Scottish books and author recs!

We're always eager to help customers with reading recommendations, and we get that extra bit excited when the request is for something specifically local or Scottish. It makes us feel like that young girl from Taskmaster who went viral for stating without a doubt that "Scottish is the best place in the world...it IS." And we can say with the same confidence that Scotland's writers are just as incredible as the place itself.

Scroll down to take a look at some of our all-time favourite recommendations for Scottish reads. We think there's something for everyone on here, but please know this list is in no way exhaustive! Scotland is truly brimming with talented women writers across all genres.

Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

Read by practically every one of our booksellers, this is one of our absolute go-to recommendations for memoirs or if someone's looking for a book that will make them laugh!

"If you've ever been on a night out where you got blackout drunk and have laughed the next day as your friends tell you all the stupid stuff you said, that's what being autistic feels like for me: one long blackout night of drinking, except there's no socially sanctioned excuse for your gaffes and no one is laughing."

Fern Brady was told she couldn't be autistic because she's had loads of boyfriends and is good at eye contact. This is a story of how being female can get in the way of being autistic and how being autistic gets in the way of being the 'right kind' of woman.

Jenny Colgan

Looking for a cosy and uplifting romcom? Look no further than the award-winning Jenny Colgan.

Gender Theory by Madeline Docherty

You lose your virginity to a boy from your gender theory seminar, and the first person you tell is Ella. Ella's with you at the party when you first kiss a girl. And Ella takes you to the hospital the first time you're diagnosed.

Over the next few years you have a string of relationships and jobs, but you can always count on Ella to be there for you - until the drinking and the parties, the hospital visits and late-night calls, blur the lines of your friendship into something unbalanced and fragile, at risk of breaking altogether. The worst part is you can see it coming. The worst part is you don't know how to stop.

Gender Theory is an incisive, affecting debut about illness, identity and how we care for those around us.

Jenni Fagan

Novelist, poet, and most lately a memoirist, Jenni Fagan is truly a master storyteller! We love her for her gritty, vivid prose, and the characters that stay with you long after the final pages.

Kate Foster

Perfect for any feminist historical fiction lovers--particularly those wanting to learn more about Edinburgh and Scottish history.

Fragile Animals by Genevieve Jagger

When an ex-catholic woman develops a sexual relationship with a vampire, she is forced to confront the memories that haunt her religious past. Struggling to deal with the familial trauma of her Catholic upbringing, hotel cleaner, Noelle, travels to the Isle of Bute. There, she meets a man who claims to be a vampire, and a relationship blooms between them based solely on confession.

But as talk turns sacrilegious, and the weather outside grows colder, Noelle struggles to come to terms with her blasphemous sexuality. She becomes hounded by memories of her past: her mother’s affair with the local priest, and the part she played in ending it.

Kirsty Logan

Kirsty Logan often draws inspiration from myths and folklore in her writing. Our personal fav of hers is The Gloaming, a queer love story about two mermaids on a remote Scottish island.

Hazel McBride

For your next Celtic-inspired romantasy obsession! Featuring matriarchal rulers, dragons and a sizzling romance, what more could you want?

Val McDermid

Scotland has no shortage of talented crime writers, and Val McDermid is easily one of the greatest. She's an international best-seller who doesn't shy away from the dark, gritty and violent.

How to Kill a Witch by Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi

As a woman, if you lived in Scotland in the 1500s, there was a very good chance that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch. Witch hunts ripped through the country for over 150 years, with at least 4,000 accused, and with many women's fates sealed by a grizzly execution of strangulation, followed by burning.

With testimony from a small army of experts, pen portraits of the women accused, trial transcripts, witness accounts and the documents that set the legal grounds for the hunts, How to Kill A Witch builds to form a rich patchwork of tragic stories, helping us comprehend the underlying reasons for this terrible injustice, and raises the serious question - could it ever happen again?

Agnes Owens

The world of modern classics has sadly often overlooked the powerhouse that is Agnes Owens, with her incredible observations of working-class life and post-war Scotland. These new editions of her books are beautiful, and we're so glad they're helping more people find her work.

Heather Parry

If you're in the mood for something in the gothic realm, Heather Parry is the author for you! Her novels have an eerie and addictive quality while confronting questions of bodily autonomy, identity, and isolation.

Len Pennie

One of Scotland's most beloved contemporary poets, Len Pennie weaves expertly between English and Scots to deliver accessible and well-crafted poems that are bound to move you.

Duck Feet by Ely Percy

Another one of our all-time bookseller favs! It's been comp'd as a Scottish 'Derry Girls' and is as funny and uplifting as it is heartwrenching.

Duck Feet is a coming-of-age novel, set in the mid-noughties in Renfrew and Paisley, Scotland. Dive in and follow the lives of 12-year-old Kirsty Campbell and her friends as they navigate life from first to sixth year at Renfrew Grammar school.

This book is a celebration of working-class life and youth in an ever-changing world. It uses humour to tackle hard-hitting subjects such as drugs, bullying, sexuality, and teenage pregnancy. But moreover, it is a relatable and accessible portrait of figuring out who you are, plunging into the currents of life, and most of all, finding hope.