Scottish book of the week

Scotland the Text Erin Duff, published by Black & White, £6.99

Nowadays it can be hard to imagine what life was like with no mobile phones. Looking back we can only wonder how much easier it might have been if people could just send each other a quick text. But what would history’s most famous Scots have been texting about?

Would Robert Burns have been sending love poems to his lady friends? Would David Livingstone have been lost in the jungle for so long if he had Google maps? And how would William Wallace have rallied the troops over instant messaging?

This witty little book, part of the Hilarious History series, sets out to discover exactly what these Scots, and many more, might have been saying on their adventures.

It’s an interesting and entertaining take on Scottish history in today’s modern era, and a perfect Christmas stocking filler.

7/10 Miss Jane Brad Watson

When Jane Chisolm was born on a farm in rural America, she was, as her doctor often told her, a “normal girl”. There was only one thing that made her different – a birth defect, that made relationships with other people tricky. Throw in a heart-broken and guilt-ridden mother, a distant father and a self-involved sister, and Jane’s childhood was never going to be easy. But thanks to her determined and curious nature and the help of a kind doctor who took Jane under his wing, she survived. This book tells the story of her early life and the obstacles she faced. Written by author Brad Watson, who drew on the story of his own great-aunt, this book invokes a deep sense of empathy with Jane, who’s a truly loveable character. It’s a beautiful portrait and an honest story, that will bring you to tears more than once. 9/10

The House Of Birds Morgan McCarthy 8/10

Detective John Rebus has been retired for a couple of years but is finding it difficult to let go. A case from the 1970s, in which socialite Maria Turquand was strangled in one of Edinburgh’s upmarket hotels, is still preying on his mind. No one was ever found guilty of her murder but an assault on a local gangster, a money laundering scam and a missing banker get Rebus thinking. Could they somehow be linked? And is his nemesis “Big Ger” Cafferty involved? The fact that he’s no longer a police officer doesn’t stop Rebus reopening the case and, with the help of his former colleagues, DI Siobhan Clark and Malcolm Fox, he’s back in his element bending the rules and sticking two fingers up at the establishment.

8/10