Courage
Standing Out From The Crowd
As the temperature shifts and we begin venturing out into spring, our March issue salutes the bold and brave fiction, non-fiction and children's books unafraid to stand out. Whatever the weather, we can always rely on great new Scottish books appearing on our shelves!
River Spirit is the latest novel by award-winning author Leila Aboulela. A coming-of-age tale set during the Mahdist War in 19th century Sudan, it marks another success in a glittering career for one of Scotland’s most beloved contemporary writers. Here, Leila sits down with BooksfromScotland to tell us about some of her favourite books.
River Spirit By Leila Aboulela Published by Saqi Books
The book as . . . memory. What is your first memory of books and reading? I remember my mother teaching me how to read the Qur’an. It was the beautiful script and the rhythms that captured me; I could only understand about half of the words. I mixed up many meanings. ‘Malik’ which means ‘Master of the Day of Judgement’ sounded like the colloquial ‘What’s wrong? Are you alright?’ when addressing a woman, and for a long time this is what I thought it meant. Reading the Qur’an was a step towards memorising it and so both reading and retaining merged. The words and their effects were intended to stay within and not just pass through. It was wonderful to learn that words could have the power to heal, to protect and to sustain.
The book as . . . your work. Tell us about your latest novel River Spirit. What did you want to explore in writing this book? I wanted to explore the historical links between Sudan and Scotland. The Victorian hero, Charles Gordon, who was killed in Khartoum, was Scottish. The story of the siege of Khartoum in the 1880s is thrilling especially as the British relief expedition, Gordon was impatiently waiting for, arrived the day after he was killed! I grew up a walk away from the palace where he would stand on the roof, pointing his telescope north over the Blue Nile. After researching the history, I found it more compelling to tell the story from a Sudan...
The world is running out of water. With supply in the Scottish cities drying up, Aida is forced back home to live with her mum at their rural farm. For now, they are safe with just enough to get by, but when suspicious strangers begin turning up and the water is turned off, Aida and her family are forced to make a terrible decision. The thrilling follow-up to Rachelle Atalla’s debut The Pharmacist, Thirsty Animals establishes her place among Scotland’s most exciting writers working today. Read an exclusive extract from the novel below.
Thirsty Animals By Rachelle Atalla Published by Hodder & Stoughton
Do you think they will close the border? I finally asked.
He paused. Maybe . . . I mean, if the government decide too many folk are crossing over, then why wouldn’t they?
Out in the corridor I could see a boy eyeing up the doughnut...
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Lady Macbethad: A Q & A with Isabelle Schuler
‘More than a retelling, I wanted it to be a reclamation of a life that was far more expansive than the depiction Shakespeare gave her.’
Why We’re Publishing The Zekameron
‘As for the book itself, it important to emphasise that it is not memoir, not fact, it is fiction – literature, based on experience.’
‘I was completely weak, unable to stand or move, let alone understand what had just happened.’
The Hidden Fires: Merryn Glover on Nan Shepherd
‘As I follow her in recounting the ‘grace accorded from the mountain’, I sense her blessing.’
Maisie and the Botanic Garden Mystery
‘ “What a great place for adventures!” ‘
BFFs: The Radical Potential of Female Friendship
‘The bonds of our girlhoods, I believe, can be romantic but they are not romantic. Rather, there is something discomforting about their fierceness, their hypersensitivity, their lack of abandon.’
‘We slow down, become more attentive. We are not following clues so much as Quinn’s memories, dreams and stories.’
‘your fingers stretch for mine. i pull you behind me. ignore my bursting heart, the mess of moths rising in the dust of my stomach i can’t catch my breath’
‘She saw clear skies, stars bulleting the blackness, the full moon. She thought about the distance to that rock, how far she might need to run to really escape.’
‘Her friends are also sweet, and fluffy, but Henny is different.’
‘The guy’s name was Paul McGuinn and you might have heard of him. At least, that’s what he seemed to think.’
‘Dead cold blank eyes, the cold set of his teeth. The sword in his hand trembled. It knew, the bronze sword that he carried, it knew what she was.’
ALSO ON BOOKS FROM SCOTLAND
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Pink Camouflage by Gemma Morgan
‘I had to tell this story for the thousands of other women who have been harmed by the toxic culture …
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The Hollow Tree by Philip Miller
‘The man turned around. His hands were dark with blood.
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David Robinson Reviews: All Before Me by Esther Rutter
‘This then is a book about recovery, about regaining self-confidence and rediscovering joy.’
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QuickFire, Slow Burning by Janette Ayachi
‘Things are shed when people listen to poetry.’
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‘But best of all it is dead silent: no sound of greetin’ weans, no shouting staff, no screaming- dru …
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‘If readers enjoy what you’ve written, they’ll keep on coming back for more.’
FEATURED AUTHOR:
Seona Calder
Seona Calder was born and raised in Scotland. After studying art, she went on to work as an illustrator on various projects, including books on science, astronomy and animal behaviour. Seona claims that ‘living with a menagerie of animals over the year …
FEATURED PUBLISHER:
Handsel Press
The Handsel Press was founded in 1976 to publish high quality academic and more popular books relating Christian faith to other fields of study, and to the arts. The Press also publishes a number of biographies and commentaries at an affordable price. …