Downton Tabby
Book
Anyone for tea and crumpets . . . and murder? Caro Lamont, amateur sleuth and well-respected...
Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent by Lewis Capaldi
Album Watch
2018 was a truly remarkable year for budding Scottish artist Lewis Capaldi, going from years of...
His Lordship's Folly (His Lordship’s Mysteries #5)
Book
Alfie and Dominick can’t wait to return to Balcarres House. After the year they’ve had, a little...
Regency Historical MM Mystery Romance Series
Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary Queen of Scots
Book
A fascinating and revealing new biography of Mary Queen of Scots in captivity. For almost two...
Non-fiction Scottish/ English history Mary Queen of Scots
The Library Game
Book
In The Library Game, Tempest Raj and Secret Staircase Construction are renovating a classic...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated Bear a Wee Grudge in Books
Dec 1, 2021 (Updated Dec 1, 2021)
As a fan of the series, I’m surprised that Teddy lasted as long as he did, he’s been that obnoxious in earlier books. It was nice to see this series thread come to the forefront. While the plot starts well, it does stall a bit in the second half before coming to a logical climax. I still have a hard time keeping all the supporting players and their relationships straight, but they are supporting players. Sasha and her immediate family and friends are strong, and the suspects keep us guessing. This mix of Scottish and teddy Bears is one that fans will enjoy.
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated Wild Rose (2018) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
Julie Walters is brilliant as Rose’s mother her Scottish accent is nicely done and you can see from her performance why she is one the best British actresses that we have around at the moment, her on-screen presence with Jessie Buckley certainly brings across the rocky mother and daughter relationship.
Jessie Buckley comes across very well as the down-trodden mother that only wants her dream to come true and head over to Nashville to sing Country, she puts on a great performance as Rose-Lynn, at first you get the feeling that you aren’t going to like the foul-mouthed “Wild Rose“, but as the mother progresses and you see that there is so much more to just wanting to sing.
ClareR (6241 KP) rated The Lighthouse Witches in Books
Nov 27, 2022
And then one day, twenty years later, someone resembling Luna’s sister turns up - and she hasn’t aged a day.
This is an eerie, unsettling story, packed with history, ancient beliefs and paranoia.
There are three timelines: the 17th century explains the origins of the witches and their slaughter; 1998 where Liv comes to live on the island with her daughters; and the present day, when Luna returns to the island as an adult. These timelines are expertly woven together, and they explain what has happened in the past to form the opinions of the future.
I couldn’t put this down! The more ominous and creepy it became, the more I wanted to listen to it. You certainly won’t want to be visiting caves or lighthouses anytime soon after reading this!
The Sight of Heather
Book
For centuries, the fae folk and spae women of Scotland were feared – and persecuted. Life in...
Historical Fiction Women's Fiction Scottish Folklore
ClareR (6241 KP) rated The Whistling in Books
Aug 3, 2023
Elspeth is going to nanny Mary, a child who is clearly suffering from trauma. Her twin, William, is dead and her former nanny has disappeared. Elspeth is told that if she can’t get Mary to talk, she will be institutionalised.
I loved this - it’s the right kind of spooky, and you can’t beat a haunted house: lullabies are sung by someone who isn’t there, poppets keep appearing in random rooms, and whistling can be heard at night. It all added up to a book that sent shivers down my spine!
The characters were sometimes likeable, menacing, disconcerting and some most definitely had something to hide!
I listened to this on Audible, and the narrator, Lois Chimimba, kept me glued to my headphones. Her different accents were all spot on, and helped me to tell the different characters apart. I was never confused as to ‘who’ was speaking.
The tension built and built to the climactic ending - a truly delicious ghost story!



