It's coorie season, so what better to do at this time of year than settling in with a good book. Since moving to the Scottish Highlands, I've loved reading books about the Highlands and Islands. Whether its a fiction book set in an imagined Hebridean island, or a real life story of someone building an incredible life for themselves in the Scottish Highlands, I just can't get enough of books set in and around this part of the world. I even shared some of my favourite books to read in my Summer of Scottish Reads Challenge that I took part in a few years ago.
If you are like me and love reading about this incredible part of the world, I thought it would be helpful to have one big place to find loads of incredible books set in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. So here it is: my ultimate Highlands and Islands Reading List.
I've decided to break down my recommendations by location, so if you are looking for a specific book about a specific island or region, hopefully you'll find something that suits you here.
You may also feel like that this list is a bit thin on the ground. Although I love books and reading, working multiple jobs means I don't always have endless hours to be spend reading. I am hoping, however, that this list will never be entirely finished. As I read more and more books about the Highlands and Islands, I hope to keep adding to this list. So hopefully, like me, you'll always be finding new books about the Scottish Highlands and Islands for many years to come.
Contents
Outer Hebrides
The Lost Lights of St Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford
St Kilda is an island that has always really fascinated me. So when I discovered this book a few years ago, I was really intrigued. Set on the archipelago in the years leading up to the evacuation in the 1920s, this novel really highlights the struggles and beauty of life on this tiny island and the events that lead to the evacuation of the remainging community in 1930. It was such an eye-opening book for me, highlighting the difficult life islanders faced and the longing they felt for home after they left. It was a truly harrowing, beautiful read!
The Small Isles
A Drop in the Ocean by Polly Pullar
Last year, I visited the teeny island of Muck for a couple of hours and I absolutely fell in love. On a recent visit to Ullapool, we visited their local bookstore and I discovered A Drop in the Ocean. This book documents the life of Lawrence MacEwen, the late laird of the tiny island, as well as life throughout the last century on the Isle of Muck. If you want to learn more about life on a small island on the West Coast, this is a fascinating read.
Orkney and Shetland
Swimming with Seals by Victoria Whitworth
One of my favourite ways to spend my time since moving to the Scottish Highlands has been discovering the joys of wild swimming. This book also shares this love of wild swimming, specifically the author's discovery of wild swimming after moving to Orkney. I really loved this book, specifically because of the interesting structure it had. Throughout the novel, there are little diary entries from the author's Facebook posts detailing each swim, the swim conditions and the animals she encounted on her swim.
After our visit to Orkney last October, this book really made me want to head back to the islands, so I'd highly recommend if you are looking to discover more about these incredible islands.
Skye and Raasay
Calum's Road by Roger Hutchinson
Raasay is one of my favourite islands I've visited over my years exploring the Scottish Highlands and Islands. This story about Calum MacLeod's determination to build a road to his home on the Isle of Raasay is one I've loved finding about more about as I spent more and more time on the island. If you're looking for a true story about one islander's determination and grit in the face of adversity, this book is the one for you.
P.S. Looking for more general books about Scotland? I've also created a list with my favourite books set in and about Scotland. You can find that here
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