Scotland and the Scottish Diaspora
"It's part of me, Scotland. I'm still immersed in it even though I am not there." -- Irvine Welsh (1958 - ), Scots novelist, short story writer, playwright, author of Trainspotting among many other works).
All my life I have been interested in the history of Scotland and the profound consequences of the Scottish diaspora throughout the world. Scotland and the Scots are appealing in so many ways -- the beauty of the land- and seascapes, the food and drink, the extraordinarily resourceful and creative people, the dramatic history from antiquity to the present, the great literature and history and philosophy and religion. The subjects are themselves enough to inspire writing, but there is great satisfaction in the fact that the Scots have lived up to the subjects on their own writ.
Over many years I have researched the history of Cumberland Valley, and I have often talked about the Scots, the Scots-Irish, and the settlement of this part of the New World by these willing and not-so-willing exiles. In recognition of the history and significance of the Scots to our area, I fly the Saltire and carry these books and cds. I am always on the lookout for more.
P.S. Due to listing limitations, I have moved Ian Rankin and Denise Mina, two fine writers of the Scots Noir movement, over to our International Mystery page.
The Loch Ness Papers
The Loch Ness Papers
Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, The Loch Ness Papers is the fourth in the Scottish Bookshop series by Paige Shelton.
What do The Cracked Spine and the Loch Ness monster have in common?
Delaney Nichols loves working at the Cracked Spine among stacks of hard-to-find volumes and literary artifacts. With her great job and engagement to devastatingly handsome pub-owner Tom Shannon, Delaney’s expat life in Scotland is straight out of a fairy tale. But the plot thickens when Delaney befriends Norval Fraser, a charming old man who is oddly obsessed with the Loch Ness monster. When Norval’s nephew is found dead and the police name him as a prime suspect, it becomes Delaney’s job to learn what really happened. . . and find the truth about what’s lurking beneath the surface.
“The perfect book to curl up with on a rainy day.” —BookPage
Is “Nessie” involved in this murder somehow? Delaney has her work cut out for her in getting to the deep, dark bottom of this mystery. Now, with a wedding to plan, her Kansas family in town, and the arrival of a wildly valuable book from Texas, Delaney enters a desperate race to clear her new friend’s name—even if that means digging up a dangerous secret as old as time itself. . .
“Delightful…one of the most enjoyable installments in the series.” —Library Journal (starred review)