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5 Books That Celebrate Scotland

If you want to be in Scotland but can't at the moment, here are five books that will take you there.
Lauren Sarner
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Writer and culture journalist

Writer and culture journalist
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All eyes are on Scotland right now as the vote for independence dawns. It may be a nerve-wracking time for the rest of the Brits, but it's a good time to be a Scot. It's certainly a good time to be a bagpiper -- bagpipe music has abounded in the background of the news coverage. It's a good time to be someone who doesn't get annoyed when people ask what you're wearing under your clothes, as it's a frequently asked question of kilt-wearers. And it's a good time to be Mel Gibson -- for once he isn't in the news for saying something dickish but for giving a rousing speech in the Braveheart clip newscasters can't resist repeating.

So, if you want to be in Scotland but can't at the moment, here are five books that will take you there:

Trainspotting by Irvine WelshThis modern classic takes you into the lives of a group of teenage heroin addicts as they get into drug-fueled hijinks and occasionally debate their Scottish identity. Welsh expertly transports you into their minds using shifting dialects and points of view. The film adaptation is proof that Ewan McGregor is one of the Oscars most snubbed actors.
The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter ScottIt doesn't get more Scottish than Sir Walter Scott. Although he may be best known for his other works like Ivanhoe and Waverley, the Bride of Lammermoor is one of his more entertainingly bizarre works. It is a Wuthering Heights style story of brooding men and obsessive love and fallen families, but the conclusion is more absurd than anything the Brontes offered.
Outlander by Diana GabaldonAlthough I mentioned in my last post that the TV show is actually far superior to the overlong, under-edited book, the book nevertheless transports you straight to Scotland, and I felt like I should include it since the show has brought it back into pop culture.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel SparkThis classic is at once a coming of age tale and a midlife crisis, all framed within the context of a school in 1930s Edinburgh. Jean Brodie is a schoolteacher who lives vicariously through her students. Spark tinges her story in delicious irony. Short and concise, it can be read in one sitting ... unlike the next item on this list:
Lanark: A life in Four Books by Alasdair GrayKafka meets a sort of Glaswegian Divine Comedy in this epic nonlinear narrative. It's lengthy but rewarding to patient readers, as you're kept on your toes through sections that alternate between characters and realities.

If none of these books make you want to go to Scotland, go pour yourself some whiskey or Irn-Bru and try reading them again. And if you're indignant that I forgot to mention your favorite Scottish novel, have at it in the comments.

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