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The aim is to read two books per month by Scottish authors. One of the books must be poetry, but the other book may be any genre - poetry, fiction, play, non-fiction, etc.

Participants can choose their own books each month - we don't have to be reading the same books. In fact, the more variety the better, as we can hopefully pick up recommendations based on each others choices.

Our definition of Scottishness is inclusive - if they were born, lived, or largely wrote in Scotland, then they qualify.

The aim is to get recommendations we might otherwise have missed, so ideally we want to share with each other why we chose/loved/hated a particular book (and why we felt that way).

This sounds good!

Nidhi wrote: "I would like to join but somebody must guide me, I know only Sir Walter Scott."

Welcome Nidhi, Scott would be an excellent choice; and apart from his novels, he wrote essays, poetry, history and plays, so you would have a wide choice.

For January, my poetry choice is someone I've never read before -George MacBeth. I'd neither read nor heard of him, yet he seems to have been a prolific poet and novelist.

My other choice is by a well-known Scottish novelist, but one of his less-known books. Its Stained Radiance: A Fictionist's Prelude by James Leslie Mitchell (better known as Lewis Grassic Gibbon. What appealed to me about this one is that it was his first novel, and is apparently autobiographical.

If you get stuck, I'd be very happy to suggest some poets and authors - just let me know. (although availability might be an issue in some cases).

For January I think I will read Robroy and poetry by Robert Burns. Burns is new for me and Scott is my first love ( Bride of Lammermoor).

Later I will decide on choices other members will make.

John, could you please post a list of preferred authors? Later.

It will be easier for me than google.

Great choices Nidhi - Rob Roy is one of my favourite Scott books, and you can't go wrong with Burns.

In next day or two, I'll suggest some poets and authors you might want to consider.

I’ve had Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon on my TBR forever and will take this opportunity to read it. Thanks for setting this up, John.

I’ll probably read Burns for poetry.

I have three multi-novel sets by Canongate Classics. They should keep me busy. I also have Sunset Song, part of the A Scots Quair: Sunset Song, Cloud Howe, Grey Granite trilogy, so I'll start with that.
I also have The Grampian Quartet, of which I've read The Living Mountain last year.
And finally will turn to Imagined Selves by Willa Muir.

I might join in with some poetry myself.

This might prove helpful.

Jazzy wrote: "I might join in with some poetry myself.

This might prove helpful.
"

Thanks Jazzy - the Scottish Poetry Library is a great website (and place to visit).

Rosemarie wrote: "I have three multi-novel sets by Canongate Classics. They should keep me busy. I also have Sunset Song, part of the A Scots Quair: Sunset Song, Cloud Howe, Grey Granite..."

A few preferences so far for Sunset Song. Its been on my TBR list for more years than I'd like to admit - so maybe this year....with this challenge..

I’m not familiar with many Scottish authors but I have one book planned for 2022- the 1963 thriller Ice Station Zebra by Alistair McLean. I think I may have seen the movie decades ago. I’m curious to see what others will be reading.

John wrote: "Rob Roy is one of my favourite Scott books..."

I have Rob Roy also and have it on my TBR pile!

I hope reading a holiday romance is okay for this group. Since the last days of Christmas are in early January I want to read The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan. And next for some palate cleansing will be Hyde by Craig Russell. For poetry I'm going to read Burns whom I've never read. And the novels Rosemarie mentioned look good and I have to check them out for possible reading later.

Romances are absolutely fine Melanie. But Jenny Colgan's book wouldn't meet the time criteria for this group, I'm afraid. (I don't think she was even born before 1972. 😊 )

Similarly with Craig Russell I'm afraid.

Any books in the buddy read have to meet the core NTLTRC rule of being 50 years or older.

I would to do this. Recently I read Rizzio by Denise Mina and was alerted to Sir Walter Scott's novel, The Abbot I have The Complete Novels of Sir Walter Scott: Waverly, Rob Roy, Ivanhoe, The Pirate, Old Mortality, The Guy Mannering, The Antiquary, The Heart of Midlothian ... Black Dwarf, The Monastery, The Abbot...I could start with that. Im sure I shall find some poetry too.

Thank you, John - I forgot about that requirement. I will look for Sunset Song to read for my novel.

The Heart of Midlothian is one of my favourite Scott novels.

Thanks for the good word in The Heart of the Midlothian, Rosemarie. It’s on my list for another group so I’ll read that.

I want to read Poems and Songs by Robert Burns, but so far confused with the editions in GR. They are so varying in page numbers. Can anyone please help me find the right one?

I will be reading poems and songs by Robert Burns too, my ebook has around 635 pages, I found it on iBooks.
I am sure Project Gutenberg also has this ebook.

Some editions have more than 1000 pages. This is my confusion.

May be those are complete collections, my copy has glossary at the end, but its not much.

I have also fallen down the rabbit hole of Burns poetry editions, but in the meantime I have decided to read something by John Buchan. I’m assuming The Thirty-Nine Steps wouldn’t qualify for this challenge, but Huntingtower would. Also, A Lost Lady of Old Years looks intriguing.

Welcome to the read Melanie! looks like something else to look into A Lost lady of Old Years. Thanks!

Melanie wrote: "I have also fallen down the rabbit hole of Burns poetry editions, but in the meantime I have decided to read something by John Buchan. I’m assuming The Thirty-Nine Steps wouldn’t qualify for this c..."

The 39 Steps would be absolutely fine for this challenge, Melanie.

Sadly, I can't help with the Burns problem, as I'm a Scot who does not like Burns' poetry. Probably a dislike instilled in school - a long time ago!

I’ll be following along with this thread for recommendations. I’ve not read many Scottish novels. If anyone has a few good ones from the later half of the 19th century or early 20th century I’d love to hear about them.

Off the top of my head, I'd particularly recommend -
Sir Walter Scott
James Hogg
John Galt
R L Stevenson
Arthur Conin Doyle
Neil Gunn
A J Cronin
Naomi Mitchison
Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Eric Linklater
Murial Spark
Jessie Kesson
George Mackay Brown
Alistair McLean

(Some of these - like Brown and Kesson - had later novels that would fall outside our period. )

A short book I'd strongly recommend is The White Bird Passes by Jessie Kesson. In the words of famous Scottish poet Norman McCaig "Beg, borrow or steal this book....memorable and beguiling".

Thanks John! I will pick up a few of those authors in 2022 and join in here.

John wrote: "Off the top of my head, I'd particularly recommend - Sir Walter Scott James Hogg John Galt..."

Thank you John for posting this list.
A great reference point for us new to Scottish Authors!

I'm not having too much luck with my choices so far this month!

My chosen poetry for this month's read is The Night of Stones by George MacBeth. I'd chosen it partly because I couldn't understand why I'd never read him, when he was so prolific as a poet, novelist, editor, and radio producer.

In this collection, there are some clever poems - like his "word numbers" where one poem contains fourteen sections each consisting of fourteen words, and each section contains seven lines; or his "At Crufts" - eighteen poems about different breeds of dogs, with each poem containing 18 lines and 36 words; or a poem in the invented language of Eskimono.

But the cleverness just felt too pretentious to me, and I didn't enjoy the collection.

I have four small shelves worth of poetry, with the overflow banished to a cupboard; getting rid of The Night of Stones will free a book of poetry from the cupboard.

Lesle wrote: "Welcome to the read Melanie! looks like something else to look into A Lost lady of Old Years. Thanks!"

Thanks, Lesle! I'm looking forward to discovering more Scottish authors with this group.

John wrote: "Melanie wrote: "I have also fallen down the rabbit hole of Burns poetry editions, but in the meantime I have decided to read something by John Buchan. I’m assuming The Thirty-Nine Steps wouldn’t qu..."

Thanks, John! Sorry to hear that school turned you off of Burns. I used to read a mystery series where one of the detectives would quote Burns at the drop of the hat, so I'm interested in reading his works. Wish I could remember the mystery series.

I, reasonably recently, listened to both Ivanhoe and Kidnapped, both read by Michael Page. Both fantastic experiences. I had to read Ivanhoe in ninth grade and remembered loving it - pretty sure I was the only one! - but Kidnapped was new to me. I would follow Michael Page anywhere!

Poetry just really isn't my thing but I might give it a go. The year is early yet!

I hope to read Greenmantle, but am fascinated to see so many other possibilities listed here. This month definitely won’t be long enough for all the books I want to read!

Trisha wrote: "I hope to read Greenmantle, but am fascinated to see so many other possibilities listed here. This month definitely won’t be long enough for all the books I want to read!"

A good choice Trisha - I should have included John Buchan in my list of authors. (Whenever I think of John Buchan, the phrase "Ripping Yarns" pops into my head in some weird Pavlovian connection!)

And I totally agree with you about January - despite the fact that I started a couple of mine in December.

I'm picking something from one of the authors you listed. Not sure which yet.

I'm almost finished Stained Radiance: A Fictionist's Prelude, and have enjoyed it enormously.

For anyone who's not come across the Scots dialect before, this is Gibbon's Wiki entry in Scots -

Lewis Grassic Gibbon (13t Februar 1901 - 7t Februar 1935), born James Leslie Mitchell wis a Scots owthor.

Born an brocht up in Aiberdeenshire, he stairtit wirkin as a jurnalist fur the Aberdeen Journal an the Scottish Farmer at the age o 16. In 1920 he listit wi the Ryal Air Force, wirkin as a clerk an spendin some time in the Middle Aest. In 1928 he quat the RAF an stairtit tae write fou-time. He wrat monie beuks an shorter warks baith unner his rael name an his nom de plume afore his airlie daith in 1935.

Altho no recogneised in the owthor's lifetime, his trilogy A Scots Quair, an in parteicular its first beuk Sunset Song is conseidert tae be amang the definin warks o the 20t century Scots Renaissance.

The leid he wrate in wis Inglis; the dialogue o his chairacters is meant tae be read as Scots, but is written in an Inglis-like kin o wey for tae mak readin mair eith for Inglis readers. For example, Grassic Gibbon wad write braw as "brave", an siller as "silver".

The Grassic Gibbon Centre wis estaiblisht in Arbuthnott in 1991 for tae commemorate the owthor's life

I started reading The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.

I have started reading A Lost Lady of Old Years. I can tell already this is going to be a cracking good read.

I finished reading Greenmantle by John Buchan. It was an interesting story with plenty of action.
One query - does anyone know why there is such a huge difference in the page count between different editions listed in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, anything from just over 200 upwards. (My edition was listed as 525 pages, but I have claimed 352 pages as this is the number given for the Penguin Classics edition which I assume is reliable.)

Trisha wrote: "My edition was listed as 525 pages..."

If you are talking about the Page Challenge Trisha you should list what the book you read has not another version. 525 pages.

I think most of the page difference has to do with the translator and probably the layout itself. Not sure that would be a Rosemarie question!!

It is probably layout, but ebooks are notoriou for having incorrect page numbers. I usually use the equivalent print book, often the Penguin version.
I think the 535 number is very high, since the version I read has 320 pages.

A few people have mentioned novels by Sir Walter Scott; a network of organisations are celebrating his 250th anniversary across 2021/2022, and a number of events are online. They have quite an useful website that may be of interest - the link is

I have ordered a book of Thomas Campbell's (1777-1844) poetry. Not sure what edition it is yet.

I've read a number of Scott's works since joining goodreads in 2016. I have Quentin Durward sitting on my shelf just waiting to be read.

Annette wrote: "I have ordered a book of Thomas Campbell's (1777-1844) poetry. Not sure what edition it is yet."

You put me to shame Annette - I was born just yards from his birthplace, and I must have walked past his statue in Glasgow's George Square hundreds of times, but I don't remember ever hearing of Thomas Campbell (or noticing his statue!) I had to go looking for my History of Scottish Literature to find out more, and to get an example of his verse.

I'll be intrigued to hear your comments on his poetry!

John wrote: "Annette wrote: "I have ordered a book of Thomas Campbell's (1777-1844) poetry. Not sure what edition it is yet."

You put me to shame Annette - I was born just yards from his birthplace, and I must..."

No shame allowed! I only discovered him through a quote (To live in hearts we leave behind / Is not to die) at the beginning of a chapter of a modern mystery. I Googled the quote; there isn't a whole about him but I found some of his poetry online. Took me a trip to a used/antiquary book website to find a published volume of his poems: The Complete Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell. Couldn't resist ordering :) as it was Very Inexpensive.

I've chosen my books for February; these are going to be -

New Poets 1959 Edited by Edwin Muir (Ed)

Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell

The New Poets 1959 book contains three collections - The White Noon by Iain Chrichton Smith, The Relentless Year by Karen Gershon, and In Transit by Christopher Levenson. (Which I think were the first published collections by all three authors)

Lesle wrote: "Trisha wrote: "My edition was listed as 525 pages..."

If you are talking about the Page Challenge Trisha you should list what the book you read has not another version. 525 pages.

I think most of..."

Yes, Lesle - I usually claim the pages for the exact version I read. But nearly an extra 200 pages seemed like cheating as I was sure it was an error - every other version was much shorter. (Sorry, I missed seeing your comment before.)