As A Matter Of Fact: Scots Whay Hae!’s Ten Best Non-fiction Books Of 2025...
- Alistair Braidwood
- Dec 30, 2025
- 7 min read
There were some fascinating non-fiction books published over the last 12 months, and it was a tricky job to whittle a list down to a handy top ten, but we just about managed it.
The list below features, music and song, memoir, travel, film, sport, philosophy, sociopolitics, religion, faith, food, and so much more.
I was lucky enough to talk to some of the writers whose books feature, and you'll find links to those interviews below, along with links to the books themselves and where to buy them.
Click on the highlighted book titles to learn more & grab yourself a copy
Written by the three founders of Glasgow City Music Tours (and with a foreword from Del Amitri's Justin Currie) this book offers an excellent overview of Glasgow's musical history, right up to the present day, and even a glimpse into the future. With chapters covering legends, venues, cult heroes, global superstars, indie idols, folk, funk, dance, punk, rock, roll, and so much more, most bases are covered. Even if you think you know the full story, there will be tales (some possibly apocryphal) which have passed you by, and new music to discover. If you were there, you know. If you weren't, then read all about it!
Glasgow's Greatest Hits is published with Polygon Books
As suggested by the full title, Small Town Joy: From Glam Rock to Hyperpop: How Queer Music Changed the Sound of Scotland this is a joyous celebration of the music, but also those who made and continue to make it. What could have been an exercise in nostalgia, identifying and honouring people who paved the way (often against severe prejudice and animosity) becomes something essential due to Carrie Marshall's interviews with some of the key queer figures involved in Scotland's music scene today. It's this balance between the old and new which makes this such a compelling, and even important, read. And any story which has Bronski Beat's classic 'Smalltown Boy' as an inspiration is always going to be a winner. If you love music, this is a book for you.
Small Town Joy is published with 404 Ink
For There She Goes: New Travel Writing By Women editor Esa Aldegheri has brought together seventeen writers all of whom are perhaps better known as poets, novelists, nature writers, historians, academics, and journalists, and their different takes on the nature of travel make for intriguing, and often unexpected, reading. In the introduction there’s a quote concerning renowned travel writer (and author/historian) Jan Morris which perhaps explains the approach “[…] she preferred to consider herself as a writer who travels, rather than a travel writer” and that surely applies to everyone involved in this collection, and addresses the problem of any preconceptions that readers may bring to such a book. There She Goes is a fascinating, often moving, and at times magical collection of essays which will make readers reevaluate not just the nature of travel writing, but what it means to travel in itself.
There She Goes: New Travel Writing By Women is published with Saraband Books
I have read more than a few books on Scottish Film over the years, but none as complete and comprehensive as this one. The subtitle 'An Informed and Irreverent Guide for Movie Lovers' is a concise description of what is between the covers, but undersells it somewhat. Starting with a beautifully written introduction about the thorny subject of just what is or isn't a "Scottish" film (basically, it's Mark's book - his rules, and rightly so), he goes on to give all the relevant details and a brief synopsis on each film, from 1917's Kidnapped to Blair Young and Carla J. Easton's Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland's Girl Bands (2023). There is also an appendix which offers a list of the 100 best films in the book (and the 10 worst) for you to argue over long into the night.
Scottish Films is published with Luath Press
Kenny Dalglish has had quite the year of assessment and appreciation, with Asif Kapadia's documentary Kenny Dalglish on Amazon Prime at the moment, and Tom Brogan's book giving an overview of the man and his career through 50 games he was involved with as a player. But each chapter is so much more than a mere match report. Through thorough research - including screeds of interviews with managers, fellow players, and fans - a picture emerges of a footballer who made the most of his natural talent, determination, and hard-work ethic (and a solid and clear-headed morality) to become not only one of Scotland's best players, but an all-time legend known and respected throughout the world.
Dalglish is published with Pitch Publishing
One of the great thinkers and public intellectuals of our times, Richard Holloway became one of what feels like an endangered species, a man of the cloth to whom people actually listened, which was in no small part due to his wise words and fair-mindedness. It was also the way he said it, always eloquent, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Last Words sees Richard looking to his past and coming to terms with losing his religion, and it makes for some of the most beautiful and moving writing I have read all year. Concentrating on a childhood shaped by poverty in Dunbartonshire and early years in Glasgow, through to his life at the top of the church as Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, if these are to be Richard Holloway's last words (and let's pray they are not) they deserve to be read far and wide. A great book from a good man in the widest possible sense.
Last Words is published with Swift Press
Writer, broadcaster and rapper Darren McGarvey had an incredible year by any standards. His album Not Funded By Creative Scotland
was critically praised (it's one of SWH!'s albums of the year), and his show Darren McGarvey – Trauma Industrial Complex: The Live Show not only had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe, it is going to tour in the UK and Ireland in 2026. And then there's Trauma Industrial Complex: How Oversharing Became a Product in a Digital World which is at the heart of everything. It's a personal and insightful investigation into trauma itself and its increasingly ubiquitous nature in the modern world. By using events from his own life Darren McGarvey attempts to discover what the cost, both on a personal and a wider sociopolitical level, may be. Always honest (painfully, at times), and deeply insightful, this is a book which deserves to be read, and discussed, widely.
Trauma Industrial Complex is published with Ebury Press
The third in Peter Ross's 'fox trilogy' of books (look closely at their covers to find out why) after previous publications A Tomb With A View and Steeple Chasing, Upon A White Horse takes us to the prehistoric sites of Britain and Ireland to uncover not only the places but also the people drawn to them, and how they are inextricably linked. Ross has this rare ability to listen, learn and engage with those he encounters in a manner which manages to bring readers along on his journeys, which range from midsummer to midwinter, and reach all points north, south, east, and west. An unexpectedly emotional read (although regular readers will be less surprised) Upon A White Horse is the perfect conclusion to a wonderful trilogy, and like it's predecessors it will lift spirits and warm hearts.
Upon A White Horse is published with Headline
There were some cracking cookbooks published this year, including the return of Ferrier Richardson's 'On A Plate' series, which includes the third Glasgow book, as well as an Edinburgh and Northern Ireland edition. But Julie Lin's SAMA SAMA is more than a cook book. It's as much biography as it is about the recipes, with musings on the relationship between cooking and sharing food with others, be they family, friends, or new acquaintances, often prompting conversations, evoking emotion, and making new memories (and bringing to mind some old ones). Julie also ponders what it means to be 'sama sama', that is 'same-same, but different', examining her own Malaysian-Scottish roots and just what that means. There's even some moving and relevant poetry. But at the end of the day a cookbook is primarily about the food, and this is one of the most useable and downright delicious I've read in some time. A book to get hands dirty and bellies full.
SAMA SAMA is published with Ebury Press
One of my highlights of this last year was chairing Gillian Shirreffs at the Wigtown Book Festival, and be able to talk in detail about her incredible memoir elephant. A book quite unlike any other, it's the story of Gillian's battle with cancer told through emails, texts, WhatsApp messages, Google docs, and tweets (and a large number of personal pictures), all from Gillian's point of view. It details a journey from initial diagnosis to the publication of her debut novel Brodie and to say it's one with highs and lows is my understatement of the year. All emotions are here, and for Gillian Shirreffs to share it in this profoundly generous and unique manner is humbling and inspirational. A book not just of this year, but for many years to come.
elephant is published with Into Books
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