Read Scotland discussion

Still working on some that may spill into 2020

Julie wrote: "Still working on some that may spill into 2020"

Sounds good Julie :)

Just finished Beating About the Bush by M C Beaton, who very sadly, passed away over Christmas. It was such a shock. I have heard that she had two new books ready that will be published this year. They were formulaic, but I still always found myself drawn in.

Just finished Beating About the Bush by M C Beaton, who very sadly, passed away over Christmas. It was such a shock. I have heard that she had two new books ready that will be published this year. They were formulaic, but I still always found myself drawn in.

First book for this year I think, Beating About the Bush by M C Beaton. Working on Between Weathers, Travels in 21st Century Shetland, by Ron McMillan.

Sorry! It wouldn’t post and gave me ‘error’ and then posted everything over!

Julie wrote: "Sorry! It wouldn’t post and gave me ‘error’ and then posted everything over!"

I had an error too and a notice that ‘too many people’ were on Goodreads :/ Did you manage to post what you wanted to? If not I’d try again in a while.

PS: I’ve still not read M C Beaton, will have to try one of her books this year, if I remember!

Finished my second book: Smouldering Fire by D. E. Stevenson - a third or fourth read since i began reading her books in 1985. But I'd not reread it for many years and really enjoyed it all the more because of it. i need to get back to my Shetland book again now. Between Weathers. It's not at all a fast read, but am enjoying it.

Third book finished - Between Weathers, Travels in 21st Century Shetland. I really enjoyed it. It very much makes you want to put Shetland on your travel itinerary.

4th book finished - Ann Cleeves’ Shetland. Loved it. Beautiful photography accompanied by her telling about different locations in her books, interesting facts and history of the islands, and where certain book plots came from.

5th book finished. Hebrides by Peter May. Gorgeous photography and the writing was really interesting.

6th book finished: a year in the life of Skye - Bill Birkett. Lots of detailed writing about geology and rock- types. He is a mountaineer so greatest emphasis on mountain climbing, which I have never done, nor will ever do, but I still enjoyed reading about it and reading all the Gaelic names of the mountains and ridges. Although I can’t pronounce a one!

Read 7th book - Colin Baxter’s The Beauty of Scotland. A book with wonderful photographs and not much reading. I enjoyed the long introduction, and the following photos were special because looking through them now, after our last trip to Scotland, many or most of the places were things we had seen. I wish the photos had been larger.

PORTRAIT of Scotland, not Beauty of Scotland! Oops!

8th book - a reread of Miss Buncle Married

reading Heartland by John MacKay, and My Friends, the Miss Boyds by Jane Duncan right now.

9th book - Heartland by John MacKay. I loved it. It has beautiful writing. It was a quiet mystery; beautifully descriptive, with a compelling mystery underlying the whole. I'm looking forward to two more Outer Hebrides novels by this author.

10th book finished: My Friends, The Miss Boyd’s by Jane Duncan. Wonderful book. Full of humor and a Scottish life of long ago. Beautifully written. Made me laugh out loud, as well. The book is fiction but was very much taken from her growing up years and the characters that inhabited those years.

11th book finished- The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. First novel I have read by R L Stevenson. It was really good. Had seen two movies of it but first time to read it!

12th book finished - Scotland From the Air by Hawkes. It was good. Had a good bit of information along with the photographs. The most interesting thing was that there was a floating church on one of the lochs! The laird wouldn’t allow anything but the official church, so the parishioners boated to church on a boat in the Loch for 30 years! Wow!

Julie wrote: "12th book finished - Scotland From the Air by Hawkes. It was good. Had a good bit of information along with the photographs. The most interesting thing was that there was a floating church on one o..."

Wow, what an amazing story!

13th book - Mrs. Tim Flies Home - the final Mrs. Tim book. I had not read the 4 books in years so I have really enjoyed going through them again! Even more than the first time. And I had not remembered that there were characters from Kate Hardy who appear in this book, which added to it too.

14th book - The Life of Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson. This was a fascinating book about an amazing woman, whom I believe helped RLS to live far longer than he could have if he had not had her loving and taking care of him, and being a boon to his writing as well. Highly recommend!

15th book - Mrs. Tim Gets a Job. I enjoyed this reread so much. Mrs. Tim gets a job in a Scottish manor house/hotel, working for a difficult woman who becomes a dear friend.

16th book - Mrs. Tim Carries On - this was a fiction book but was almost entirely taken from her war time diary, so it is a pretty wonderful inside view of everyday life in England during the war.

17th book- Spring Magic by D. E. Stevenson. Another of her titles I haven’t reread in years. It was fun revisiting it.

18th book - Stella’s Christmas Wish by Kate Blackadder. It was a solid story that kept my interest beginning to end. There were a few instances of bad grammar but only one or two in the whole book so not bad. It was an old fashioned romance in the sense that it was all about the story, not filled with sex. A bit like a Hallmark movie used to be. It took place in Edinburgh and Melrose and I enjoyed the locations. Can’t remember but I think the author was from Scotland. A nice, light Christmas read.

19th book - Peter and Wendy - reading about RLS and his strong friendship with Barrie brought it to mind that I had never actually read Peter Pan - had only seen the play and movies. What a discovery! I loved his writing and his characters! So quirky and utterly unique! Brilliant man! It reminded me of Milne in that children would enjoy the story but much would be lost on them and only wholly appreciated by an adult. Wonderful read. I have Peter in Kensington Gardens next. It is illustrated by Rackham which is another thing to look forward to.

20th book - listening to Gerald and Elizabeth by D. E. Stevenson on Audible. Thoroughly enjoyed it as it’s been years and years since I’ve read it. Can’t believe how much I had forgotten!