Open Up! It's the April issue of BfS, starring our friends from Polygon Books Sandstone Press 404 Ink Luath Press Saraband Books Floris Books Taproot Press Mantle Books Penguin Books UK Little Door Books Cranachan Publishing ScotlandStreetPress & more! booksfromscotland.com/issue/open-up/

Cracking piece here by Peter Ross Ross with all you need to know about Westminster Abbey - a curtain-raiser of sorts to his excellent book Steeple Chasing: Around Britain by Church out next month from Headline. smithsonianmag.com/history/histor…

Just caught up with this. What a cracking read. theguardian.com/food/2023/jul/…

The city of Berlin’s culture budget (population 7m) for 2024 has been set at €947m. The whole of England’s culture budget (population 57m) for 2024 is £458.5m, Berlin's new culture budget more than double England's arts funding | Euronews euronews.com/culture/2023/0…

My father in his football-reporting prime - 92 today

Trainspotting parodies usually bore the shit out of me, but I quite like this one.

I am a life-long supporter of the Palestinian search for freedom and statehood , but this morning am feeling only utter revulsion, horror and depression at the press descriptions of yet more innocents massacred. No one, least of all children, should ever have to endure violence

One of the funnest characters I’ve ever written is Cardinal Wolsey. Reforming rhymester William Roy wrote: Fie on his golden three-folded crown Which he wears upon his head; Fie upon his majesty and renown Claiming on earth to be in Christ’s stead amazon.co.uk/Blood-Descende…

Our revels are begun! It's the new issue of BfS with the best gifting recommendations from our friends including Black & White Luath Press John Murray Press Polygon Books saraband Quercus Books Canongate (has left) Cranachan Publishing Association for Scottish Literature Bloodaxe Books & more! booksfromscotland.com/issue/revel-re…

Can’t help but smile at this shelf of Scotsman Arts best Scottish books 2023. Along with my own Wild History there are 6(!)books I commissioned for birlinnbooks & Polygon Books - brilliant works by Denise Mina, Alan Warner, David Greig Lynsey May @DougieStrang & Merryn Glover!

Still thinking about literary Christmas gifts?Then head over to BfS for this review of Elspeth Barker's Notes From The Henhouse, published by W&N! booksfromscotland.com/2023/12/david-…

Russian embassy, London

So proud of and happy for my friend whose book has long deserved this.

A Ukrainian ambulance in Edinburgh tonight. Medics are deliberately targeted in this terrible war. Big moral questions for UK citizens. Do you support contributions going directly to help Ukraine buy the weapons they need? Or too squeamish to consider this? ⁦Ukrainian Red Cross

Went a wee dander up Ladyside in the Moorfoots. It's the classic mix of sheep farming and grouse shooting. What did I find, 25km from Edinburgh Castle? 🧵

Past… wanna great book festival in London? Head here #standrewsbookfestival

Huge congatulations to Ajay Close for winning Novel of the Year in Scotland's National Book Awards. As I (almost) predicted earlier this year booksfromscotland.com/2024/02/david-…

Delighted to see Jen Stout winning First Book of the Year at Scotland's National Book Awards. She'll go far. scotsman.com/arts-and-cultu…