#bookssetinscotland

[bibliobethblog]

Young Mungo - what can I say that hasn’t already been said about this incredible book? I first came to the genius that is @douglas_stuart through his incredible debut novel, the Booker winning Shuggie Bain which I read with @tarheelreader. My expectations were then enormous on beginning Mungo and I have to admit, I was worried that Stuart would wobble off the ridiculously high pedestal I had put him on. ⁣ ⁣ Luckily, I had nothing to fear. I buddy read this with #thebigscottishbookclub hosted by the lovely @scottiesandbooks and we were so lucky to get to chat to the man himself through Zoom which has only served to make my obsession with his work a little more intense! 😂 This novel is incredible. It covers the story of two boys, primarily Protestant Mungo and Catholic James who should be sworn enemies but end up friends then fall in love on a Glasgow working class housing estate. ⁣ ⁣ This is the type of book that takes a little piece of your heart when you read it. It was easy to fall in love with the characters, ache for what they go through and feel despair, terror and worry as they fight to live their lives the way they want. Despite the grim and frightening reality of the times the boys are living in, there’s that light at the end of the tunnel and a smidgeon of hope too. ⁣ ⁣ Young Mungo is one of my books of the year. It’s gritty, painful, authentic and shocking and I want to shout from the rooftops about how much I love it. Like Shuggie, this is a masterpiece of writing and I already can’t wait to experience it all over again. ⁣ ⁣ Five easy stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ⁣ #bookstagram #scottishbookstagrammer #bookreview #booksoftheyear2022 #youngmungo #douglasstuart #scottishfiction #scottishnovels #scottishnovelist #bookssetinscotland #bookssetinglasgow #myfavouritebooks #readthisbookpeople #lgbtfiction #recommendedreads👍 #booksthatmademelovereading #booksthatmademethink https://www.instagram.com/p/CjOOXbiLet3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ailishsinclair]

Work on the new book - SISTERS AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - is forging ahead nicely. The aim is for it to be released this summer, but that may be subject to change. Full post at AilishSinclair.com Aspects of the book: * The main characters are fiercely bonded chosen sisters. Can their bond survive betrayal and perhaps even death? * The story is set in the second century AD and features the battle of Mons Graupius between the Roman invaders and the Caledonian tribes. * There’s romance, but it’s rather complicated romance this time. * The stone circle is still there in all its glory. * The castle is not, obviously, but there is a great round house where it will be one day. And a wee hoosie in the woods. #books #newbooks #bookstagram #ukbookstagram #aesthetic #historicalfiction #scotland #bookssetinscotland #scottishbooks #historicalnovel #history #booksaboutsisters #booksaboutwomen #booksaboutautism (at Cullykhan Bay) https://www.instagram.com/p/CaUZrx2LLTr/?utm_medium=tumblr

[weeshubbasworld]

#Doon by #CareyCorp & #LorieLangdon Put on my tartan pjs n this book came to mind. So fingers crossed it sticks. #currentlyreading #currentread #doonbycareycorpandlorielangdon #scotland #tartanpjs #instabook #bookstagram #bookssetinscotland #like4like #likesforlikes #likes4likes #scottishblogger #glasgowblogger #bookblogger

[bibliobethblog]

The second novel in the celebrated Outlander series is set twenty years after the events of the first book. It follows Claire Randall who has kept so many secrets of her life with Highlander Jamie Fraser in the 18th century and with her grown daughter in tow, returns to modern day Scotland. ⁣ ⁣ The narrative follows Claire as she takes her daughter, Brianna to see an academic, Roger who promises to help them find out what may have happened to Jamie all those centuries ago. As Claire comes clean and tells Brianna the truth about her past the reader is taken back to the infamous court of Charles Edward Stuart as she and Jamie try to prevent an uprising with Bonnie Prince Charlie at the helm that leads to the loss of just over a thousand men on the Culloden battlefield. ⁣ ⁣ Although this is a chunky book, it’s well worth the effort, especially if you’re a fan of detailed historical fiction. As expected from the point of view of my own preferences, I preferred the story set in the past and loved how embroiled both Claire and Jamie became within the royal court. ⁣ ⁣ I have to admit, the character of Brianna, Claire’s daughter grated a little bit on me, she came off as slightly brattish - I can only hope she becomes more sympathetic or at least grows on me in the books to follow. However, I was completely captivated by everything else, particularly in the trials that Claire and Jamie face as a couple. ⁣ ⁣ This is a great series to get absolutely lost in and it’s obvious that the author has done her homework in terms of historical detailing. Dragonfly In Amber is a sweeping, beautiful love song to Scotland, past and present and I can’t wait to get stuck into the next novel in the series, Voyager. ⁣ ⁣ Four solid stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ⁣ ⁣ ⁣#bookstagram #scottishbookstagrammers #outlanderseries #dragonflyinamber #dianagabaldon #bookssetinscotland #historicalfiction #scottishhistory #scottishbooksta #scotlandhasstolenmyheart #18thcenturyscotland #claireandjamiefraser #recommendedreads👍 https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci8RfzXLNAI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

What a book! I’ll preface my gushing by saying straight up that I don’t think this book is going to be for everyone. And to be honest, halfway through I wasn’t sure it was going to be for me. Then the second half. Oh, the second half. I finally “got” this book and realised why the lovely Sarah from @messy_aussie_reader recommended it as one of my #wasitworththebump books this year. ⁣ ⁣ This is the story of a friendship between a group of Scottish working class lads in the 1980’s. The effervescent Tully Dawson leads the pack including his closest friend James. He oozes charisma, radiates happiness and is determined that they take advantage of being young with few responsibilities and live their lives to the fullest. ⁣ ⁣ The group spend a heady few days together in Manchester enjoying the music scene, bonding over films and the culture of the time and making memories to last a lifetime. Thirty years later, Tully rings James. He has news that will change their lives forever. ⁣ ⁣ This novel ticks all the right boxes for me. I loved that it was set in Scotland in the 1980’s and it was both familiar and comforting to be surrounded by the language and slang that defined my childhood/adolescence and that I still crave from time to time. ⁣ ⁣ However, there were moments that made me unsure - was this just the story of some teenagers out on the lash? Well, yes and no but it goes a lot deeper than that. As soon as we hit the present time period, the narrative switches to something much more considered and serious. ⁣ ⁣ Mayflies makes you look back at the first half of the book and appreciate the friendships that were formed and the fun/joy they managed to have. It made me re-evaluate some moments in my own life and friendships I’ve had. Finally, it took me to a place of gratitude that made me feel lucky to have certain people in my life. Was it worth the bump? Absolutely!!⁣ ⁣ An incredible five stars ⁣ ⁣ 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 #bookstagram #scottishbookstagrammer #bookreviews #mayflies #andrewohagan #bookssetinscotland #scottishnovels #booksthatmovedme #booksthatleaveamark #bookssetintheeighties #scotlandinthe1980s #highlyrecommendedreads #unforgettablereads https://www.instagram.com/p/CidH9nqrFdd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

This was my first read with the #scottishbookclub and we really did start off with a cracker! I hadn’t been aware of the author’s @kirklandciccone work before, although I notice this is his first work for adults but I really look forward to whatever he does next. ⁣ ⁣ Set in Cumbernauld, a small working class town in Scotland, this story follows Walter Wedgeworth who grows up there in the 1990’s. Walter is one of a kind - who else would be brave enough to wear their gran’s old fur coat to school in 90’s Scotland where sometimes it’s easier to blend in with the crowd rather than stand out?! ⁣ ⁣ Of course I loved the individuality of Walter from the very start. When we first meet him, he has found a dead baby in a cardboard box (which would be harrowing for anyone of any age) but from this moment we really learn a much about Walter as a character. As he continues to grow and learn about the world, particularly regarding his own sexuality (asexual), he approaches life with kindness, candour, understanding and thoughtfulness, despite a difficult home life. ⁣ ⁣ There were so many moving moments in this novel, particularly in regards to Walter as he comes of age and, more than anything, this book burst with authenticity. It discussed real people in real situations with real and very difficult problems. It reminded me of struggles I’ve had and made me grateful for how I had got through them. It also shone a new and very important light on being yourself, not being afraid to express your own unique personality and that amidst darkness, there’s always optimism and light if you can search hard enough for it. Wonderful book and I can’t wait to read more! ⁣ ⁣ Four solid stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #scottishbookclub #scottishbookstagrammer #scottishbooks #bookssetinscotland #happinessiswastedonme #kirklandciccone #readingonmykindle #workingclassscotland #booksthatmakeyouthink #asexualcharacters #buddyreads #bestbooksforbookclub https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgw3jtMI0Kk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

Hello everyone and happy Friday to you all! Hope you’ve had a good week. Today I had my stitches out and apart from feeling a little FrankenBeth, things are healing well. It’s book haul time! Chinatown is from my @tiltedaxisbooks subscription which gives me five of their newly released books over the year. As I love translated fiction, it was a no brainer! It’s a tale of exile, displacement and discrimination and their impact on a life of a Vietnamese woman. Another quest is to complete all the Outlander novels. Voyager is the third in the series and I’m halfway through the second at the moment. It follows an English woman called Claire in the 1940’s who time-travels back to the Highlands of Scotland in the 18th century. Finally, I’ve already read Sunset as a buddy read with a group of lovely bookstagrammers. It wasn’t what I expected and I’m still thinking about it. It’s about the sibling relationship between Ruth and Hannah and how this is affected when something terrible happens. Review to follow! Coming tomorrow, I’ll have a Saturday stack and I may also do an extra giveaway post depending on how I’m feeling as I reached 2.5K followers recently! Either way, the giveaway WILL come soon. Thank you all 😘 #bookstagram #scottishbookstagrammer #bookhaul #notmorebooks #booksmakeeverythingbetter #chinatown #tiltedaxispress #thuận #nguyễnanlý #outlanderseries #dianagabaldon #voyager #sunset #jessiecave #siblingstories #timetravelinfiction #bookssetinscotland #translatedfiction #cantwaittoreadit https://www.instagram.com/p/CgmvQSkLH0t/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

Morning from the UK everyone! Bit of an early post from me today as I’m scheduled to get my thyroid out this morning 🫣 obviously I had to share a book haul with you first though!! The House With The Golden Door is the second book in @elodielharper Wolf Den trilogy and I buddy read it with the beautiful Cath from @sandladysbooks review coming soon but I loved it! Set in Pompeii, this trilogy reimagines the lives of women often overlooked. Carrying on along a similar line, we have a short story by Madeleine Miller, one of my favourite authors. This tells the tale of a gifted sculptor in Ancient Greece who is blessed by a goddess when his sculpture comes to life. Now his wife, Galatea is expected to be obedient and humble but she soon learns to use her beauty to her advantage. Her husband locks her up to keep her under control but she has a daughter to rescue and is determined to escape, whatever the cost. Finally, it’s the second book by Douglas Stuart, Young Mungo after the success of Shuggie Bain and winning the Booker prize. It tells the story of two young men, Protestant Mungo and Catholic James who should be sworn enemies but end up best friends and fall in love. This is a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity, the push and pull of family, the violence faced by so many queer people and the dangers of loving someone too much. I’m due to read this soon with the #scottishbookclub and I can’t wait! I’d love to know your thoughts on any of these books or authors. Let’s have a chat in the comments! #bookstagram #bookstagramuk #bookfiend #booklover #lovemybooks #thehousewiththegoldendoor #elodieharper #wolfdentrilogy #galatea #shortstories #greekmythologyretold #youngmungo #douglasstuart #bookssetinscotland #scottishbooks #bookhaul https://www.instagram.com/p/CgTgTESAkKt/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bibliobethblog]

Shuggie Bain was a must read for me the instant it came out. Not only is it set in Scotland in the 1980’s (for anyone who doesn’t know, I’m Scottish) but it only went and won the Man Booker Prize last year which only made me more excited to read it. ⁣ ⁣ I was lucky enough to experience this book as a buddy read with my bestie @tarheelreader and I’m so glad I did, we had countless moments to discuss and marvel at. This book is truly a marvel and marvellous is the perfect way to describe it. Douglas Stuart writes about the time and place so viscerally and in such a raw way, I couldn’t bear it at points, it was so authentic and emotional.⁣ ⁣ This is the story of Shuggie and his family but more specifically, it’s the story of his mother Agnes who is an alcoholic and single mother. Both Shuggie’s older siblings manage to escape the situation somewhat but Shuggie is trapped, caring for his mother in a way that no young child ever should. ⁣ ⁣ The relationship between Shuggie and Agnes was so fascinating, especially as Shuggie has his own struggles with feeling a bit different and told that he is a bit different from “normal,” boys every single day. By the end of the novel, I was completely invested and touched by what I had read but prepare yourself, this is far from an easy read. ⁣ ⁣ This is a hugely emotive, powerful and compelling story about real life, addiction, poverty and prejudice. It made my heart ache, I was frustrated, angry and hopeful all at the same time. This is a masterpiece of writing and I’ll be pre-ordering anything the author writes in the future. ⁣ ⁣ Five perfect stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #fivestarreads #fivestarreviews #shuggiebain #manbookerprizewinner #manbookerprize2020 #douglasstuart #readthisbook #perfectbooks #scottishfiction #hardhittingreads #bookssetinscotland #bookssetintheeighties https://www.instagram.com/p/CRj1COzrNd5/?utm_medium=tumblr