Read Scotland 2018 discussion

The theme is: Scottish Lives

We’re getting personal and prying into the interesting lives of Great Scots, travel writers or Scottish diary keepers. We’re looking for nominations of memoirs and autobiographies of any interesting Scottish person or someone living in Scotland. Books about holidays and short trips to Scotland count, as do anyone writing about their experiences of Scotland. Equally, you might nominate a book about a celebrity or famous figure who was born in Scotland but moved on to different things. Biographies count too. So if you want to get to know Billy Connolly, study the life of Alexander Graham Bell, or read the musings of Gavin Maxwell, go suggest a book below...

(Please try to use the html link to your book so there's no mix ups.)

In a few days time, we'll vote for our favourite...

How about In Search of Scotland or A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides?

Oh, good choice. How about The Silent Traveller in Edinburgh

Or

Hide and Seek With Angels

Katrina wrote: "Oh, good choice. How about The Silent Traveller in Edinburgh

Or

Hide and Seek With Angels"

Mrs. C. wrote: "How about In Search of Scotland or A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides?"

All great suggestions, and all quite different already! Each pick the one you like best :)

For fans of the great mind behind Sherlock Holmes... Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World's Most Famous Detective Writer.

A Hundred Years in the Highlands by Osgood Hanbury Mackenzie, about his life (and lairdship). He was born in 1842 in France, but when his father became Baronet and Laird of the Mackenzies of Gairloch, they returned to Scotland. Osgood created the gardens at Inverewe, which are now a National Trust property. I loved the book a lot even though Osgood as a person often infuriated me with his attitudes.

Excellent choices so far. I'm going to suggest a 2005 collection of essays Findings

Kathleen Jamie herself called it unclassifiable - part travel writing, part autobiography, part nature writing.I just think it's a wonderful set of quiet, moving observations. I hope it fits into the brief for this month?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... I have chosen The Hills is Lonely by Lillian Beckwith as I am a few pages into this but I also think there is an omnibus so that might be better for nomination purposes.

I nominate Jessie Kesson: Writing her Life, a biography of the author of the wonderful "The White Bird Passes".

From the blurb - "Jessie Kesson is forever associated with her first novel, the fictionalised autobiography of her early years, The White Bird Passes.. Born illegitimate in a Workhouse and raised in an Elgin slum, she was removed from her beloved but neglectful mother and sent to an orphanage in Kirkton of Skene. There she throve and shone, but was refused any chance of higher education, and ended up a year in a mental hospital. After marriage, she became a cottar wife around North East Scotland, before moving to London, where she combined writing novels and radio plays with jobs from cleaning a cinema to producing Woman's Hour"

Tarissa wrote: "For fans of the great mind behind Sherlock Holmes... [book:Conan Doyle for the Defense: The True Story of a Sensational British Murder, a Quest for Justice, and the World's Most Famous Detective Wr..."

This looks really good!

Alan wrote: "Excellent choices so far. I'm going to suggest a 2005 collection of essays Findings

Kathleen Jamie herself called it unclassifiable - part travel writ..."

Yes, most definitely fits!

Loving the suggestions so far... I’ll confess I read nearly no autobiographies but seeing some of these books I’m surprised how many I fancy!

So I’m going to sit back and let you guys do the thinking for nominations...

Keep them coming, I’ll make the poll for this Friday :)

Ellen wrote: "
All great suggestions, and all quite different already! Each pick the one you like best :)"

Hide and Seek With Angels would probably be my pick then. I really the look of Silent Traveller, but it'll be really dated at best, I'd imagine.

Katrina wrote: "Ellen wrote: "
All great suggestions, and all quite different already! Each pick the one you like best :)"

Hide and Seek With Angels would probably be my pick then. I really the look of Silent Tr..."

Good choice :) (Though they both sounded good). It’s funny how Peter Pan is so famous but I realised how little I know of J.M. Barrie. I also realised I’ve never read the original Peter Pan story *shock horror!*

Ellen wrote: "Katrina wrote: "Ellen wrote: "
It’s funny how Peter Pan is so famous but I realised how little I know of J.M. Barrie. I also realised I’ve never read the original Peter Pan story *shock horror!* ."

Oh same. Very vague memories of that Johnny Depp film several years ago which goes out the window because, Hollywood, but that's it. Didn't read the original until I was an adult and wanted to see how different it was from the Disney film.:) Looking at a list of his other works though, he was quite a prolific writer. Might try to get hold of one at some point.

The poll will start tomorrow - if I've pressed the right buttons ;) I'll message everyone when it's live.

Mrs. C. wrote: "How about In Search of Scotland or A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides?"

I've selected your first nomination for the poll, hope this is ok :)

Here’s a link to the the poll - we’ve got 7 great nominations, go pick your favourite....

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/4...

I suggest a cute little novel, with the history of Rob Roy and other Scottish folktales. Archie Wilson & The Beasts of Loch Ness

Chris wrote: "I suggest a cute little novel, with the history of Rob Roy and other Scottish folktales. Archie Wilson & The Beasts of Loch Ness"

Hi Chris,
Unfortunately this poll is already live and I can’t add a new book to vote. However, as you have mentioned this book a few times and we’ve got muddled up, I’m going to automatically nominate it for our final poll of the year. November and December’s theme will be ‘Wild Card’ (basically anything goes) and I will make sure Archie Wilson & The Beasts of Loch Ness is nominated and added to the next poll. Hope this sounds good? See if anything else takes your fancy till then :)

Ellen wrote: "Chris wrote: "I suggest a cute little novel, with the history of Rob Roy and other Scottish folktales. Archie Wilson & The Beasts of Loch Ness"

Hi Chris,
Unfortunately this poll is..."

I suggest this book as well, its brilliant, not sure why you never add it? It is now on our school reading list of local historic fiction books. But thanks for adding it next month, I think the group will like it.

Keith (CHINNY) wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Chris wrote: "I suggest a cute little novel, with the history of Rob Roy and other Scottish folktales. Archie Wilson & The Beasts of Loch Ness"

Hi Chris,
Unfortunatel..."

I’ll definitely add it to the next poll on you and Chris’s behalf. If you or Chris have trouble nominating again, send me a message and I can try sort it for you. I’m happy to add your books to the thread myself. I only poll books suggested on the two-monthly nomination threads, which is probably why I didn’t see your suggestions.

I’m glad the book has made it to your school reading list, I love folklore and the mystery of Loch Ness, it’s good to hear it’s still popular.

Ellen wrote: "Keith (CHINNY) wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Chris wrote: "I suggest a cute little novel, with the history of Rob Roy and other Scottish folktales. Archie Wilson & The Beasts of Loch Ness"
..."
This is a great group. I am pleased I found it. I read Archie Wilson, my teacher is now using at school as part of our Scottish history fiction program.