Books that Take You to Scotland
Near the end of 2023 I decided to return to picking a monthly reading theme, and for January 2024 that theme was books set in Scotland or written by Scottish authors. Here are a few books I’ve read over the years that transport you to the land of kilts, bagpipes, and Highland mist.
The Thirty-Nine Steps* by John Buchan
I would also add Huntingtower* and John Macnab to a list of Buchan books that have the main character trekking across the Scottish countryside on foot in an effort to stop nefarious schemes. John Macnab is less about nefarious schemes and more about the antics of bored young men, but even so, you feel the kinship and connection John Buchan had for his native land in the pages of his books. Bonus points to learning something of English politics during WWI and the 1920s.
The Day of Small Things* by O. Douglas
This is the second novel in a series written by John Buchan’s younger sister, Anna, so you might want to begin with The Proper Place*, but The Day of Small Things has a special place in my heart because the title comes from a verse I love in the Old Testament book of Zechariah: “For who has despised the day of small things?” This is a lovely interwar book of small things in a small household in a small Scottish community. It’s full of lovely quotations and relationships and the small things that make up a majority of our lives.
Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne
This locked-room murder mystery from 1931 is set in a great house on a Scottish loch and has an ending that felt like it must have been very innovative at the time it was published.
Thomasina* by Paul Gallico
Set in a small western Scotland community in the 1950s, this book explores the relationship between a widowed father and daughter, atheism and faith, Scottish folklore and Egyptian mythology—it feels like more than a children’s book, though I loved watching the Disney adaptation when I was a child.
Winter Solstice* by Rosamunde Pilcher
This wintery, Christmasy tale of strangers coming together in Scotland is long but has a gentle pace just perfect for reading in December. I don’t remember many details from the plot now, just the overall feeling of snow without and coziness with cups of tea within. I remember thinking it felt a little dated so I was surprised to see it was published in 2000, but I suppose life in the 90s is quite dated now!
The Bookshop on the Corner* by Jenny Colgan
This is a loosely connected series, and I read the second book, The Bookshop on the Shore, before the first, and it didn’t seem to matter much. If you fancy more modern romances, writing, and issues than the aforementioned 1930s books in this list, these are easy-to-read with lots of love for Scotland and books. I listened to The Christmas Bookshop* on audio in December 2022, and it was easy-listening for cold winter walks and wrapping presents.
The Sunday Philosophy Club* by Alexander McCall Smith
This is the first in a series of books starring Isabel Dalhousie set in Edinburgh. I read the majority of them a full decade ago, and what I remember most is a slow pace, steep cobbled streets, a fox in the garden, a dash of philosophy, and the best titles for books I’ve ever seen. Truly, Alexander McCall Smith comes up with the best titles.
The Winter Sea* by Susanna Kearsley
This book features an author trying to write her next historical novel, the Jacobite rebellion, time travel, and Scottish castles. I remember it being very immersive.
The Nature of Spring* by Jim Crumley
Crumley writes about the slow arrival of spring in the Scottish Highlands and other locales in a way that made me want to go sit very still in the woods to see what sort of animal or bird would come wandering by. I fully intend to read the rest of the books in this seasonal series one day. If you enjoy nature writing, you might enjoy this.
How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of how Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created our World and Everything in It* by Arthur Herman
The title alone should make you want to read it, right? If you read this and read anything about America’s founding fathers, you can see a definite connection and all the influential ideas coming from Scotland at that time.
What have you read that transported you to Scotland? I didn’t make it through all the books on my aspirational stack this month (I didn’t really expect to!), but I enjoyed my month of Scottish reading.
*I use affiliate links for Bookshop.org.