There is so much to say and so much going on at The Mitchell Library in Glasgow that I will, Mairiuna, stay in the building for another blog post. Especially so, that there will be a Book Launch this month in the Mitchell Library Theatre, for Pandaemonium, the latest book written by Christopher Brookmyre, well known Scottish crime fiction novelist. … Continue reading →
Books books books! What insatiable bookworms we are, Janice, “de vrais rats de bibliothèque” as we would say in France. Are we going to become like Inspector Rebus? Remember what Ian Rankin has written about him in Knots & Crosses? Rebus collected unread books. Once upon a time, he had actually read the books that he bought, but these days he … Continue reading →
As you mentioned in your last post Mairiuna, Glasgow was chosen as the European City of Culture and I would like to emphasis a bit more on this “European” cover by telling you that since the extension was given to the building in the 70′-80’s, The Mitchell Library, one of Glasgow’s landmarks, now houses Europe’s largest public reference library with … Continue reading →
This is the tree that never grew. This is the bird that never flew. This is the bell that never rang. This is the fish that never swam. (Traditional rhyme associated with the symbols of Glasgow’s coat of arms) Glasgow ! YOUPI, Janice ! YES, let’s go to Glasgow ! You know, I was looking forward to writing about this … Continue reading →
What a great tour into Sue Walker’s literary work you just guided us through Mairiuna! It is so interesting that I will continue on the same path for a while and explore how the unique atmosphere of a particular place provides inspiration to an author. And come to think of it, to capture such “sense of place” is a great way … Continue reading →
What a good idea, Janice, to have chosen this quotation from Sue Walker. It perfectly illustrates the idea of a “sense of place” which has always played so important a part in Scottish literature. Sue Walker is a popular Scottish crime fiction writer. As she was born and has lived for some time in Edinburgh she is particularly well placed … Continue reading →
(…) “I was asked by an acquaintance recently how the inspiration for my novels came about. A common enough question and I had a straightforward reply. ‘Location, location, location.’ And that answer, to a great extent, is the whole truth. It is certainly the case that the locations used in The Reckoning (the island of Fidra and the East Lothian … Continue reading →
Take a good detective novel with you in the car, read it or listen to it and you’ll soon forget bad weather, heavy traffic and long hours of driving on dull motorways. As Janice mentioned it to you, in her last post, that’s exactly what we did on our long journey from Bordeaux to Scotland. Motorways being not the best … Continue reading →
It is with great pleasure Mairiuna that I will undertake with you this challenge of reading the complete series of 17 novels from Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus series. While I await reception of my Amazon order for the first novel in the detective series, Knots and Crosses let me jot down some facts about the first Ian Rankin’s book we … Continue reading →
The Rebus Tours ! Can’t wait to play the game Janice, but you know, it’s already listed on Itinerary 7, together with the Ghosts Tours and a number of other ones for that matter! Remember how we used to stop in front of every poster advertising the Tours in Edinburgh and how desperately we tried to understand what the lively … Continue reading →
Touring the beautiful city of Edinburgh has never been so easy since the implementation of various thematic guided tours catering to the visitors flowing in all year round. Be it ghost walks, history, architecture, cycling or literary tours or even a tour of the most famous taverns and pubs, there is something for everyone. Amongst all those tours, there is one … Continue reading →
(Continued from: Scotiana’s Top 10 in Edinburgh – Part 1 ) 6 – Grassmarket We discovered Grassmarket on a Fair Day during the Fringe Festival. A very coloured and cheerful atmosphere indeed ! Most picturesque too with its cobbled streets and crow-stepped gable houses, its old fountain and the castle looming over the place. We lingered a couple of hours along the … Continue reading →
1 – The Castle Here’s Edinburgh and its most famous postcard view ! You can’t miss it as soon as you arrive in town, wherever you happen to be. The old castle dominates the city skyline with its proud and massive figure standing up there, on its extinct volcano, ready to tell you its long and turbulent history. Indeed, the … Continue reading →
I am thrilled to let you know Mairiuna that indeed , I do have stamps commemorating The Lost World . They are from Liberia and were issued in 1999. It came in the format of a sheet of 6 stamps and a souvenir sheet. Dinosaurs on stamps is a very popular collection amongst topical stamp collectors. The first dinosaur postage … Continue reading →
