November's Good News
New releases, why we are remembering the Reclaim the Night marches this month, and how we are marking St Andrew’s Day.
November may be cold, dark and rainy, but we’re feeling merry seeing the lovely support for our Christmas Shop – thanks to our loyal readers and shoppers! But let’s not fast-forward to Christmas without catching you up on our latest updates: new releases, why we are remembering the Reclaim the Night marches this month, and how we are marking St Andrew’s Day.
Newsletter Exclusive
To celebrate St Andrew’s Day and our wealth of superb Scottish fiction, we’re showcasing a range of our audiobooks at a one-day Flash Sale discount for download on St Andrew’s Day only, 30th November. We don’t do Black Friday, so this is our one big splurge to share the voices of some of our favourite Scottish authors. And we’re offering one lucky newsletter reader their choice of one of these audiobooks free. For details, scroll down. To enter, please fill out this form by Wednesday 29th November and tell us which title you’d like to receive.*
The titles on offer this St Andrew’s Day are:
*UK only, entries close 29th November 2023.
Watching Wildlife with Jim Crumley
Veteran nature writer Jim Crumley invites us into his magical world of observing wild animals and birds, where he has found himself up close and personal with many of our most elusive creatures, studying their movements and noting intimate details of how they live. Here, he offers insights into how we can learn to find and watch them ourselves.
In Watching Wildlife, our latest addition to the In the Moment collection, you can enjoy a beautifully written book and find ways of becoming more present and attentive in nature.
We’re not the only people who think this is a brilliant gift for anyone who loves the natural world. Watching Wildlife is Book of the Month in The Scots Magazine!
Watching Wildlife, part of the In the Moment collection, is out now.
What do your dreams mean?
Do you sometimes wake from dreaming with an unease you find difficult to shake? Is there one recurring nightmare that haunts you? Or do dreams bring you welcome relief from your waking life?
In this essential guide, Clare Gibson decodes our dreams, providing a toolkit to unlock their hidden meanings. From sickness to siblings, fear to fame, and lovers to loneliness, Interpreting Dreams is an accessible volume giving practical guidance to discover the messages from your subconscious mind. (This is also an excellent stocking filler or Secret Santa gift!)
Interpreting Dreams, part of the In the Moment collection, is out now.
Audiobook of the Month
In January we’ll be publishing Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Gondola of Doom, which is a “delightful instalment” in this “sparkling series” (says Alexander McCall Smith, and we agree!) Author Olga Wojtas is not just a brilliant writer, but has epic talent as a narrator, bringing Shona’s skills, wit and adventures to life. This month’s Audiobook of the Month is the first book in the series, Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar. Use code E15AA for 50% off your purchase when purchasing through our site.
Reclaiming the Night (again) this November 25th
November 25th is the UN Day to end violence against women and girls. Reclaim the Night, also known as Take Back the Night, is now a global phenomenon, marked in more than 30 countries. Marches will be held in towns and cities across the UK over the coming weeks. In a guest post on our website, Ajay Close shares the history of Reclaim the Night. Not only was Ajay there, but these events inspired her dazzling new novel, What Doesn’t Kill Us, which we’ll be publishing in February.
Give the gift of Saraband Premium
If you’re on the lookout for a thoughtful and long-lasting gift, take a look at our 6-month and 1-year Saraband Premium membership details (see the Christmas Shop). This is our premium newsletter, delivered via Substack, which comes with a free paperback of your choice each quarter, offers and discounts, exclusive news, and guest posts and interviews with our authors.
Come to think of it, why not sign up yourself?
Our Christmas shop is now live!
We are Tree-mendously excited about our Christmas Shop for 2023 going live. This year we’re fundraising for Crisis to help those facing homelessness find permanent housing. You can find out more information about our fundraising drive here where Yule also find our range of festive bundles to gift to your loved ones. You might find something to treat yours-Elf to as a pre-festive season gift too.
But wait, there’s Myrrh! If you need a little help with choosing the perfect gift, check out our Christmas Gift Guide where you’ll find Snow many gift ideas for every type of person, including those Bah Humbugs in your life. Whether they’re into the outdoors, ho-ho-horror films or novels based on a true story, there is something for Elfryone.
A big thank you to those of you who have already purchased from our Christmas Shop this year, a huge round of aClaus to you.
Sleigh what?! You don’t like my Christmas puns? Okay, I’ll Rein(deer) them in Fir now…
Happy shopping!
Celebrate St Andrew’s Day with our Voices of Scotland audiobooks, and more
The end of November marks St Andrew’s Day – an important time for us to champion our Scottish authors and stories. You can read more about our featured audiobooks and the flash sale for St Andrew’s Day here.
May we also take the chance to recommend seven of our most recent Scottish titles to read this St Andrew’s Day:
Peat and Whisky: The Unbreakable Bond
Whisky connoisseur and peatland scientist Mike Billett delivers an “outstanding contribution to whisky literature” (Charles MacLean) which captures the spirit of places where whisky has been distilled for centuries and addresses the key role of peatlands in mitigating climate change.
Orwell’s Island: George, Jura and 1984
This refreshing take on George Orwell’s time on the Hebridean island of Jura casts important new light on a great modern thinker and author. No previous biography has revealed so much about Orwell’s later years or his time on Jura, despite this being where he thought up the iconic creations such as Big Brother, the Thought Police and Room 101.
Writing Landscape
Linda Cracknell resides in Perthshire, a place which has inspired much of her work. In Writing Landscape, Linda Cracknell reflects on hikes and treks which have inspired her writing and offers thoughtful writing prompts and tips on how to open your eyes to the world, suggesting ways to take note and make notes as you go to inspire your own attentive looking, journalling and writing practice.
The Last Lancer
Scottish writer Catherine Czerkawska traces her family history to Lwow, now Ukrainian Lviv, where her grandfather, Julian Czerkawski, lived through Soviet and German occupations, participated in the Warsaw Uprising and was held in a Nazi labour camp. After escaping, Julian made his way to the UK and started a family, but retained an intense affection for the vanished people and places of his childhood memories. In The Last Lancer, Catherine Czerkawska pieces together the Czerkawski family history, shedding light on their trauma and offering a deep, personal understanding of what was, and continues to be, a troubled place.
The Call of the Cormorant
From the author of the prize-winning As the Women Lay Dreaming comes a remarkable ‘unreliable biography’ of Karl Kjerúlf Einarsson: an artist and an adventurer, a charlatan and a swindler, forever in search of Atlantis. Based on a true story, this is a fantastical tale of island life, of those who leave and those who stay behind, and the many dangers of delusions and false identities.
Events
Graeme Macrae Burnet in conversation with Daniel James @ Books on Tyne Festival, Newcastle, 25.1.23, 7pm
Mike Billett launches Peat and Whisky with whisky tasting @ Toppings & Co, Edinburgh, 30.11.23, 7.30pm
Adam Farrer signs copies of Cold Fish Soup @ The Whitby Bookshop, 6.12.23, 1pm
Adam Farrer signs copies of Cold Fish Soup @ The Book Corner, Saltburn, 7.12.23, 7pm