Last year, I spent a good part of my summer holidays reading books set in and about Scotland. I love reading and books, but I came to a realisation that I actually have never committed to finding out more about Scotland, it's people and some of the stories about this place. So I decided to challenge myself to find books which interested and excited me about this wonderful place that I call home (you can read my reviews of the books I read last year here!)
This summer, I'm planning on reading a real mix. Books about the history of this place. Books set in real Scottish islands. Books about fictional Scottish islands. Books that are considered to be real Scottish classics. So here's a run down of some of the books I am hoping to read this summer.
Hame by Annalena McAfee
Am I allowed to say that the cover of this book completely sold it for me?! Set on the fictional Scottish island of Fascarey, the story follows a mother and her daughter who move to a remote Scottish island from New York after the breakdown of her marriage. She tasks herself to write a book about late Bard of Fascarey, whose reputation has reached international levels. With a mixture of diary entries, poetry and letters throughout, this book looks right up my street and I am so excited to find out more about this place.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
This is a real Scottish classic. This story follows a group of school girls in 1930's Edinburgh under the tutorage of their new teacher, Miss Jean Brodie. I'm fairly positive I've watched the film version of this book in the past, although I can't really remember what happens. I love finding out what schools were like in the past, so I'm excited to get stuck into this real Scottish classic over the summer.
As Women Lay Dreaming by Donald S Murray
Last year, I went on a work trip to the Isles of Lewis and Harris. If you've ever visited, I'm sure you'll have heard about the Iolaire disaster following the end of the First World War. This books follows the lives of those left behind after the disaster and how their lives were changed by the events that affected them.
The Antology of Scottish Folk Tales
Shamefully, I think I was given this book for my 19th birthday! I just never got round to reading it. By giving myself this challenge of reading Scottish books this summer, I'm hoping I can spend some time reading the kinds of books I don't often get the chance to read. I've not read many collections of short stories, but I'm excited to get stuck into this book and read up on some of the folk tales that make up the landscape of Scotland.
As with last year, I'm not entirely sure how many of these books I will be able to read in the summer months (summer is peak tourist season in the Highlands after all). But I am excited to read a wide variety of books set in and around Scotland.
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