Brown is a seminal figure in Orcadian literature, and the moment you read any one of his poems, it’s clear why. This is an enjoyable introduction to his works and features some of the poems you can’t find in print in other sources. His poems balance the beauty and complicated reality of his home, but his love for the place shines through every carefully chosen word. Even if you don’t know if you like poetry, the rhythms of his works make them accessible to everyone, proving him to truly be Orkney’s skald. 

Not just another whisky-tasting book, A Sense of Place is an enlightening travelogue through Scotland’s picturesque whisky regions, exploring both old and new distilleries, their past and more importantly and uniquely, their present and future.

Investigating from the ground up, Dave Broom takes you on this journey with him as the third wheel behind him and the superb photographer, Christina Kernohan.

Reporting on the expedition as a welcoming diary, it is simultaneously warm and informative with wide-ranging topics covering the archaeology of the Orkney Islands, the role of peat through time and even touching on the politics of the 18th and 19th century that led to the ‘business’ of whisky, while seamlessly connecting them to the current effects of climate change and the sustainable whisky making movement of present-day distillers and their diversity.

I was left with Mr. Broom’s optimism for the future in general and of whisky in this… show more.

I’m a sucker for pretty much any saga, those pieces of literature where legend and myth and history mingle into a perfect mixture of inspiration for the creative mind. This saga gives us a who’s who of historical figures, as well as poetic stories about journeys, battles, and political maneuverings. My favorite bits are the smaller, easier to overlook details though, such as the cause of Sigurd the Powerful’s death. The Orkneyinga is a consuming read about the history of Orkney through medieval eyes.

Orkney is home to more historical sites and monuments than I can name, but for those of us who celebrate the Winter Solstice, Maeshowe is a critical pilgrimage site. This official souvenir guide to Maeshowe and other Neolithic sites is a perfect companion to the stories and historical facts woven by tour guides. It also doesn’t hurt that you can pull it out, stare at the beautiful photographs, and imagine yourself back in Orkney every time you long to return.

This book became my ultimate escapism at a low point in my life. It’s a wonderfully written, well-researched epic novel about the eleventh century Scottish king, Macbeth, based on the bold premise that he and Thorfinn the Mighty, Earl of Orkney, were one and the same man. Most of us—especially those who went to school in Scotland!—are familiar with the Macbeth of Shakespeare, but Dorothy Dunnett brings him alive in his own time, no guilt-ridden villain but a complicated warrior of great depth and humanity, true to his beliefs, his people, and his wife who is nothing like Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth either! This is a rattling good read by any standards—engrossing, exciting, humorous, and moving. Even knowing the tragedy was coming, I cried. Each time.

Of all Silva’s books, I am most excited about this one, because of his groundbreaking discoveries. I admire his relentless tenacity for research, while sniffing out enigmatic information. My love of Scottish history often leaves me feeling lost regarding its ancient history. But I also am super careful to take many extrapolations on ancient history with a grain of salt. Silva’s writings are refreshing and his sense of humor is delightful. So, if you want to learn more about your Scottish roots from before Christianity arrived, then take a stroll through ancient circles aligned with the constellation Orion. Home may not be where you think it is!

At their best, anthropologists open up for readers the infinite variety of what it means to be human. Laura Watts is the best. More than just an incisive cultural analyst, Watts is a skilled poet and storyteller. Her book about renewable energy innovation in the Orkney Islands takes us, literally and figuratively, to the end of the world. We learn what it means to live in a world wrought by energy technologies. We walk among all different kinds of people who have the imagination and the gumption to try to re-imagine and re-energize that world in radically new ways. And along the way, we begin to see how all of those people come together, in one place, in odd collaborations, to make futures for the rest of us.

I was initially drawn to this title because I am fascinated by the Orkney islands north of Scotland, and Amy Sackville’s descriptions of the sea and shore made me feel like I was there!

The novel swept me away with its immersive imagery, and although the characters are sometimes disturbing, they are also compelling. A sixty-year-old literature professor brings his young, unnamed wife (a former student) to Orkney for their honeymoon. He watches her, obsessively, as she stares out at the sea.

I was both repelled by narrator and attracted to his poetic voice, and I loved the way selkie stories framed this tale of psychological drama. Layered with folklore and dreams, this novel made me contemplate the darker side of selkie-human unions.

I live on the Atlantic in Portugal, where a member of my women’s group is Victoria Whitworth’s sister. She mentioned Swimming with Seals, when one evening, our group met for a cold water swim, the backdrop to Victoria’s unusual memoir.

Flowing from one topic to the next with the ease of the accomplished writer that she is – incorporating her Facebook posts on the weather, tides, and temperature – she chronicles her daily cold water swims off Orkney Island, her encounters with seals, orca, and birdlife, while narrating her personal story, juxtaposed with historical anecdotes, myth, and folklore.

I’m not a fan of cold water swimming, but I loved reading about it, especially as an allegory for embracing life’s ebbs and flows.

I must have read this book hundreds of times! I teach it to creative writing students every year, and every year, I find some new connection or detail I hadn’t noticed before.

Jamie has such an unusual, peculiarly alive connection to her surroundings. She describes landscapes that are local to her – a curious combination of domestic and wild spaces and a beautifully subtle mode of narration.