As a child growing up in a rural community in the isle of Lewis, there were very few books I read which had any real connection with my local environment. This changed in my late teenage years when I encountered some of the books I mentioned here, together with some works about rural communities and islands in Ireland. I loved the way these books – including poetry, drama, non-fiction, short stories, and novels – opened my eyes and enabled me to see familiar surroundings in new and enlightening ways. The legacy of this still persists within me today.
There are probably more fantasies and myths about the Hebridean island of St Kilda than any other location in existence – though there are a few other Scottish islands that compete in this field!
Roger’s book is excellent because it is grounded in fact and meticulous research, yet it is also a celebration of this unique landscape to be found at the far western edge of the Outer Hebrides.
St Kilda is the most romantic and most romanticised group of islands in Europe. Soaring out of the North Atlantic Ocean like Atlantis come back to life, the islands have captured the imagination of the outside world for hundreds of years. Their inhabitants, Scottish Gaels who lived off the land, the sea and by birdcatching on high and precipitous cliffs, were long considered to be the Noble Savages of the British Isles, living in a state of natural grace.
St Kilda: A People's History explores and portrays the life of the St Kildans from the Stone Age to 1930, when…
I am a retired history teacher with 36 years of teaching experience in high school and college. I am also a passionate world traveler and for over four decades led students on overseas tours. In 2012 (the year I retired from teaching) I released my first novel, Widder’s Landing set in Kentucky in the early 1800s. One of my main characters came from a family of Irish Catholics—and he is featured in Rebels Abroad. Ireland has always fascinated me and in my nine trips to the country, I smelled the peat fires, tasted the whiskey, listened to the music and the lyrical tales told by the tour leaders—and came to love the people.
A Place Called Freedom attracted me instantly because of its multiple settings (Scotland, London, and Virginia) and the theme of ordinary people struggling against adversity.
The novel provides vivid insight into governmental repression of religion and the denial of basic human rights. As a historian, I enjoy reading historical fiction. Follett is a master of his craft, blending human interest stories with accurate history. Through his characters, he shows how people lived and reacted to historical events.
A Place Called Freedom transports the reader into the years prior to the American Revolution, and his vivid geographical descriptions made me feel like “I was there!”
Set in an era of turbulent social changes on both sides of the Atlantic, A Place Called Freedom is a magnificent historical fiction novel from the undisputed master of suspense and drama, Ken Follett.
A Life of Poverty Scotland, 1767. Mack McAsh is a slave by birth, destined for a cruel and harsh life as a miner. But as a man of principles and courage, he has the strength to stand up for what he believes in, only to be labelled as a rebel and enemy of the state.
A Life of Wealth Life feels just as constrained for rebellious…
I’ve been falling in love with love since before I can remember, and it’s been a wild adventure that’s taken me across thousands of miles, one rather splendid husband, and over forty books published. After hitting the USA Today Bestsellers list, I’ve become a full time author and spend at least 12 hours a day falling in love as a job. Each time I read a book, I discover a new way to fall in love—and I adore being able to recommend my favourite authors to new readers, so that they can discover them with me.
With almost 3000 positive reviews on Amazon alone, it’s not hard to see that Mariah Stone’s first in series, Highlander’s Captive, is a good book. But why do I love it? Because this medieval highlander romance doesn’t just make me swoon, but it tugs at my heartstrings. There’s such a depth of emotion here that it’s hard to put down, and even when you’re finished, you’re going to want to come back again and again.
Breathtaking, passionate, romantic -- for all fans of Outlander!She must return to her time. He keeps her heart captive.
While chaperoning a high school trip to the Scottish Highlands, Amy MacDougall descends into Inverlochy Castle dungeon. Deep in the crumbling ruins, she touches a magical rock and travels through time to 1307.
Infiltrating the castle, Highlander Craig Cambel imprisons Amy. A MacDougall, she’s his clan’s sworn enemy. But when he’s forced to marry the fierce beauty, he surrenders to desire. Amy needs to return to the twenty-first century, but her feelings for Craig are growing stronger every day. Will the…
While an adjunct professor at a local Midwestern college, I taught a night course in gothic literature. It was winter and my drive was over an hour to the satellite location. The wintry journey seemed apropos of the gothic’s dark themes, eerie atmosphere, and supernatural world. Though I’d enjoyed gothic novels in the past, this course cemented my love of all things gothic. By teaching the course, I enhanced my understanding of gothic fiction through such stories as, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, and Where are you going, where have you been by Joyce Carol Oates.
I’m always intrigued by books that re-envision a classic novel or play.
This updated version of Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw is cleverly told in first person by a nanny who relates the story of a child who died under her care. A smart house stands in for the creepy gothic mansion. Its surveillance system creates a feeling of paranoia and fear. The twist at the end is worthy of James.
I’ve been writing poems since an inspirational period of study in Stirling in my twenties, when I did a lot of hill walking in the Scottish Highlands. For me, poetry that doesn’t move you, that doesn’t make you feel, is just words on a page. I love poems that make you shiver as they incongruously bear the full load of life’s mystery. I like all kinds of poetry but have a special place reserved for nature poems, poems that find the heart and soul in the landscape, rivers, and wildlife.
What makes Scottish poet Barbara Lennox so special is her ability to draw on her scientific background, striking an exquisite balance between a mechanistic view of nature and a more mysterious, creative approach. I love poems about birds and flight and her poems about an owl ("ears inhale every sound"), hawk ("she’s light/ ready for the off/ half-poised for flight"), and the extinct Archaeopteryx, "smeared to a layer of limestone" are some of the finest written. On top of that, Lennox writes astonishing poems about the Scottish Highlands, where I’ve spent some of my happiest times.
Poems of Love, Loss, Life and Death The poetry of Barbara Lennox has been inspired by the natural world, history and mythology, scientific ideas and the many facets of the human condition, from love to loss, and from life to death and everything in between. The poems are thoughtful, quirky, questioning and lyrical. A skilful use of metaphor and language throws a fresh light on topics as diverse as a fossil bird, a mythical tree, the inheritance pattern of comb shape in chickens, and the final journey we all have to make.
Since early childhood, I was fascinated by aircraft, space travel, and racing cars. I watched the Apollo missions with wonder and CanAm racing on Wide World of Sports with equal enthusiasm. I built models and flew missions of imagination. The floor of my bedroom became many tracks laid out with masking tape. Making the transition to real cars was more difficult but my passion for sci-fi, space adventure, and speed marches on to this day. Star Trek was a huge enabler that drove me to see the world differently, and sixty years later, it still does. The road of our own discovery is an endless one.
The BattleTech universe is a complex one that spawned many novels, but out of that list by various authors, this one stands out as my favorite. Set in the distant future, a long, bloody conflict between clan warriors and inner sphere soldiers spans multiple solar systems. They take to the battlefield in enormous walking tanks called Mechs where the outcome can be swift and brutal. The interesting part of this book is how it focuses on one soldier, and his diverse heritage as he tries to find his place in a regiment steeped in ancient traditions. Striving to prove his worth both to himself and his new unit, he digs deep for the skill and courage to stand against a ruthless enemy in an inhospitable world.
Death Commando Loren Jaffray is dispatched to the planet Northwind to destroy the elite Northwind Highlanders by winning their trust and starting a war from within--but Loren is waging his own personal battle between honor and duty. Original.
Historical romance author Emmanuelle lives on the bonny banks of Loch Fyne with her husband and beloved haggis pudding Archie McFloof—connoisseur of bacon treats and squeaky toys. She’ll never tire of dreaming up brooding, kilted heroes.
No one writes kilted comedy like Caroline Lee, and this title may be her funniest yet. In this medieval festive romance, our heroine is determined to take her happiness into her own hands, convincing the man of her dreams that they truly are the perfect match. The fact that she embroiders bloody battle scenes rather than the usual floral compositions, and is working on a compilation of kama-sutra-style coital positions is the icing on the cake of this wonderful romp.
A year ago, Nessa Oliphant FINALLY landed the man of her dreams in bed…but when her father, the laird, betrothed her to the first Henry, her lover failed to fight for her. Brohn, the housekeeper’s son, might be in command of the Oliphant troops, but knows his duty to the clan is to step aside and let Nessa make a strong betrothal contract. But after SEVEN failed betrothals—all to Henrys—Nessa is done with fiddling around. It’s going to take the legend of the Ghostly Drummer of Oliphant Castle, some random sprigs of mistletoe, and plenty of Yuletide magic to fix…
Historical romance author Emmanuelle lives on the bonny banks of Loch Fyne with her husband and beloved haggis pudding Archie McFloof—connoisseur of bacon treats and squeaky toys. She’ll never tire of dreaming up brooding, kilted heroes.
A heart-tugger ‘secret baby’ medieval romance, featuring a ruthless mercenary assassin and another heroine disguising herself, this time as a widow to protect her illegitimate daughter. When the brooding Scot appears—with the goal of murdering her father no less—our heroine can no longer hide. There’s a whole lot of dark alpha warrior deliciousness going on, and chemistry that had me cheering for a happy ending.
He’s a Highland assassin. She’s the noblewoman he abandoned nine years ago. Can forgiveness give them a second chance at love this Christmas?
The Scottish Highlands, 1308. Infamous mercenary Hamish Dunn betrayed a powerful clan and is now pursued by killers almost as ruthless as himself. Deep in the snowy wilderness, a Highland faerie convinces Hamish to travel to the Border Lands for one last job.
Deidre Maxwell has a dangerous secret. She’s not the widow she claims but a disowned noblewoman with an illegitimate daughter. After being cast aside by Hamish, the man she loved, she’ll never let herself…
I’ve always had a fascination with the past. After graduating with an Honors degree in English Literature, with a minor in History, I spent years working as an English Language Teacher, while I wrote stories in my free time. Writing is a compulsion for me. It’s my escape and entertainment – my solace in tough times. Now, as a full-time author, I’m lucky enough to get to spend my days in Ancient and Medieval Scotland. I write the kind of stories I love to read: with vibrant characters, richly researched settings, and action-packed adventure romance that transports readers to forgotten times and imaginary worlds.
I know this is 'another’ Scottish time travel historical romance – but I’d been looking for a novel in this genre and this one was great. There are also touches of humor throughout that were reminiscent of Gabaldon’s writing style. Single and pregnant (yes pregnant!) museum-worker, Melanie gets transported to 16th Century Scotland when she examines an ancient wooden box. There, she meets Darcy – a brave yet innocent young man who becomes her unlikely protector when she’s accused of witchcraft. This novel grips you from the first page. Gage evokes the setting and time period brilliantly, and the romance is realistically portrayed and emotional.
Single-and-pregnant museum worker Melanie voices an idle wish while examining a Scottish artifact, that a Highland warrior would sweep her off her feet and help her forget her cheating ex. The last thing she expects is for her wish to be granted. Magically transported to the middle of a clan skirmish in the sixteenth-century Highlands, she comes face to face with her kilted fantasy man.
Tall, handsome, and heir to his uncle's lairdship, Darcy Keith should be the most eligible bachelor in Ackergill. Instead, thanks to a prank played on him in his teenage years, he is known for being…
As a child growing up in a rural community in the isle of Lewis, there were very few books I read which had any real connection with my local environment. This changed in my late teenage years when I encountered some of the books I mentioned here, together with some works about rural communities and islands in Ireland. I loved the way these books – including poetry, drama, non-fiction, short stories, and novels – opened my eyes and enabled me to see familiar surroundings in new and enlightening ways. The legacy of this still persists within me today.
There are many books that fostered my interest in Highland history. They include the work of John Prebble which I first encountered as a youngster.
As a crofter’s son, this was probably the most important, revealing the struggle for those living in the Highland to obtain and acquire their own land. It tells the story, too, of the effect of the Clearances throughout much of the north of Scotland.
This book has been seminal in bringing to the fore the injustices that have been inflicted on the Highlands in the name of government and landlord - injustices often lost in the name of dry statistics and academic balance.
Written by a man who has gone on to become both an award-winning historian of the Highlands and a leading figure in the public life of the region, The Making of the Crofting Community has attracted praise, inspired debate, and provoked outrage and controversy over the years. This book remains necessary to challenge standard academic interpretations of the Highland past. Having…
