index.  If you need help with something, feel free to drop us a line.  This site has complete on-line books from Scottish (e.g., Sir J. M. Barrie, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott) and other authors.

Undiscovered Scotland: The Ultimate Online Guide presents an eBooks Index with links to novels and books about travel and history that can be read on-line and copied for personal use.  According to the eBooks Index the books listed and whose texts appear on Undiscovered Scotland are long out of copyright.  What sets the Undiscovered Scotland version apart in each case is the cross linking between the text of each book and features elsewhere on the site, allowing the reader to explore beyond the text itself, finding out more about the places and people mentioned.  Some books listed contain sections about Scotland within a wider work.  In this case only the Scottish sections are included and are marked by an asterisk (*).

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