Pages As Planes: Scotland
TIme for another adventure! Let’s head to Highlands in today’s Pages As Planes. The rich hills, the greenery, the history…Scotland is one of the most magical places in the world.
When I was living in London, one of the things that always struck me was how easy it was to travel some of the most magical places in world. Scotland was just a short train ride away. I had a few friends who studied at St. Andrews and while I never got to visit, I have found some books that can transport us there!
Pages As Planes: Scotland
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon—I mean, need I say more? The most important book to start with! I haven’t read the series but I have watched the show. Two words: Jamie. Fraser. If you love fantasy with a heavy dose of romance, this is the series for you!
The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne—One of the few thrillers I’ve loved! This book is atmospheric and spooky, about a family who relocates to a remote island in Scotland after losing one of their twin daughters. I couldn’t put it down!
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike—”In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk the loss of them both forever.” —From publisher
The Highland Witch by Susan Fletcher—”February 13, 1692. Thirty-eight members of the MacDonald clan are killed by soldiers who had previously enjoyed the clan’s hospitality. Many more die from exposure. Forty miles south, brilliant, captivating Corrag—accused witch and orphaned herbalist—is imprisoned in the Scottish highlands for her involvement in the massacre. As she awaits her death, she tells her story to Charles Leslie, an Irish propagandist who seeks information she may have condemning the Protestant King William. Hers is a story of passion, courage, love, and the magic of the natural world. By telling it, she transforms both their lives.
As in her award-winning debut novel, Eve Green, Susan Fletcher shows that she is "a novelist with the soul of a poet" (Booklist). This deeply philosophical and dramatic book is about an epic historic event and the difference a single heart can make—and how deep and lasting relationships can come from the most unlikely places.” —From the publisher
Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine—”Libby Snow has always felt the pull of Ullaness - a lush Scottish island enshrouded in myth and deeply important to her family. Her great-great-grandmother Ellen was obsessed with the strange legend of Ulla, a Viking maiden who washed up on shore with the nearly lifeless body of her husband - and who inspired countless epic poems and the island's name. Central to the mystery is an ornate chalice, and Libby, an archaeologist, finally has permission to excavate the site where Ulla is believed to have lived. But what Libby finds in the ancient dunes is a body from the Victorian era, clearly murdered...and potentially connected to Ellen. What unfolds is an epic story that spans centuries, with Libby mining Ellen and Ulla's stories for clues about the body, and in doing so, discovering the darker threads that bind all three women together across history.” —From the publisher
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley—”In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write. But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...”—From the publisher
The Pretender’s Lady by Alan Gold—”In the popular genre trailblazed by Antonia Fraser and Phillippa Gregory, The Pretender's Lady, Alan Gold's meticulously researched novel, accurately opens history's pages on a peerless woman who helped change the course of history and whose legend lives on in Scotland today - Flora MacDonald. She was the most famous Scotswoman of her day, singlehandedly saving Bonnie Prince Charlie. This is her fictionalized life story - her relations with the prince, her flight to America, Ben Franklin's influence, and her return to Britain to lobby for peace. But what's hidden from history, revealed now for the first time in Gold's dazzling new work of fiction, is the result of Flora's and Charlie's love: a beautiful and talented boy raised on an American farm. But only she knows his true heritage and his claim to the world's greatest throne. And only the genius of Ben Franklin understands how to use this naïve boy to change the history of America.”
Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher—Five characters find themselves with an unlikely connection that leaves them together in a house in a remote Scottish fishing village on the shortest day of the year.
Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith—”A brilliant retelling of Ovid’s gender-bending myth of Iphis and Ianthe, as seen through the eyes of two Scottish sisters. Girl Meets Boy is about girls and boys, girls and girls, love and transformation, and the absurdity of consumerism, as well as a story of reversals and revelations that is as sharply witty as it is lyrical. Funny, fresh, poetic, and political, Girl Meets Boy is a myth of metamorphosis for a world made in Madison Avenue’s image, and the funniest addition to the Myths series from Canongate since Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad.” —From the publisher
Meet Me in Scotland by Patience Griffin—”When a video of her calling happily ever after "a foolish fantasy" goes viral, marriage therapist Emma Castle is out of a job - and off to Scotland. The tiny town of Gandiegow is the perfect place to ride out the media storm and to catch up with her childhood friend, Claire. But also in Gandiegow is the one man she hoped never to see again. She's successfully avoided Gabriel MacGregor since Claire and Dominic's wedding, only to find that he's now the village doctor - and just as tall, dark, and devilish as ever. Claire and Dominic's blissful marriage, however, is not what it used to be. Soon Emma and Gabriel find themselves taking sides even as the sparks begin to fly between them. Can Emma help her friends - or regain her career - as she struggles with her own happily ever after? “ —From the publisher
City of Ghosts by V.E. Schwab—”Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead...and enter the world of spirits. Her best friend is even a ghost. So things are already pretty strange. But they're about to get much stranger. When Cass's parents start hosting a TV show about the world's most haunted places, the family heads off to Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, graveyards, castles, and secret passageways teem with restless phantoms. And when Cass meets a girl who shares her "gift", she realizes how much she still has to learn about the Veil - and herself. And she'll have to learn fast. The city of ghosts is more dangerous than she ever imagined.” From the publisher
Finding Fraser by KC Dyer—”I met Jamie Fraser when I was 19 years old. He was tall, redheaded, and, at our first meeting at least, a virgin. I fell in love hard, fast, and completely. He knew how to ride a horse, wield a sword, and stitch a wound. He was, in fact, the perfect man. That he was fictional hardly entered into it. At 29 Emma Sheridan's life is a disaster, and she's tired of waiting for the perfect boyfriend to step from the pages of her favorite book. There's only one place to look, and it means selling everything and leaving her world behind. With the aid of an unexpected collection of allies, can Emma face down a naked fishmonger, a randy gnome, a perfidious thief, and even her own abdominal muscles on the journey to find her Fraser?” From the publisher
Clan Lands by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish—A, the real Jamie Fraser! This is such a fun book for any Outlander lover or anyone who loves their homeland. It has gorgeous photos and hilarious stories as well!
Kaitlyn and the Highlander by Diana Knightly—”He crossed time and found her - Kaitlyn. And she means everything - the future, love, a home, but in loving her, he wants to live. He needs to survive. Kaitlyn Sheffield’s awesome life has fallen apart. She had a career and a fiancé, but then their breakup video went viral and now she's embarassed - world-wide. Then she meets Magnus, a mysterious stranger, who arrives during a storm. It doesn’t take long before their stories entwine, and their lives change forever. But she may not be prepared for the danger of tying her life to his. For Magnus, protecting Kaitlyn, his home, the future, is everything. He has to keep her safe, but how can he protect her when he’s not of this time?” —From the publisher
Prince Charming by Rachel Hawkins—Shockingly, I have not read this series yet and I NEED to! “"Meet Daisy Winters. She's an offbeat 16-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part-time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who's nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond. While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince's roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown - and the intriguing Miles - might be trying to make Daisy into a lady...but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.”—From the publisher
Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins—And it’s companion novel! “Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. Heartbroken and ready for a change of pace, Millie decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools...the farther from Houston the better. Soon, Millie is accepted into one of the world's most exclusive schools, located in the rolling highlands of Scotland. Here, the country is dreamy and green; the school is covered in ivy, and the students think her American-ness is adorable. The only problem: Mille's roommate Flora is a total princess. She's also an actual princess. Of Scotland. At first, the girls can't stand each other, but before Millie knows it, she has another sort-of-best-friend/sort-of-girlfriend. Princess Flora could be a new chapter in her love life, but Millie knows the chances of happily ever afters are slim...after all, real life isn't a fairy tale...or is it?” —From the publisher
Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan—I’m a sucker for books about bookshops! This is about a love obsessed librarian who is trying to write her own happy ending.
500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan—”Lissa, is a nurse in a gritty, hectic London neighborhood. Always terribly competent and good at keeping it all together, she’s been suffering quietly with PTSD after helping to save the victim of a shocking crime. Her supervisor quietly arranges for Lissa to spend a few months doing a much less demanding job in the little town of Kirrinfeif in the Scottish Highlands, hoping that the change of scenery will help her heal. Lissa will be swapping places with Cormack, an Army veteran who’s Kirrinfeif’s easygoing nurse/paramedic/all-purpose medical man. Lissa’s never experienced small-town life, and Cormack’s never spent more than a day in a big city, but it seems like a swap that would do them both some good. In London, the gentle Cormack is a fish out of the water; in Kirrinfief, the dynamic Lissa finds it hard to adjust to the quiet. But these two strangers are now in constant contact, taking over each other’s patients, endlessly emailing about anything and everything. Lissa and Cormack discover a new depth of feeling…for their profession and for each other. But what will happen when Lissa and Cormack finally meet…?” —From the publisher
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman—This can be a heavy book, so be wary going in for triggers of alcoholism, self harm, and suicidal ideation. But it’s quirky and unique and I enjoyed it when I read it a few years ago!
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley—i’ve recommended this one a couple times before but it’s a mystery akin to Agatha Christie about friends in the Highlands of Scotland the week between Christmas and New Years. It’s very atmospheric!
All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore—”Susan Napier's family once lived on the success of the high-end restaurants founded by her late grandfather. But bad luck and worse management has brought the business to the edge of financial ruin. Now it's up to Susan to save the last remaining restaurant: Elliot's, the flagship in Edinburgh. But what awaits Susan in the charming city of Auld Reekie is more than she bargained for. Chris Baker, her grandfather's former protégé - and her ex-boyfriend - is also heading to the Scottish capital. After finding fame in New York as a chef and judge of a popular TV cooking competition, Chris is returning to his native Scotland to open his own restaurant. Although the storms have cleared after their intense and rocky breakup, Susan and Chris are redrawn into each other's orbit - and their simmering attraction inevitably boils over. As Chris's restaurant opens to great acclaim and Susan tries to haul Elliot's back from the brink, the future brims with new promise. But darkness looms as they find themselves in the crosshairs of a gossip blogger eager for a juicy story - and willing to do anything to get it. Can Susan and Chris reclaim their lost love, or will the tangled past ruin their last hope for happiness?” —From the publisher