Scottish Book Recommendations

 

I feel like there aren't many books out there that are based in Scotland for a teen audience, probably more for Middle Grade readers but as someone who mainly reads YA I struggle to find them and that's a shame because I'm Scottish and I love reading about books set here. Today I'm going to recommend some books for a variety of age ranges set in Scotland and represent it well because not every book does. I'm also passionate about reading from Scottish authors but that again is harder to do as it feels like there aren't as many out there for a younger audience so if you have any recommendations let me know in the comments. 

I'm going to start out by recommending some Middle Grade books - 

• One well-known Middle Grade book based in Scotland is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, I love this book but I probably wouldn't recommend it as a book based in Scotland because it is only really set in Hogwarts which is a fictional place but it is and the surrounding do fit Scotland
• Another one that I have really enjoyed is School Ship Tobermory by Alexander McCall Smith, this one is mainly based at sea but it does have some Scottish elements and it's a fun mystery. The ship boarding school setting is also really interesting which I wasn't expecting but I highly recommend it
• The most recent one I've probably read is City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab which is set in Edinburgh and has a lot of ghosts and history mixed in which was perfect for me. I really enjoyed this and loved the aspects of Scottish history mixed in as a massive history nerd. I'd highly recommend it for all those reasons
• One that I read years ago but I can't get out of my head at all is Really Weird Removals.com by Daniela Sacerdoti, which I'm pretty sure is set on the Isle of Islay but has some Scottish folklore mixed in and just some other Scottish elements that I all love as well as many mythical creatures which are super cool
• One that I read almost a year ago and loved the setting of is Our Sister, Again by Sophie Cameron which is set on a Hebridian island and is all about sister relationships, something I really relate to. Sophie Cameron has written quite a few books set in Scotland but I've yet to read any more of them, I definitely need to though including Out of the Blue and Away with Words which comes out later this year
• The first one on this list I haven't read yet is The Children of the Castle Rock by Natasha Farrant, but this one has been highly recommended to me and I loved the other book I've read by this author. This book is on my 2023 TBR and am hoping to get to soon 
• Then an author who writes books set in Scotland that I've yet to read but have been recommended is Elle McNicoll, and I'm pretty sure some of them are magical but she's an author I want to look into and hopefully read some of. I think all of these books are also neurodivergent which is another reason to read them. Elle McNicoll has written Like a Charm and A Kind of Spark as well as a couple others

I only actually have two YA recommendations but I am desperate to find more so please recommend me some in the comments if you have any. These two recommendations are - 

• Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson is set at Christmas time. I didn't manage to finish this book but I can understand why it appeals and may give it another go at some point but do check out the trigger warnings for this one as I remember there being a few
• The other one I have is Anatony: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz which I have seen lots of hype about and really want to try and read this year as it's set in Historical Edinburgh which is something that I love
• As I already mentioned please let me know if you have any Scottish YA recommendations in the comments because I need to read and find more

I have a variety of different recommendations for Adult books, from romance to non-fiction but there are quite a few - 

• The first non-fiction book that comes to mind that's based in Scotland is Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell which I found hilarious and love. It is a year-long diary written by Shaun Bythell who owns one of Scotland's biggest secondhand bookshops and is in Scotland's bookshop town describing the interesting things that happen in the town and the customers he has
• Another non-fiction set in Scotland that I love is Blazing Paddles by Brian Wilson which follows Brian Wilson who kayaked around the whole Scottish coastline - over the course of the book you follow his journey, hear about the different Scottish landscapes as well as him educating you on the wildlife and issue that it is facing, As a kayaker, I loved this but I still think there could be an attraction to someone who doesn't kayak
• The other genre I have books to recommend in is romance and the first one I have there is Snowed in for Christmas by Sarah Morgan which I read last December and gave five stars, it was full of great sibling relationships, snow and romance. This book is set in the Scottish highlands and also involves a family that has a Shortbread making company making me very hungry
• One author who writes a lot of books set in Scotland that I love is Jenny Colgan, I think quite a few of her books are set in Scotland and feature great characters. The ones I have read and recommend so far are The Bookshop on the Shore and Christmas at the Island Hotel but these two are both part of series that can be read in any order
• One that features a dog and is set on an island is The Dog Share by Fiona Gibson. I really enjoyed this and found it to be very heartwarming, with the dog and characters. It's not a massive romance but there is a romantic plot in it
• Two that I've yet to read but am hoping to get to this year are Wildflower Bay by Rachael Lucas which is set on the island of Auchenmoor and The Christmas Castle in Scotland by Julie Caplin who I've read from before and I enjoyed which I'm not sure the setting of other than the fact it's in a castle

They're all my Scottish book recommendations but let me know if you have any more in the comments and I hope you enjoyed.