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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Christopher Brookmyre |Ida Tarczynska |Chris Brookmyre
‘Once you start adding flesh and bones to these characters, they suggest things you never thought of, and the story goes off in unexpected directions. Which is as it should be, because if you don’t surprise yourself, you can’t surprise the reader.’Christopher Brookmyre’s The Cracked Mirror looks set to be the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year. He spoke to us about characterisation through memories and breaking boundaries in the crime genre.
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Andrés N Ordorica |Ida Tarczynska
‘Although darkness can be scary, it also can be profound.’Set between the United States and México, Andrés N. Ordorica’s debut novel How We Named the Stars is a tender and lyrical exploration of belonging, grief, and first love―a love story for those so often written off the page. How We Named the StarsBy Andrés N. OrdoricaPublished by SarabandIf you asked me, I’d tell you: Cetus, the sea monster—which would no doubt prompt questions charged with panic and intrigue.
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Val McDermid |Ida Tarczynska
‘No expense had been spared, no stores left unplundered. Bellies would be grumbling with hunger to pay for this display of wealth.’Polygon’s Darklands Tales series continues with the Queen of Crime, Val McDermid taking on the story of Lady Macbeth. It’s a story we think we all know, but this excellent novel will tell you otherwise. In this extract, Lady Macbeth, here known as Gruoch, is married to Gille Coemgáin, Mormaer of Moray. He is hosting a banquet and Gruoch meets Macbeth for the first time.
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | John Burnside |Brewster’s Yard |Ida Tarczynska
‘The heart is not intact. It never was. It founders in the provinces of Thou’John Burnside is the winner of the David Cohen Prize for Literature. Ruin, Blossom is a remarkable new collection exploring ageing, mortality and environmental destruction. We’re delighted to share four poems from this striking new collection here at BooksfromScotland.
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Alastair Chisholm |Ida Tarczynska |George Caltsoudas
Pink Camouflage by Gemma Morgan‘I had to tell this story for the thousands of other women who have been harmed by the toxic culture … Slum Boy by Juano Diaz‘But best of all it is dead silent: no sound of greetin’ weans, no shouting staff, no screaming- dru … For Our Sins by James Oswald‘If readers enjoy what you’ve written, they’ll keep on coming back for more.’
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Flora Macdonald Johnston |Ida Tarczynska
‘It’s important to me to get the history as correct as possible, and then I let my characters inhabit that world and see where it goes.’The Paris Peacemakers follows three Scots as they attempt to pick up the pieces of their lives while the fabric of Europe is stitched together after the catastrophe of the First World War. Author Flora Johnston spoke to us about the place of women in 20th Century writing and her researching process.
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Tom Newlands |Ida Tarczynska
‘I wanted to write a really vivid book that could tackle some heavy subject matters with warmth and humour.’Tom Newlands’ debut novel Only Here, Only Now explores what it means to come of age in a forgotten corner of Scotland and dream of a life that feels out of reach. He spoke to us about exporing his hometown of Fife through writing, and the importance of neurodivergent representation.
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Margaret McDonald |Ida Tarczynska
‘Scots, its history, its punctuation, its structure, are not taught to us in school, and so it’s easy to imagine how Scots gets lost along the way.’Margaret McDonald’s striking debut novel explores the power of identity, community and the Scottish working class. The coming-of-age story is an incisive look at young masculinity and the way even the most fraught childhood is not without hope. Margaret McDonald explores her thoughts on using the Scots language.
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Ida Tarczynska
‘This is a mix of two recipes belonging to my maternal grandmother, Granny Main.’Citrus and spring sunshine are a brilliant mix, so BooksfromScotland thought it the perfect opportunity to share this recipe for St Clement’s shortcake biscuits, taken from Kith: Scottish Seasonal Food For Family and Friends, by Masterchef finalist, Sarah Rankin.
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Apr 25, 2024 | 
booksfromscotland.com | Genevieve Jagger |Ida Tarczynska
‘That sound… Big He is at his watching post again today. Overseeing through the haze of His clouds.’Bridging the gaps between contemporary gothic fiction, queer fiction and magical realism, Genevieve Jagger’s Fragile Animals lures readers into Noelle’s loose grasp on her world and immerses them in some of Scotland’s most harsh and claustrophobic environments. Fragile AnimalsBy Genevieve JaggerPublished by 404 InkI have many wounds from the cold thing called claustrophobia.
