Reclaiming our Land book review

A book review of Rob Gibson’s ‘Reclaiming our Land’ *, by Malcolm Kerr. Scotland is recognised as having one of the most concentrated patterns of land ownership in the developed world. Less than 500 individuals own half of our privately-owned rural land, and 750,000 acres of this may be owned by companies registered in offshore …

Book review – From a Mountain in Tibet

From a mountain in Tibet by Lama Yeshe Losal Rinpoche  Book Review by Alice Maxwell Many Arran folk will have come across the charismatic Lama Yeshe, the managing director of Holy Isle. He is perhaps best known for his good humour and positivity, and for his conviction that happiness only comes through serving others. As …

What ‘Walden’ can tell us about social distancing and focusing on life’s essentials

By Robert M. Thorson, Professor of Geology, University of Connecticut, first published March 26, 2020 in The Conversation Seeking to bend the coronavirus curve, governors and mayors have told millions of Americans to stay home. If you’re pondering what to read, it’s easy to find lists featuring books about disease outbreaks, solitude and living a …

This Dear Place – a review

This Dear Place, Corrie and Sannox. Memories and Reflections by Lesley Paton Cox A Review, by Elsa Rodeck Last week, a copy of the recently published book This Dear Place, Corrie and Sannox. Memories and Reflections by Lesley Paton Cox, fell into my possession. I have been immersing myself since in another time and place …

A review of John Inglis’ book Finvola

Finvola, a review by Heather Gough. In his novella, Finvola, John Inglis has created an entirely believable heroine of Scottish clan society in the sixteenth century during the reign of James VI. That credibility comes about partly as a result of painstaking and impressive research alongside considerable existing knowledge of Scottish history and Hebridean culture; …

Meeting the Kilpatricks at their Pirnmill home

The Kilpatricks recently published a new guidebook, Arran and Other Islands of the Clyde Archipelago, and the Voice went to meet them in Pirnmill one afternoon in August. The Kilpatricks have made Pirnmill their part-time home since 2005, and their knowledge and love for the island is apparent. They talk engagingly and easily about its …

‘Wilding’, a Review

A review of Isabella Tree’s book Wilding, by Alice Maxwell Isabella Tree’s wonderful book Wilding gives hope and inspiration in the face of looming environmental crisis. It is a superbly written account of how Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell abandon their unprofitable, intensive farm on their Knepp estate in Sussex and instead allow nature …

Book Review – It Disappears in Blue and Red and Gold

By Jordan Ogg, first published in The Island Review, January 5th 2019 Helen Nisbet is a curator and artistic director born and raised on the island of Yell in the far north of Shetland. She is now based in London, and It Disappears In Blue And Red And Gold is her first book. It appears …

Loki to Angela Davis: Scottish readers 10 most rebellious books of the 21st century

By Sean Bell, originally writing for Commonspace on 22nd November 2018 THE SCOTTISH BOOK TRUST has announced its reader-voted list of the top ten “most rebellious reads of the 21st century”, with Orwell Prize-winning Glasgow writer and performer Darren McGarvey’s Poverty Safari emerging as the front-runner. The list also includes the 2017 feminist anthology Nasty …