Tag Archives: Rosamund Pilcher

Read Scotland 2014

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It’s time for a Read Scotland 2014 update, in fact it’s way past time as I’ve just realised that I’ve read 15 Scottish books this year, so I’ve gone beyond Ben Nevis as I knew I would. I don’t know what the next level could be called – do you?

I haven’t been very good at linking to the challenge so here’s what I’ve read so far.

1. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
2. Lanark by Alasdair Gray
3. Rockets Galore by Compton Mackenzie
4. A Double Death on the Black Isle by A.D. Scott
5. The Comforters by Muriel Spark
6. Secrets of the Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford
7. The Cabinetmaker by Alan Jones
8. The Daffodil Affair by Michael Innes
9. The Four Graces by D.E. Stevenson
10. The First Book of the McFlannels by Helen W. Pryde
11. The McFlannels See It Through by Helen W. Pryde
12. Sleeping Tiger by Rosamund Pilcher
13. The Clydesiders by Margaret Thomson Davis
14. The Kellys of Kelvingrove by Margaret Thomson Davis
15. Standing in Another Man’s Grave by Ian Rankin – which I have yet to blog about but I really enjoyed it.

A few of these authors have been new to me and of those I think Compton Mackenzie has been the most surprising and entertaining, followed closely by Helen W. Pryde, I must get around to tracking down the rest in her series.

The most disappointing has been Secrets of the Sea House which was just not my cup of tea and was full of cultural mistakes, it isn’t authentically Scottish at all.

I haven’t read any Scottish non-fiction at all but I intend to remedy that soon, so stand by (Lorraine in particular) for a non fiction blogpost – when I’ve rounded up the ones I hope to read this year – which is almost half-way through already. How did that happen?!

Read Scotland 2014

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Have you signed up for Peggy Ann’s Read Scotland 2014 Challenge yet? If not then have a wee think about doing it as I’m sure you could read at least 3 or 4 books which would qualify for it without even realising. For instance did you realise that Ian Fleming would fall into the category of Scottish author, and almost all of the children’s classic authors were Scottish or of Scottish descent. Now that Jack has actually retired he is going to do this challenge, his first ever, he should have much more time for reading now, have a look at his post about it here. We will both be doing the Ben Nevis which is 13 books but we’ll end up doing far more than that I’m sure. In fact I think I might manage a purely mythical Jings, crivens and help ma boab category, and if you’ve ever read Oor Wullie you’ll know that those are all words which are used to mean flabbergasted, astonished, for goodness sake! Because I plan to read about 50 books for this challenge.

To begin with I’m reading Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe over the month of January, doing it in four chunks and writing about it each week. Join in with me if you think you’re hard enough! Judith are you still up for it?

At the same time I intend to read Lanark by Alasdair Grey as a respite from Ivanhoe. Lanark was voted the second best Scottish book recently, the first was Irvine Walsh’s Trainspotting but I don’t fancy that one at all. Below is a list of some of the Scottish fiction authors that I’ll definitely be reading during 2014, I’ll be adding more though. Books with a Scottish setting are also eligible for the challenge. Have a look at the Scottish Books Trust for more inspiration.

Iain Banks
William Boyd
John Buchan
Andrew Crumey
O.Douglas
Alasdair Grey
A.L. Kennedy
Dennis Mackail
Compton Mackenzie
Allan Massie
James Oswald
Rosamund Pilcher
James Runcie
A.D. Scott
Walter Scott
Mary Stewart
Jessica Stirling
Josephine Tey
Alison Thirkell
Angela Thirkell

If I read just one by all of these writers then I’ll have bagged Ben Nevis and then some, but I still have my non fiction books to look through and list, it looks like 2014 is going to be a very Scottish (parochial) year for me!

Oh and I’ll be writing about some of the many children’s classics which are suitable for this challenge. You’re never too old for a good children’s book. Remember that you don’t have to have a blog to take part in this challenge.

Thanks for setting this up Peggy Ann.

Library Book Sale

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It must have been more than a year since there was a library book sale in Kirkcaldy so I was really looking forward to last Saturday’s at the Adam Smith Theatre. I could have bought a lot but I find I’m getting quite choosy in my old age. Apart from anything else, I have so many books in my TBR pile, so I’m really trying not to add too many more, but I couldn’t pass up the chance to buy these ones.

Agatha Raisin and Love, Lies and Liquor by M.C. Beaton

Loving and Giving by Molly Keane

The Gravedigger’s Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates

Sleeping Tiger by Rosamund Pilcher

How We Built Britain by David Dimbleby

Josephine – A Life of the Empress by Carolly Erickson

How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

AA Leisure Guide to Scotland

Jack didn’t buy anything at all, he did see three which he had just bought online a few weeks ago, Sod’s law of course. The same thing happened to me when we were in the Lake District.

Anyway, that lot should keep me busy for a wee while. Having just read the blurb, I’m now not sure about the Joyce Carol Oates book, has anybody read it?

I think the book I’m most chuffed with is the Dimbleby, How We Built Britain. We both enjoyed watching his TV programme with the same title.

Books

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher

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I’ve been meaning to get around to reading The Shell Seekers for absolutely donkey’s years but I was really surprised to see that it is number 50 in the BBC Top 100 Books list.

Does anybody fancy joining in reading The Shell Seekers together and having a bit of a chat about it, possibly on November the 30th, which is St Andrew’s day! If so, let me know.

This book would fit in with any Scottish challenges, personal or otherwise, that are going on at the moment. Although Rosamund Pilcher was born in England she has lived in Scotland (Dundee) for most of her adult life. The Shell Seekers was a best seller when it was first published in 1987 and has been translated into lots of languages. It’s particularly popular in Germany, my childhood German pen-pal is a big fan of the book. Which was a surprise to me because it is set in London and Cornwall from World War II until the present day (1987).

It’s a bit of a doorstop at 509 pages but I think it’ll be easy reading and the end of November seems quite far away at the moment. No doubt it will gallop up to us in a flash though.