There are plenty of ‘Books Of The Year’ lists around this time competing for your time and attention, but we like to think that Scots Whay Hae!’s selection is one for the more discerning book lover with something for everyone. It’s a good old-fashioned Top Ten which this year features dystopian sci-fi, historical fiction, northern noir, coming-of-age, unconventional travelogue, environmental thrills, the birth and death of love, psychological mystery, politics, pop music, per

For the latest podcast we caught up with writer Vicki Jarrett to talk about her latest novel Always North (out now, published by Unsung Stories). As Vicki explains, it’s a story that has been over 10 years in the telling, beginning with the inspiration from a rare piece of video footage right through to final publication. She discusses the themes and ideas which are at the book’s heart, the vital role of her central character and the moral dilemmas she faces, the coincidental

Sometimes a novel arrives which captures the feeling and spirit of the age perfectly (I believe the Germans have a word for just that). Vicki Jarrett’s Always North is just such a novel. It may have been a long time coming (I first read a short extract in Gutter magazine in 2011) but the timing of its publication is impeccable, as Jarrett looks at concerns and questions about climate change and uses them to examine many other aspects of the modern world. It could be said to b