Scotland Life

Once more we catch up with the delightful goings-on in the fictitious 44 Scotland Street from Alexander McCall Smith. With customary charm and deftness, Alexander McCall Smith gives us another installment in this popular series, now running in its ninth season in The Scotsman. Anything could happen to Bertie and the gang....

Rock Paper Scissors is the exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney. Think you know the person you married? Think again… Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away...

Newlywed Angus Lordie has been booked by his bride into what he must not call the loony bin; Bruce’s first encounter with hot wax brings more anguish than he bargained for; and Bertie's birthday dreams of scout camp and a penknife look set to be replaced by a game of Royal Weddings and a gender-neutral doll. But fate, an amorous Bedouin, and the Dubai Tourist Authority conspire to transport Bertie's mother, Irene, to a warmer--if not a better--place.

Internationally best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, creator of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels, offers the third installment from his popular Scotland Street series. The endearing denizens of 44 Scotland Street soldier on, both domestically and across the globe, in this entertaining mosaic that is filled with the author's trademark wit and charm.

Perhaps best known for his No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, #1 New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith delights fans around the world with his warmhearted 44 Scotland Street novels. In the series’ sixth entry, the residents of 44 Scotland Street grapple with problems both trivial and severe, but none so great as when six-year-old Bertie Pollock - who longs to be seven - mislays his mum and learns a valuable lesson about wish fulfillment.

St. Fintan, one of the Saint's first companions in Iona, was asked once towards the end of Columba's life to describe him to one who had heard much of his holiness, but who did not know him. "He is a king amongst kings," answered Fintan, "a sage amongst wise men, a monk amongst monks. He is poor with God's poor; a mourner with those who weep, and joyful with those who rejoice. Yet amidst all the gifts of nature and of grace that have been so liberally showered on him by God, the true humility of Christ is as royally rooted in his heart as if it were its natural home.

A wallflower and a rake join together to solve a mystery in this charming grumpy/sunshine historical rom-com—the first book in a new series from the bestselling author of A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem!...

To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose; it is summer in Scotland Street (as it always is) and for the habitués of Edinburgh's favourite street, some extraordinary adventures lie in waiting. For the impossibly vain Bruce Anderson - he of the clove-scented hair gel - it may finally be time to settle down, and surely it can only be a question of picking the lucky winner from the hordes of his admirers. The Duke of Johannesburg is keen to take his flight of fancy, a microlite seaplane, from the drawing board to the skies.

In the first full-scale biography of Mary Stuart in more than 30 years, John Guy creates an intimate and absorbing portrait of one of history's most famous women, depicting her world and her place in the sweep of history with stunning immediacy. Bringing together all surviving documents and uncovering a trove of new sources for the first time, Guy dispels the popular image of Mary Queen of Scots as a romantic leading lady - achieving her ends through feminine wiles - and establishes her as the intellectual and political equal of Elizabeth I.

Claire MacDonald traded her Scottish roots for a high-powered career in London, but when exhaustion forces her to return home for Christmas, she finds more than just rest in the snow-covered Highlands. Her brother is struggling with divorce, her family is barely speaking to her, and her childhood sweetheart, Lachlan Fraser, stirs up feelings she thought she had buried decades ago. As she revives her grandmother's cherished greenhouse, navigates family tensions, and rediscovers the joy of Highland traditions, Claire realizes that success isn't measured by spreadsheets and business deals. ...

Covering the Ice Age to the recent Scottish Referendum, the acclaimed historian and author explores the history of the Scottish nation. Focusing on key moments such as the Battle of Bannockburn and the Jacobite risings, Moffat also features other episodes in history that are perhaps less well documented. From prehistoric timber halls to inventions and literature, Moffat's epic explores the drama of battle, change, loss, and innovation interspersed with the lives of ordinary Scottish folk, the men and women who defined a nation.

Once more, we catch up with the delightful goings-on in the fictitious 44 Scotland Street from Alexander McCall Smith. With customary charm and deftness, Alexander McCall Smith gives us another instalment in this popular series, now running in its eighth season in The Scotsman.

Lady Jane Wilverhampton fled London society for a quiet life in the Scottish countryside. A broken romance had battered her heart, but it was her younger brother Bertram’s unanswered crimes that made her join her older brother, Caspar, in a vow of celibacy and exile. When Caspar broke his vow, Jane was cast adrift in a spinster’s life. She agrees to accompany her elderly godmother to a winter house party, expecting little if any change to her dull days. But unexpected guests, a surprising suitor, a death bed promise and the reveal of a shocking family secret could forever alter the drab...

Alfred Earnest Scholes joined the Metropolitan Police in February 1888 and was one of many constables that were posted to the dark slums of Whitechapel during the Jack the Ripper scare of the same year. In a career spanning 36 years from lowly PC Scholes to Detective Inspector, this book examines some of the most fascinating crimes and criminals that had Victorian and Edwardian England shocked and enthralled. Beginning with the infamous Mrs Pearcey in the Kentish Town Murder, who cut the throat of her lover's wife and smothered their baby, before walking the bodies through the streets in an...

When a video of her calling happily ever after "a foolish fantasy" goes viral, marriage therapist Emma Castle is out of a job - and off to Scotland. The tiny town of Gandiegow is the perfect place to ride out the media storm and to catch up with her childhood friend, Claire. But also in Gandiegow is the one man she hoped never to see again. She's successfully avoided Gabriel MacGregor since Claire and Dominic's wedding, only to find that he's now the village doctor - and just as tall, dark, and devilish as ever.

Precocious six-year-old Bertie joins the scouts to escape his mother, Matthew learns to handle the challenges of marriage, and Domenica deals with loneliness. Even four-legged Cyril gets in on the action, finding himself a bit of canine romance.

Step back in time and explore the captivating battles, clans, Highlanders, myths, and legends that have shaped Scotland from ancient times to the present day. Through vivid storytelling, this audiobook transports you to the heart of Scotland’s past, uncovering the customs and traditions of its clans—from fierce Highland warriors to cunning Lowland politicians—and how their actions forged a national identity.

For Bertie Pollock, things seem to be moving along at a pace that is rather out of his control. In Drummond Place Garden, it appears young Olive has their future together mapped out, wedding venue and all. Meanwhile, Bertie’s domineering mother, Irene, is off in Aberdeen, beckoning him to come stay for a few months—and his father, Stuart, might be powerless to stand up to her.

Between glances in the mirror, vain Bruce contemplates a new career as a wine merchant. His troubled flatmate, Pat, finds himself looking for true love at a nudist picnic. Precocious Bertie, now six years old, prepares for kindergarten despite the horror of being forced to wear pink overalls. Meanwhile, his domineering mother, Irene, and his psychologist, Dr. Fairbarn, struggle with dark secrets as Bertie plots his rebellion against them.

When Pat accepts her narcissistic ex-boyfriend Bruce's invitation for coffee, she has no idea of the complications in her romantic and professional life that will follow. Meanwhile, Matthew, her boss at the art gallery, attracts the attention of the police after a misunderstanding at the local bookstore. Whether caused by small things such as a cup of coffee and a book, or major events such as Stuart's application for promotion and his wife Irene's decision to pursue a PhD in Aberdeen, change is coming to Scotland Street.