Read Scotland 2017 discussion

I made a last-ditch effort in December and hit my modest 2016 "Just a Keek" goal of 5 books (that final book was His Bloody Project, which I highly recommend). This morning I went through the unread titles on my Kindle and found exactly 11 titles that qualify for the challenge so it looks like my reading path this year is clear!

Nice, what are the books?

Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle, Dalmore - Tales of a Lewis Village, The Faerie Hills, Even Dogs in the Wild, Espresso Tales, The Death of Lucy Kyte, Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies, Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists, The Beat Goes On, The View from Castle Rock (only the first part is about Scotland, but I think it should count), The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot (another one only partly about Scotland; I think I will have to decide after I read it whether it qualifies). The 11th book is one I haven't actually purchased yet because I want to have a print copy, so I will have to ask my daughter to bring me one from London when she comes to visit me in Egypt this spring: The Un-Discovered Islands: An Archipelago of Myths and Mysteries, Phantoms and Fakes.

Oh nice, I am also about to read Old Ways, had not considered that this is partially about Scotland

Book 1 - The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro - review posted. Setting Ettrick and Edinburgh (early chapters only)

Book 2 - Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. MacLeod - excellent book about life on one of the islands of the inner Hebrides in the 1970s; review coming later

Lorna wrote: "Book 2 - Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. MacLeod - excellent book about life on one of the islands of the inner Hebrides in the 1970s; ..."

I have this one!

Book 3 - Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith - the second collection of stories about the residents of 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh. Light and entertaining, but also wonderful little studies in personality and human nature.

Lorna wrote: "Book 3 - Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith - the second collection of stories about the residents of 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh. Light and entertaining, but also wonderful ..."
Slowly been collecting these books, Lorna. One of these days I'll get to reading them!

Peggy wrote: "Lorna wrote: "Book 3 - Espresso Tales by Alexander McCall Smith - the second collection of stories about the residents of 44 Scotland Street in Edinburgh. Light and entertaining, but a..."

For me, they are really nice when I want something not too demanding but still engaging. Good for a break in between heavier reading.

Book 4 - Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin - I always love a Rebus book, and this is one of the best. Rankin brings together a cast of characters from his previous books, moving them along in their personal lives as they work to solve what turns out to be a set of interconnected crimes. Setting Edinburgh.

Book 5 - Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith. Always fun. Very tempted to download the next installment but I have to finish The Silver Darlings first. Setting Edinburgh.

Lorna wrote: "Book 4 - Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin - I always love a Rebus book, and this is one of the best. Rankin brings together a cast of characters from his previous books, moving t..."

I too love Rebus! Haven't read this one yet.

Lorna wrote: "Book 5 - Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith. Always fun. Very tempted to download the next installment but I have to finish The Silver Darlings first."

How are you liking Silver Darlings? It's a slow read but good.

Peggy wrote: "Lorna wrote: "Book 5 - Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith. Always fun. Very tempted to download the next installment but I have to finish The Silver Darlings first."

How ar..."

Enjoying it very much. I love how the author describes places; it feels wonderfully real. It is definitely a slow read but even more so because I keep taking breaks to read other books!

Book 6 - Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. This was one of my father's favorite books when he was a boy but I had never read it until now. I can see why he enjoyed it so much: it's an exciting adventure story with a realistic historical setting. And then there's Scotland, of course. Setting: Edinburgh through Glencoe to Mull and back.

I would love to read more Robert Louis Stevenson - I think he’s trending on Twitter as #RLSDay :)

Book 7 - Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. I listened to the audio version of this book and am so glad I did. The narration by Eileen McCallum wonderful. The book is written in dialect and it's lovely to hear all the different voices and accents as she does them; also there are a number of songs in the text which she renders beautifully. Setting Kincardineshire, northeast Scotland

Book 8 - The Silver Darlings by Neil M. Gunn. A lovely book. It's a timeless relationship story centered on a woman and the men in her life, and also a beautiful description of a particular place and time. Not to mention some wonderfully exciting adventures on the sea! I loved the parts about the Isle of Lewis, one of my favorite places in all the world. Setting: villages on the Moray Firth; outer Hebrides

Lorna wrote: "Book 7 - Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. I listened to the audio version of this book and am so glad I did. The narration by Eileen McCallum wonderful. The book is written in di..."

Lorna, I can imagine how wonderful this was to listen too this book. I wish I had access to it that way. Still have the third book in the trilogy to read. Maybe next year...

Lorna wrote: "Book 8 - The Silver Darlings by Neil M. Gunn. A lovely book. It's a timeless relationship story centered on a woman the men in her life, and also a beautiful description of a particul..."

Glad you finally got to read it! It was a lovely book.

Book 9 - Driftnet by Lin Anderson. This was a short, quick, hard-to-put-down read that I got through in two sittings. It's essentially a police procedural with a lot of character background setting up the series to come. The story here had too many connections and coincidences for it to be entirely believable, but I have read that the plots get better as the series progresses and I am more than willing to stick with it and see where it goes. Setting Glasgow.

Book 10 - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks. It's a happy surprise to read a classic I've put off because I thought it would be dull and find that it is not dull at all. What wonderful character portrayals, especially of Miss Brodie herself. [it looks like I am going to meet my reading goal! only one book left to go] Setting Edinburgh

Book 11 - The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home. I like mysteries, and a mystery focusing on a Scottish island is definitely my thing. I like the detective well enough, and the details and premise are convincing and interesting, but I am enough irritated by the author's portrayal of women to knock off a star. I'm pretty sure I'll read more in the series anyway. Setting: mainly north and west coasts of Scotland, including a fictional island.
Hurray, I made my reading goal!

Lorna wrote: "Book 11 - The Sea Detective by Mark Douglas-Home. I like mysteries, and a mystery focusing on a Scottish island is definitely my thing. I like the detective well enough, and the det..."

Well done you :)