Read Scotland 2016 discussion

Sign up for 11-15 books!

I'm in for this level and hoping for another dozen this year :-)

I sign up for at least one book per month!

I'll sign up for this too. A book a month should get me back into things. :)

Hello, I'd like to sign up for this level please! :)

Yes, since I do want to read a bunch of British books as well as purely Scottish, I think I had better back off the highest level this year. But we are beginning to plan our trip to scotland this summer, so that is pretty exciting. Taking our daughter with us this time and going longer, so extra excited about that.

Sounds brilliant Julie! Whereabouts are you planning to visit?

Stephanie wrote: "I'm in for this level and hoping for another dozen this year :-)"

Easy Peasy, Stephanie!

Sarapepparkaka wrote: "I sign up for at least one book per month!"
Very do-able, Sarapepparkaka!

Louise wrote: "I'll sign up for this too. A book a month should get me back into things. :)"

If you end up doing more it's just icing on the cake, Louise!

Mhairi wrote: "Hello, I'd like to sign up for this level please! :)"

Your in Mhairi! Should be a breeze!

Julie wrote: "Yes, since I do want to read a bunch of British books as well as purely Scottish, I think I had better back off the highest level this year. But we are beginning to plan our trip to scotland this s..."

This year Julie, I'm trying to do more vintage mysteries too so that puts the pressure on me! I'm hoping to go back to Scotland this summer myself!

Peggy wrote: "Sarapepparkaka wrote: "I sign up for at least one book per month!"
Very do-able, Sarapepparkaka!"
I hope so!

This is the book I read in January, and a nice new acquaintance for me. The first in a series about DCI Lorimer and Dr Brightman in Glasgow, and I have a feeling there will be more books from this series read this year!

Sarapepparkaka wrote: "This is the book I read in January, and a nice new acquaintance for me. The first in a series about DCI Lorimer and Dr Brightman in Glasgow, and I have a feeling there will be more books from this ..."

Looks good! Marked Want to Read!

I'm aiming for a book per month (and hoping - if its allowed - to include two Scottish books I've read in 2016 as part of the general 2016 challenge.)

John wrote: "I'm aiming for a book per month (and hoping - if its allowed - to include two Scottish books I've read in 2016 as part of the general 2016 challenge.)"

Welcome, John! Yes you can count books you've counted for other challenges! Looking forward to seeing what you read. I might find a new favorite author!

What the heck, in for a penny...
So far this year, I've read Open Wounds, The Sudden Arrival of Violence & In the Cold Dark Ground.
In the queue, Cold Earth, Coffin Road & Games People Play.
Too many books, too little time...

Sandy wrote: "What the heck, in for a penny...
So far this year, I've read Open Wounds, The Sudden Arrival of Violence & In the Cold Dark Ground.
In the queue, [bo..."

Welcome! Great books!

My second book for this challenge is Beneath the Abbey Wall by A.D. Scott. I intend to read over 21 Scottish books by the end of the year. I have some catching up to do!

http://piningforthewest.co.uk/2016/01...

Read so far this year -
"The Upas Tree; Glasgow 1875-1975" by SG Checkland
"Health Care as Social History - The Glasgow Case" by Olive Checkland
"Island Spirituality; Spiritual Values of Lewis and Harris" by Alastair McIntosh
"Los Paranoias" - a debut novel by Andrew McCann
"Virtue from Adversity; The Mission Halls of Glasgow" by Peter Drysdale.

I'm currently reading -
"The Post in the Hills" by Katharine Stewart
"The Brilliant and Forever" - the new novel from Kevin MacNeil

Next up in the queue are -
"A croft in the Hills" by Katharine Stewart
"Wigtown Ploughman" by John McNeillie - a novel which caused a furore when first published in 1939. (Reading this one because I'm going to spend a week in Wigtown - which is Scotland's designated "Book Town")

That's quite some list and all very different. I've only read A Croft in the Hills which I found to be enjoyable and interesting.

Hi Katrina, I read A Croft in the Hills a few years ago, and like you I found it enjoyable. In The Post in the Hills the author is older, and widowed, and her thoughts on how life have changed are sort of mirrored in her reflections on how communications have changed. I suspect I'll read some more of her books (she was publishing right up to her death in her late nineties).

Is this my first book of the year? Yikes! Death of a Nurse by M. c. Beaton. Another fun Hamish mystery. They're all alike but I like them anyway, and this one did not disappoint.

Julie wrote: "Is this my first book of the year? Yikes! Death of a Nurse by M. c. Beaton. Another fun Hamish mystery. They're all alike but I like them anyway, and this one did not disappoint."

I know, Julie, a nice easy read. I love Hamish!

Next is 'the revolving door of life' - the newest scotland street book. Beginning it right now : ). (Alexander McCall smith)

Have finished "The Brilliant and Forever" by Kevin Macneil The Brilliant & Forever. Its quite different - but enjoyable. Have now started on Stuart McHardy's "Scotland's Future History" and a book of Thomas A. Clark's poetry "The Hundred Thousand Places".

John wrote: "Have finished "The Brilliant and Forever" by Kevin Macneil The Brilliant & Forever. Its quite different - but enjoyable. Have now started on Stuart McHardy's "Scotland's Future Hist..."

Brilliant & Forever sounds wonderful, lots of good reviews! Put it on my list.

Just finished Scotland's Future History by Stuart McHardy. Provocative and thought-provoking, and I read it through in two sittings. Definitely recommended.

I try to read one book (or pamphlet) of poetry per month, and the book this month has been The Hundred Thousand Places by Thomas A. Clark (a Scottish poet based in Pittenweem in Fife). Its basically one long poem - a very restful and serene walk through a variety of Scottish landscapes. I'm not convinced its one I'll go back to again and again, but definitely worth the read.

Have just finished re-reading A Croft in the Hills by Katharine Stewart (and enjoyed it just as much second time around). Now racing to finish Raven Black by Ann Cleeves before Thursday. I'll then be taking a short break from this group to read A Time of Torment from John Connolly, which comes out on Thursday. After that I've a few history books I need to catch up on before resuming the Read Scotland challenge.

John wrote: "Have just finished re-reading A Croft in the Hills by Katharine Stewart (and enjoyed it just as much second time around). Now racing to finish Raven Black by Ann Cleeves ..."

Wow! Your a reading machine, John

I can't wait to start!

Lelia wrote: "I can't wait to start!"

So glad to have you with us, Lelia!

I've finished Raven Black; For some reason I hadn't expected to enjoy it very much - I only bought it because Amazon had it on their 99p Kindle book offer one day. However, I did enjoy it - it was an easy read, and one that kept me fairly interested throughout. I can see that I'll have to revise my expectations of the "Shetland" series, and possibly read the next one in the series.

But now to John Connolly.........

Peggy wrote: "Lelia wrote: "I can't wait to start!"

So glad to have you with us, Lelia!"

Should I start my own thread for my list of books I've read? Or should I continue on this thread?

Lelia wrote: "Peggy wrote: "Lelia wrote: "I can't wait to start!"

So glad to have you with us, Lelia!"

Should I start my own thread for my list of books I've read? Or should I continue on this thread?"

I'd start your own thread on this discussion, Leila, if I were you. It's easier to keep track of how many you post about on your own thread. Just start a new topic named whatever you like.

Two more books to add to the "read" pile:-

I've just finished reading Voyages by Orkney poet George Mackay Brown, and The Seed Beneath the Snow: Remembering George MacKay Brown by Joanna Ramsey; it was only when in the middle of them that I realized that this week was the 20th anniversary of the poet's death.
I loved Voyages - its a collection I'll certainly read again, and Joanna Ramsey's book supplies a lot of detail about the poet's final decade (which had been dealt with only briefly in both his autobiography and Maggie Ferguson's biography). It was an interesting and enjoyable read.

Just finished reading A Clamjamfray of Poets: A Tale of Literary Edinburgh, 1950-1985 by Stanley Roger Green. I'd bought it for the chapter on George Mackay Brown, but it was so enjoyable and readable I read it through in two sittings. Its a warm-hearted and interesting collection of personal anecdotes of the group of famous Scottish poets associated with Edinburgh in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. (Hugh MacDiarmid, Norman MacCaig, George Mackay Brown, Sydney Goodsir Smith, Tom Scott, and Robert Garioch). it also contains a chapter on the enigmatic Stella Cartwright - muse to many of them, and lover of at least three of them. A fascinating book from a man who was a friend or acquaintance of most of them, while being no mean poet himself.

Have just read As I Remember: Ten Scottish Authors Recall How Writing Began For Them. As is often the way with these sort of compilations there are a couple of excellent essays, a couple of tedious ones - with the rest somewhere in the middle.

Just finished the revolving door of life by McCall smith. Very satisfying read, as always.

Just finished Pandaemonium by Christopher Brookmyre. I normally love all his books, and have gone to listen to him a couple of times at book fairs - but this book is nowhere remotely near his normal standard. Clichéd plot, weak characters, and the normal sharp-witted humour is sadly lacking.

John wrote: "Just finished Pandaemonium by Christopher Brookmyre. I normally love all his books, and have gone to listen to him a couple of times at book fairs - but this book is nowhere remotely..."

Sorry you were disappointed in this one John. I haven't read any of his books yet. How many books have you read so far this challenge? You've got to be up there!

Hi Peggy,

I've completed 17 so far - and two underway at the moment.

Please don't be put off Christopher Brookmyre by my comments on this one; I've read most of his books and can warmly recommend him. And he's also an entertaining and humorous speaker at book fair events.

well, this is just not my year to accomplish much from my scotland reading year. i'm listening to wodehouse - jeeves in the car right now. i think it is that i am too busy putting our month in scotland together!! a very good problem to have! : ) we'll be in glen coe/rannoch moor; inverness; edinburgh; isle of mull; isle of skye; and isle of lewis/harris! we'll drive from ullapool to inverness on part of the trip and i've been told that is a really really beautiful drive. can hardly believe we are really doing this.

plan to take our adult daughter to see stirling castle and eilean donan, and donvegan and duart. taking her to places we saw in 2007. but spending lots of time in areas we only quickly passed through last time. plan to see the falkirk kelpies as we leave edinburgh to stirling. and see culloden and loch ness from inverness, and a famous book store in inverness. SO EXCITED! oh, and as we've not gone out for our anniversary for 3 years, we are going on the skye seaplane tour! (if the weather permits, which is a big if)

Hi Julie, you've gone for a near-perfect itinerary; Glencoe and Skye are probably my two favourite holiday locations in Scotland, closely followed by Lewis and Harris. If your timetable would allow it, try to squeeze in a day that lets you make the crossing to St Kilda (from Harris). Its a UNESCO dual world heritage site and well worth the effort. (But if you visit - you'll be smitten for life).

i SO wanted to go to st. kilda - but a scottish friend says it's very hard to be lucky enough to get the right weather. he lives on the coast across from skye and says he's been trying to get his wife there, and it has never worked out. he has been there on some kind of special thing before. we had 5 hurried days in scotland in 2007 as part of a UK trip. ron drove 1700 miles in 14 days! but i fell in love with scotland and said someday i wanted to go back and spend the whole trip there. my husband is staying two weeks and my daughter and i for 2 weeks beyond that. a dream come true!

would also have loved to take the boat trip to the corryvreckan whirlpool, from the movie 'i know where i'm going'. but it just isn't working out to do that one. but we are going to find the red phone box by the waterfall, from that movie, on Mull. We have directions, so i think we'll be able to find it! wanted to call our daughter from it on the last trip, but didn't have enough time to look for it. - had only a few hours on mull, which is barely enough to get to tobermory and back to the ferry!

It sounds like you have this trip well-planned - I hope everything goes well and you have a great time. The weather at the moment is lovely, but you have probably experienced the unpredictability of the Scottish climate. Our American daughter-in-law has been here in Scotland for about seven years, and is still coming to terms with the weather (i.e. with the cold!)