In Praise of Booksellers and Booklovers Everywhere
23 Jun '20
This is Independent Bookshop Week in the UK and to celebrate, the author Alexander McCall Smith has written a short poem, ‘Getting Lost in a...
Tea Time Treat
Raise a Glass – World Gin Day 2020
13 Jun '20
The perfect excuse to try a new gin or enjoy an old favourite – World Gin Day 2020! Whether you preference is for one of the stunning new gins from...
Cooking up a Storm… in Lockdown
05 May '20
It is always a thrill when new books arrive from the printer. The boxes are delivered, the editors hover nervously, you run a knife along the tape…...
Easter Weekend is Fast Approaching
03 Apr '20
Fancy cooking up something a little different with the kids? Fast-Food Falafel go down a storm! (from Mary Contini and Prue Irvine’s Easy...
Store Cupboard Recipes: Guest Post by Sue Lawrence
26 Mar '20
In the second instalment of our guest blog posts, Scotland’s best-loved cookery writer Sue Lawrence shares some tips to help you cook your way...
Interesting Times: Iain Maloney’s Guest Post
23 Mar '20
Iain Maloney at Aye Write Book Festival 2020. Credit: Robbie Boyd Over the next few weeks we’ll be featuring guest blog posts by our authors as...
Taste test for Shrove Tuesday
21 Feb '20
Shrove Tuesday is fast approaching. Try a Birlinn recipe for your pancakes this year!
The Lost Poets: Found
07 Feb '20
There was a decidedly celebratory air at the National Library of Scotland yesterday afternoon as crowds gathered for a momentous occasion: the...
We’re starting a NEW Valentine’s Day Tradition
01 Feb '20
Join us in a new tradition, starting this year. Claim Valentine’s Day as Friendship Day as well as a day for celebrating romantic love. And...
A Little Light Relief on Brexit Day
31 Jan '20
In 2007, Alexander McCall Smith wrote a short story, Brussels for Beginners, which was read on BBC Radio 4. We include it here as we mark Brexit Day...
Jane Haining Remembered – an Extract
27 Jan '20
‘A biography as calm, meticulous and movingly humane as Jane Haining herself. Mary Miller has reclaimed the life of a woman who embodied the finest...
Alexander McCall Smith on Robert Burns
25 Jan '20
Robert Burns was the author of a famous poem about dogs: ‘The Twa Dogs’. That was anthropomorphic, of course, as it consisted in a...
