Local Authors: Edinburgh (and other bits of Scotland!)

September 22, 2019 Laura Barnet

Sometimes we all get in a bit of a rut with our reading or aren’t sure what to try next. For the last few years I’ve been setting myself a reading challenge, selecting various prompts such as ‘a book published in the year you were born’ or ‘a book recommended by a friend’. It’s definitely broadened by reading habits and I’ve read a lot more books too.

This year one of the prompts was to read a book by a local author. I live in Edinburgh and whilst I’ve read a lot of Ian Rankin’s Rebus books and of course Trainspotting I wasn’t immediately aware of having read any other books by Edinburgh authors. Well that’s not quite true I read a few of Aileen Paterson’s Maisie the Morningside Cat books as a kid but as an adult I think that’s possibly about it.

I am in a large Edinburgh based Facebook group (EGG) and decided to ask my fellow local bookworms if they had any recommendations. Well I wasn’t disappointed! In fact there were so many that sounded great I decided I’d list them all here so I wouldn’t forget them and of course to share them with you too.

Before I get on with the list though I should address the elephant in the room. Yes, I am fully aware that Edinburgh is home to one of the best known authors on the planet, J.K. Rowling, and I haven’t listed her in the books I’ve read. There’s a good reason for that. I haven’t read any. Well I can’t be 100% about that, I know I started the first Harry Potter but honestly I’d be lying if I told you I finished it. I can’t remember. I’m afraid, like Irn Bru and whisky, Harry Potter is something I feel I should love as a Scot but I just can’t get as excited about it as everyone else does. Sorry folks, we can’t all be the same!

Anyway, before I’m thrown out of the country, on to the list!

Local authors:

In no particular order, these are the authors recommended to me and any specific books mentioned. I would love to hear any other recommendations you have in the comments below!

Please note this list includes many authors living in or originally from Edinburgh but it also includes those in other areas of Scotland, after all I did ask for local recommendations, not Edinburgh specifically!