Insider's Choice: New Scottish books to look out for in September
Vikki Reilly of Publishing Scotland highlights some notable new releases for the month ahead
With temperatures still in the 20s it seems strange to talk about Christmas, but September is the month that the festive run-in really starts in the publishing calendar. The big names will be out in force: Richard Osman, James Patterson, Michael Palin and the mega-successful cookery team of Pinch of Nom all have books out this month, while in Scotland we have September big hitters in the new Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) novel, The Hallmarked Man, Damian Barr’s much-anticipated The Two Roberts (a reimagining of the story of Scottish artists Robert MacBryde and Robert Colquhoun), Len Pennie’s sophomore poetry collection, Poyums Annaw, and another travelogue from former Scotland on Sunday journalist Peter Ross, Upon a White Horse. Beyond the more obvious releases, though, let’s look at a few books coming out in September that may not be hitting the headlines, but should still be heading to your bookshelves.
Any month is a good month to take on the patriarchy, but in September we’re being treated to two excellent books that both celebrate women and critique the ways in which society shapes them. Firstly, we have Women Who Dared by Ben Fletcher- Watson and Jo Shaw (Edinburgh University Press, 30 September, £14.99), full of fascinating histories from women across the centuries. Taking us to the present day, meanwhile, is Caroline Young’s entertaining and energizing Single & Psycho: How Pop Culture Created the Unstable Single Woman (Saraband, 18 September, £12.99), which explores the many stereotypes created around unmarried women.
If you’ve not yet heard of Scottish author Elle MacNicol, she he is already winning awards (including the Blue Peter Book Award for her first book A Kind of Spark) for her middle grade and YA novels that delve into the lives of young people dealing with a world that doesn’t appreciate the strengths and individuality in neurodivergence. Her latest, Role Model (Knights Of, 4 September, £7.99) follows young teen Aeriel Sharpe as her mother becomes Prime Minister and Aerial has to prepare for her new life in the public eye. MacNicol will also be making her first foray into adult romance next year when she releases Unapologetic Love Story with Macmillan.
Staying with romance, Peterhead author Estelle Maskame became an international sensation with her Did I Mention I Love You series when she was only 17. Now, a million copies sold later (her books have sold into 20 territories), she is back with a new love story, Forever and Always You (Black & White, 4 September, £9.99) a tale of second chances that sees childhood friends Gabby and Austin reunited years after their friendship ended at the end of high school.
Finally, September is also the month that sees spooky new releases in time for Halloween. One of the best is Hawthorn: A Scottish Ghost Story by Elaine Thomson (Sphere, 25 September, £16.99), who readers may also know as ES Thomson, author of the brilliant Jem Flockhart Victorian medical thrillers. Spoilers are given at the outset: it’s 1871, and cartographer Robert Sutherland is locked up in an asylum. His testimony takes us to Caithness where, out on dark moor, he falls into a bog, nearly drowning. He recovers in nearby Leask House, but is haunted by nightmares, visions and strange occurrences. The novel combines the supernatural and Victorian sensation in a way that will compel you to keep turning the pages to its deadly end. The press release says Hawthorn will appeal to fans of Michelle Paver and Sarah Waters, but I’d include Graeme Macrae Burnet’s His Bloody Project in there too, as the tale is told not only through Robert’s statement, but also through letters and newspaper articles that cast doubt on what we think we know.
Vikki Reilly has worked in Scottish books for over 20 years and now works for Publishing Scotland, the trade and networking body for Scotland’s book publishing sector. She also edits BooksfromScotland.com, a website that promotes the best in Scottish writing, contemporary and classic, and supports Scottish publishers and authors to find new audiences.
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