These 10 Books Will Transport You to Scotland

Books have the incredible power to transport us to places without even forcing us to leave the comfort of our own couch. If you need to get away for a bit, here are some books that will take you to the Land of Cakes – Scotland!

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Meet Eleanor Oliphant, a woman who struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking.

Her life is perfectly timed to ensure she avoids social interactions, and on the weekend she enjoys frozen pizza, vodka, and phone calls with Mummy. Until Raymond enters her life, that is. Raymond is the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office.

One day Eleanor and Raymond save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, and the three of them become best friends, no longer living in isolation.

While Eleanor’s heart is profoundly damaged, it’s Raymond’s big heart that ultimately repairs hers. Beautifully written and absolutely hilarious, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a true testament to the power of human connection.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Historical romance meets a time-traveling adventure in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. One woman is torn between past and present, passion and love in a world of heroism and thrills. The year is 1945 and former combat nurse Claire Randall returns from WWII and joins her husband for their second honeymoon.

At first, their honeymoon is everything she could want and more until she touches a boulder in an ancient stone ruin and is instantly transported to 1743 Scotland, which is torn by war and border clans. Whether she’s able to return to her own time or forever be linked with Clan MacKenzie and James Fraser is the question of the hour and one you’ll only find the answer to within the pages.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

Trainspotting is THE novel that launched Irvine Welsh’s career – it’s authentic, unrelenting, and exhilarating. This novel is a raw and unapologetic portrayal of heroin addiction in Edinburgh, Scotland. Through interconnected stories, readers delve into the lives of a group of young friends as they navigate the highs and lows of drug use, poverty, and desperation.

44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith

Welcome to 44 Scotland Street home to some of the most colorful residents and neighbors. There’s Pat, a twenty-year-old who has recently moved into a flat with Bruce, an athletic guy who is vastly aware of his own appearance. Domenica, their neighbor, is an eccentric and insightful widow.

Down below, there’s Irene and her son Bertie, who is destined to master both the saxophone and Italian at the age of five – just ask Irene. This book has everything – love triangles, a lost painting, new friends, a chance encounter with a famous Scottish crime writer and so much more in this delightful and witty read.

The Cutting Room by Louise Welch

Meet Rilke, a dissolute auctioneer who has recently stumbled upon a hidden collection of violent and highly disturbing photographs. After this discovery, Rilke feels compelled to discover as much as he can about the deceased owner who coveted them so.

Before he knows it, Rilke finds himself sucked into an underworld of crime, depravity, and desire, all while fighting for his life.

Autumn by Ali Smith

If you’re a fan of Ali Smith, then you’ll be thrilled to learn that Autumn is the first installment of a quartet of books. While these books are separated they are interconnected and cyclical exploring time, how we experience it, and the recurring markers in the shapes our lives make.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

It’s the spring of 1708 and an invading Jacobite feet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown. Fast-forward to Carrie McClelland who hopes to turn that story into a best-selling novel by creating a heroine named for one of her own ancestors.

As her story unfolds, she begins to discover that it’s more fact than fiction and she begins to wonder if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only person who knows the truth. Will this knowledge destroy her?

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Nina has a passion for pairing readers with the perfect book. As a literary matchmaker, it’s also her job. Until it isn’t. The job she loved is no more and now Nina is determined to make a new life for herself by moving to a sleepy village far away.

After buying a van and transforming it into a bookmobile, she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood transforming the lives of individuals through the art of storytelling. With each passing day, Nina discovers that there is plenty of adventure, magic, and soul to go around in this new place that is starting to feel more and more like home.

Waverly by Sir Walter Scott

Edward Waverly is a young English soldier in the Hanoverian army who finds himself in Scotland where life went from a nice dream to a nightmare practically overnight. His character is fashioned through his experience of the Jacobite rising of 1745 – 1746. When Waverly falls in love with the spirited Flora Maclvor and he’s letting himself be pulled toward the Jacobite cause, his loyalty is tested.

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

Young Mungo is a deeply moving story of love and working-class families. Growing up in a housing estate in Glasgow, Mungo and James were born into two different worlds, Mungo a Protestant, and James a Catholic.

While they should be enemies, the two fall in love. Together they find sanctuary and dream of escape in the pigeon dovecote that James has built for his prize-winning birds.

Mungo’s mother has different plans for him when she sends him on a fishing trip to a remote loch with two strange men. Mungo will need every last ounce of courage and strength to find his way back to a place where he and James may still have a future together.