This book was just a lot of fun. 44 Scotland Street is a serial novel that was originally published in an Edinburgh newspaper. It takes place in Edinburgh, focusing mainly on the inhabitants of the titular apartment building. Among other characters, there’s Pat, a college-aged woman taking her “second gap year,” Bertie, a high-achieving 6-year-old with a helicopter mother, Domenica, the resident wise Mrs. Madrigal-type, and Bruce, who is honestly a completely fascinating character. In fact, while Pat is nominally the main character, and Bertie […]
Outlander/Last of the Mohicans Remix
I stumbled on the MacKinnon’s Rangers trilogy by Pamela Clare while looking for Clare’s more contemporary work.Untamed (2008) is the second book in this series and involves the second MacKinnon brother–Morgan. Morgan and his two other brothers are Scottish, but grew up in the wilds of America after the Battle of Culloden decimated their clan. Now that Morgan’s older brother Ian is happily settled with a wife and child, Morgan is in charge of the Rangers: a separate, elite armed force set up to support the […]
I…I have so many mixed feelings about this one
I really wanted to enjoy this book more. There was a lot of hype around it last year with the premier of the show, but when it came down to it, it just wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad book. Gabaldon is a good writer. I enjoyed the comparison of the two timelines, and contemplating what aspects of humanity would or wouldn’t have changed in two hundred years. But there were several things I had trouble moving past. Continue […]
She started an unorthodox penpal scheme. You won’t believe what happened next!
Did you like my click-bait headline? I’m not going to lie, I’m quite proud of it. 🙂 Shy and scientifically-minded Miss Madeline Gracechurch suffers from anxiety attacks and couldn’t bear the thought of having to be out in society during the Season. So she comes up with a fictional suitor, a strapping and handsome Scotsman that she met on the beach in Brighton and who’s unfortunately gone off to fight Napoleon. She keeps writing letters to the brave Captain Logan MacKenzie to keep up with […]
Not the best in the Outlander series, but still fun
The 7th in the Outlander series, this book begins where the last ended, with the full outbreak of war between Britain and the colonies, the loss of Jaime and Claire’s new home in the Americas, and our hero’s decision to bring his nephew Ian back to Scotland while simultaneously recovering his printing press. Too old to fight for the American Revolution, Jaime plans to use the printing press to assure the outcome of the war with England while avoiding any possibility of coming face to […]
Rome is Where We Saw the Yellow Dog
Sometimes you enjoy a book because it comes at the right time. I recently spent a week in Scotland and so Sara Gruen’s novel, set in a Highland village on the shores of Loch Ness, evoked many vivid memories of incredible scenery and lovely accents. The main character of this story is not Scottish but American. Maddie Hyde is a society wife, who has been dragged to Scotland by her husband, Ellis, in an attempt to regain the family fortune. Accompanying them is Ellis’s best […]