Sara Sheridan is an author who has written amongst other books, ‘The Secret of Blythswood Square’; ‘The Fair Botanists’ and ‘Where are the Women?’. In her talk ‘Exploring Where Scotland Comes From‘ she discusses how we represent our history.
Sara Sheridan is a Glasgow-based writer and activist. She writes historical fiction and creative nonfiction. She has written 6 novels based in the period 1820 – 1850. ‘The Fair Botanists’ set in Edinburgh 1822, has charmed critics and readers alike – the first edition sold out in under a fortnight and it won Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year in 2022 as well as being chosen for the Queen’s Reading Room series 7. Her latest, ‘The Secrets of Blythswood Square’ is just out in hardback. Sara’s remapping of Scotland according to female history, ‘Where are the Women?’ was listed as of the David Hume Institute’s most important non-fiction books 2019. It contains 1600 stories of mostly forgotten female achievement. Sara continues to campaign for more diverse memorialisation of women’s history. She is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Scotland and has also written two 5-part radio plays adapted from her own short stories – ‘On Portobello Prom‘ and ‘Robert Burns: His Psychotherapy and Cure’. Both have been broadcasted on Radio 4.
Saturday 26 October 2.30pm to 3.30pm
Thomas Clark is a writer, poet and translator working mainly in the Scots language. In his most recent and award winning book ‘Fower Legs Guid, TwaLegs Better!’, a Scots translation of George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, he offers a fascinating journey through Orwell, Scots, and the language we use today asking if words still matter, if politicians can be trusted and if Scots still has a place in the modern world.
Sunday 27 October 11.30am to 12.30pm
Alex Renton, considers ‘Ayrshire, Burns, Slavery: a difficult legacy?‘Alex Renton, FRHistS, is an author and journalist living in Edinburgh. He works primarily in reportage and investigation for the BBC, The Times, The Guardian and the Daily Mail. His recent books include ‘Blood Legacy: reckoning with a family’s story of slavery‘ (about the Fergusson and Hunter-Blair families of Ayrshire) and ‘Stiff Upper Lip: secrets, crimes and the schooling of a ruling class‘. His most recent radio series, ‘In Dark Corners’, won multiple awards and is available on BBC Sounds.
Sunday 27 October 2.30pm to 3,30pm
Steven Veerapen is an author of historical fiction and nonfiction. His books include ‘The Simon Danforth murder mysteries‘ set in the Scotland of the 1540s and ‘The Wisest Fool: The Lavish Life of James VI and I’. In his talk ‘Historical Crime Fiction: from medieval murders to modernist mysteries’ he discusses historical crime fiction as a popular genre and how it is written – from conjuring up relatable characters to authentic backgrounds with ghastly and blood drenched incidents.
Steven Veerapen was born in Glasgow and raised in Paisley. Pursuing an interest in the sixteenth century, he was awarded a first-class Honours degree in English, focussing his dissertation on early modern representations of Henry VIII’s six wives. He received a Masters in Renaissance studies, examining the Renaissance-era visual and literary representations of the later Tudors. He then obtained a PhD investigating Elizabethan slander. When not writing, he teaches English Literature at the University of Strathclyde.
This event is in addition to the programme of free Highlight Talks.
Melvyn Gibson
Melvyn Gibson is a Volunteer at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and Coordinator of the Highlight Talks. he is also one of the main organisers of this event.
Hello readers! The RBBM Book Club has been in existence for over a decade. It meets at 2pm on the last Tuesday of each month in the Education Pavilion at Burns’ Cottage. The Club has a substantial membership and new members are always welcome.
We are very lucky to have our monthly reading material provided by our local library service. The books selected vary in genre and style, often extending our usual reading boundaries, giving opportunities for analysis and discussion of the texts in question.
Probably the best part of the afternoon is a very welcome cup of tea or coffee and a delicious scone or cake. All this for £2! Come along and make some new friends.
To find out more please contact the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum on 01292443700.
May 2025
Hello readers,
I hope you have all enjoyed our recent sunny weather.
Today, many of our members expressed how much they had enjoyed sitting out in the sunshine, in their gardens, reading the latest book, Queen Bee by Jane Fallon. Most readers felt that this book was light-hearted in the main, and perfect for a relaxing ‘in the garden’ read. A few book clubbers, who did not think that Queen Bee was the bee’s knees, pointed out that the storyline lacked plausibility in several areas which they found distracting. A discussion followed on this and it was felt by some that the storyline was meant to be comical, and as a result there were certain activities and behaviours that pushed believability to the limit. But, I’m glad to say, the underlying narrative, the saving of the threatened Stella from a cruel fate, had enough of a draw to keep even the few dissenters reading to the end.
Another aspect of the book, that most seemed to have enjoyed, was the fact that Fallon had taken a few pot shots at the lavish lifestyle of the extremely rich community which formed the backdrop to much of the story. Our readers particularly applauded Fallon’s descriptions of the over remodelled faces of the community’s female inhabitants. This led to much discussion of cosmetic surgery in general with the ‘trout lips’ and overstretched, expressionless faces of many celebrities being deemed less than attractive. Surprisingly, Joan Collins got off lightly, and was considered to be someone who had used facial, cosmetic surgery to good effect, and was, according to one of our members who had spoken to Miss Collins in a supermarket, looking good for a 92 year old. Well done Joan!
Moving swiftly on, and back to more bookish considerations, it was noted that the book, being written in first person and present tense, had a script-like feeling, which is not surprising as Jane Fallon is, or was, a television producer. Could this be another mini-series in the pipeline?
So, if you are looking for a fairly cheerful tale with a happy ending, look no further, make a beeline for your nearest bookshop and pick up a copy of Queen Bee by Jane Fallon.
Fingers crossed for many more ‘reading in the garden’ opportunities.
Novella Reid
April 2025
Hello readers,
I hope you all had a lovely Easter, and that your Easter bunny ears are safely packed away for another year!
I would like to thank the Book Club bunny for the chocolate eggs that were distributed to everyone at the April meeting : these are the touches that put a smile on our faces!
This month’s book , The Girl in the Photograph by Kate Riordan, has the same underlying theme as last month’s book: the lack of understanding of, and proper treatment for, postnatal depression. However, the two stories are very different and our readers did not find this to detract from their reading experience in any way.
Overall, members gave this book a mediocre thumbs up: at times harrowing but, for the most part, enjoyable. Most of our readers were shocked by one of the historical practices mentioned in the latter part of the story, and some debate followed on how actions that were quite acceptable in the past now seem macabre!
A few of our readers felt that there were weaknesses in the plot that gave rise to a certain lack of plausibility, so, again, these details were discussed at length.
One of our group, who had missed the discussion on America City, gave a quick appraisal of this novel which, although set in the future, is actually playing out now with alarming accuracy. The company all agreed that this book does make a spine-chilling read, and reminds us just how quickly technology is advancing in our world today.
So, another meeting at an end, do come and join us if you enjoy reading , light-hearted discussion and good company.
Bye for now!
Novella Reid
March 2025
Hello readers,
I can’t believe we are at the end of March already!
This month’s meeting was a bit special as it was the twelfth anniversary of the first meeting of the Burns Birthplace Book Club. A photograph, from the local press, of Club members at this first meeting twelve years ago was distributed for our perusal, and I recognised quite a few faces of folk who are still regular book clubbers. I’m sure they won’t mind me saying that they don’t look a day older now than then! Perhaps the answer to eternal youth comes not in a jar or tube but in joining a book club!
To celebrate this special occasion a magnificent chocolate cake took centre stage, thanks go to Evelyn for arranging this, and, just as we were debating who would actually ‘cut the cake’, two gardeners, Luke and Chris, who were working nearby, happened to come into the room, perhaps lured there by the tempting aromas of tea, coffee, scones and chocolate cake, kindly agreed to brandish a knife instead of a shovel and cut the cake. I’m sure Rabbie would have approved, and I wished afterwards that I had treated(or not) the company to the song, written by Burns, The Gairdner wi’ his Paidle. Ah well, maybe next time!
But to our book! The book under discussion this month was, A Mother’s Story by Amanda Prouse.
Initially, it was noted by a few readers that the word choice and language used were rather simplistic, but that any such considerations quickly became lost as the intensity of the storyline developed.
The storyline followed the life of the main character which descended from initial bliss to extreme misery. Many readers found this to be an extremely harrowing yet compulsive read. Most agreed that it was a ‘page-turner’ , and that Prouse engineered this through her alternating chapter strategy, enabling the reader to see the main character from two different perspectives. Prouse also built tension and dread through misleading and untruthful statements told by the main character and others.
Prouse was also applauded for raising awareness of an often misunderstood and overlooked female medical condition that is often not given the attention it merits.
So, overall, a thumbs up for this, at times, emotional read.
Just before I go, I would like to thank South Ayrshire Council’s Library Service for the brilliant job they have done in providing us with books, month after month, for twelve years, many thanks to all involved.
So, see you in a month’s time. Remember, keep reading, keep young!!
Novella Reid.
February 2025
Dear readers,
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend our February book club meeting which was very disappointing as I had been looking forward to hearing what our readers thought of the somewhat controversial book, American City by Chris Beckett.
However, all was not lost. I was able to call on some members who were present at the meeting for their thoughts on the proceedings, and, by all accounts, it seems I missed out on a very enthusiastic discussion indeed!
America City was first published in November 2017 and has been described as, ” a frighteningly convincing vision of the 22nd century “. Many of our members agreed that it is a frightening’ read, mainly because the time frame is out by a century, and that many of the issues mentioned appear to be happening right now!
Book club member, Kat A. Logue, made the following observations on the meeting, “Whilst not everyone ‘enjoyed’ the book, it certainly provided a focus for animated discussion. The book provided us with a glimpse into the future of an isolationist America where the effects of a previous regime and the enormous damage caused by climate change divided society. The group drew parallels with current political manoeuvres, particularly the expansion of national borders. All in all, a lively session!”
Many thanks, Kat for your eloquent summary of the discussion.
Another book clubber who came to my aid was Theresa Greene, and she commented that whilst reading the book she felt that some of Beckett’s plot was so prophetic that he must have some kind of super power! I would agree, Theresa, that some of the events depicted are unnervingly close to today’s reality.
So, to all readers out there, this is a book that begs an answer to the question, ” Is there such a thing as coincidence?” Why not have a read and see what you think.
If you would like to join us at The Burns Birthplace Book Club for such reading opportunities do come along on the last Tuesday of every month to the pavillion behind Burns Cottage at 2.00pm. New members are welcome at any time of year.
That’s all for now, happy reading!
Novella Reid
January 2025
Hello readers,
It seems a long time since our last meeting at the end of November 2024, and now, here we are at the end of January 2025! Although belated, I would like to wish you all only good things, including books, for this new year.
As always, our January meeting started with tea, cakes, scones and warm words of welcome from our group leaders to members existing and new.
With two new books up for discussion, we formed two separate groups to look at whichever book we had chosen to read at the last meeting. I was in the group that had been reading The Cut Out Girl by Bart Vanes. On the backdrop of the horrific plight of the population of Gaza, and the recently televised Holocaust Memorial Day, it made thought-provoking reading as it dealt with the life story of a Jewish woman, now 85, revealed through interviews and conversations with the writer, Bart Vanes.
It is never my intent to give away too much of the plot thereby spoiling the book for future readers, so I will say no more about the actual story at this point.
So, what did our readers think of this somewhat controversial read? As, one would hope for, there was a mixed bag of responses, ranging from those who thought it would be a rerun of Anne Frank’s diary, and after a few pages decided it was not for them, to those who found it extremely informative regarding the treatment of Jews in the Netherlands in World War ll.
The discussion opened the doors to consideration of other media on the same topic e.g. the film, The Children’s Train, the television coverage of interviews with Holocaust survivors, the children’s book, In My Pocket, written by Dorritt Sim who lived for many years in Prestwick, and the achievements of Nicholas Winton who rescued 669 children from Czechoslovakia, sparing them from the horrors of the death camps.
Finally, a teeny bit of a spoiler! Bart Vanes had a personal reason for the research he undertook, which he later published under the title, The Cut Out Girl. He was digging into his family’s past, and, as anyone who has done any work on their family tree will know, you do not always get the answers you expect or would wish for. So readers, I will leave you with that thought!
Whatever you are reading, enjoy!
Novella Reid
November 2024
Hello readers,
Perhaps it is too early to wish you all a merry Christmas, but, at the November book club meeting, we certainly had a fantastically, festive time with lots of seasonal good wishes in the air.
As well as our usual comestibles, the tables, resplendent with Christmas accessories, were laden with mince pies, sweets and festive nibbles! Thanks are due to the Christmas elves responsible for all of the above treats.
Did we have time to discuss any books in the midst of all the feasting?
“Oh yes, we did!”
This month was a ‘bring and tell’ opportunity where we could talk about our favourite books ; always a very popular activity. Our readers’ faces fairly shone with enthusiasm as they told us about books that had made a lasting impression on them. The Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg, Glasgow Boys by Margaret Mcdonald, The Country Girls by Edna O’Brien and A Prayer for Owen Meanie by John Irving were all mentioned, perhaps something there to add to your Christmas list.
Of course, no Christmas party would be complete without a visit from Santa Claus, and, because it is early in the Season, he managed to fit us in to his busy schedule! He was in exceedingly good spirits, and added much hilarity to the proceedings. We all received a gift, no doubt because we had all been so good, while Santa kept us entertained with stories, mainly to do with the names of people in his family, but, alas, that is a tale for another time.
And so, the meeting drew to a very merry conclusion. I have decided though, it is not too early for Christmas greetings! So…
‘ Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!’
See you all in January!
Novella Reid
October 2024
Hello readers,
A very BOOky Hallowe’en to you all!
This month we have had an unusual situation! The first group to read, You are what you Read, by Jodie Jackson, advised the second group not to read it! They said it was more like a lecture than a novel. So, it was agreed that we had all had enough lectures in our lives and did not want another one!
So, moving swiftly on, the toffee apple was won by, A man called Ove, by Frederik Buckman! Most of our readers enjoyed this book with a few finding it a wee bit depressing and grey in the style of many Scandinavian novels.
Some likened it to, One foot in the Grave, with the character of Ove being similar in many ways to Victor Meldrew. Most readers found these bungled plan incidents quietly amusing, not in a laughing out loud way, more of a gentle chuckle.
Some readers wondered if any of the character of a novel is lost in translation. Others noted that Swedish Social Work procedures for dealing with the elderly appeared to be significantly different to our own. Some commented on the difference that young people can make to an elderly person’s life, as happened to Ove.
Of course, it has been made into a film, A man called Otto, starring Tom Hanks, and the comparisons between the film and the book were considered at length with the film judged to have been a good representation of the book.
So, maybe, A man called Ove, is one to try. We would certainly give it a thumbs up.
Our book club takes place on the last Tuesday of each month (NOT December) from 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm in the Education Pavillion behind Burns Cottage. Please, feel free to come along and join in the fun. There is a small charge of £2 for tea/coffee and cakes /scones.
Happy reading!
Novella Reid
September 2024
It is hard to believe that September is coming to an end, and that another book club meeting has been and gone!
The book club operates on a two month, two book cycle. On the first month, our readers separate into two groups to discuss their chosen books, and on the second month everyone comes together to discuss both books. Our September meeting was the second month in this cycle so everyone came together to discuss both books.
We have already looked at Richard Osman’s first novel, The Thursday Murder Club, last month, but it was interesting to note that readers in the second group were a little more critical and thought that the book should be categorised as a ‘crime farce’. However, everyone agreed that it will be interesting to see the film which is due out next year.
The other book under discussion, another first novel, was The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer. This book deals with the disappearance of eight-year-old Carmel from a storytelling festival. Most of our readers thought that, although this book was about an abduction, it did not follow the expected course, instead, the plot, with its many twists and turns was unexpected and original. Readers also commented that the use of the past tense for the chapters spoken by Beth, Carmel’s mother, and the use of the present tense for Carmel’s, added to the overall successful portrayal of a mother’s despair, and the never-ending hope that Carmel had of being reunited with her mother.
It was also noted that, through Carmel’s distinctive observations and descriptions, characters and environments were brought to life in truly amazing detail.
Some of our readers felt that there were several aspects of the plot that would have benefited from further clarification, but overall, our readers felt that this is a book well worth reading.
Happy reading!
Novella Reid
August 2024
Our August meeting found me in the group charged with discussing Richard Osman’s first novel, The Thursday Murder Club. The ‘murder mystery’ genre proved not to be a favourite with everyone, but most of our readers conceded that Osman had created humorous scenes and witty dialogue through the antics of his elderly and sometimes outrageous characters.
The plot, with its many murders and twists and turns, which a few felt to be unrealistic, was judged to have been made more convincing by the inclusion of descriptions of the physical and mental health issues faced by the elderly characters and their loved ones.
Overall, our group felt that this was a light-hearted read that made a good case for living in a retirement village!
Novella Reid
Book Club Celebrates 11th Birthday
Members of the Book Club at Burns Cottage get stuck in to a mighty chocolate cake at their last meeting on the 29th of February 2024. They ‘re celebrating eleven years since they first started!
They meet on the last Tuesday of every month at 2pm in the Education Pavilion beside Burns Cottage. New members are always welcome.
The club works in partnership with the Carnegie Library and it’s free to borrow the books. There’s a charge of £2 for tea or coffee and cake or a scone.
One of the main criteria for the choice of book is that people are likely to disagree about whether they like it or not. That was most definitely not the case with one of the current books, Still Life by Sarah Winman. Everyone loved it! But all for different reasons – so the discussion was still lively.
Alison Wilson
2023 Book Club Christmas Party
It’s that time of year again and hasn’t this year gone quickly.
The members of the Book Club got together last week for the last meeting of the year and as usual we had a visitor wearing a beautiful red suit and a glorious beard. Gifts of selection boxes were handed out which were much appreciated by all the members..This year Santa ’s voice had a definite feminine tone. Who exactly was behind that beard?
Our Book Club continues to offer a wide choice of reading material and along with a scone and a welcoming cup of tea it’s a great way to spend the last Tuesday of the month.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE
The 10th Anniversary of the RBBM Book Club
Another celebration took place last week at the February meeting of the RBBM Book Club. The cutting of yet another beautiful cake marked our 10th Anniversary. Jennifer and Ann who were present at the very first meeting did the honours. Most of our members were there to hear Chris Waddell, the Learning Manager at RBBM, congratulate the club on its continued success.
Several new members have joined over the last few months. It’s always good to have different views and perspectives expressed during our discussions.
The club members also expressed their thanks to Evelyn (a founder member) for doing the most important task … organising the tea, coffee and scones and sending out information to members.
Gill Napier & Isobel Baird
Autumn 2023
2 Lady wizards joined our BURNS BIRTHPLACE BOOK CLUB on the 31st October to weave their magic and help to make the meeting go sweetly with lots of goodies to enjoy. A spell binding afternoon was had by all.
Autumn 2022
The Burns Cottage Book Club had a very special visitor yesterday. Santa managed to find time between his Christmas preparations and gardening duties to pop in to see the members and say Hello. On the promise of being good everyone was rewarded with a selection box and a cheery wave when he left. Many of the book club members carried on the Christmas spirit with an early festive night out to Cecchinis.
Book Club 7th Birthday
Today the Burns Birthplace Book Club celebrated its 7th Birthday in the customary style with a beautiful birthday cake. Chris Waddell RBBM’s Learning Manager came along to cut the cake wishing the Club continued success. The members thanked him for his support and taking time out of his busy schedule to join us.
Friends of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 