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A review by lisamshardlow
The Clanlands Almanac: Seasonal Stories from Scotland by Graham McTavish, Sam Heughan
5.0
In The Clanlands Almanac, we join Sam and Graham (stars of the TV series Outlander and Men in Kilts) as they take a real-life road trip around Scotland. They tell us all about different special occasions and holidays that occur throughout Scotland and how people celebrate them. We learn all about historical battles, famous Scots, clans, feuds, mountains, and some embarrassing reminiscences. From First Footing to Samhain, Fringe Festival follies to whisky lore, Sam and Graham guide us through a 12-month journey full of Scottish legends, traditions, and historical and contemporary events.
Maybe I’m biased because I love Outlander and Men in Kilts, so (of course) I also love Sam and Graham. Much of the book is educational, telling the story of several historical and contemporary events, as well as what they do now to celebrate the anniversary of the events. And a lot of it is Sam and Graham just having fun. They have some great banter throughout, always teasing each other and having a laugh, which I loved. I found some of the clan feuds quite complicated to follow, but I think that was because they were mainly fighting over something silly that I didn’t understand. There were also a few parts that I laughed out loud at - the sections about Haggis, Dougal McKenzie’s cocktail list, Sam forcing Graham to do challenges that he wasn’t comfortable with, and any stories about the cast members being drunk. There were a few parts where Sam and Graham laughed out loud themselves, which made me laugh even more.
There was nothing that I didn’t love about this book. I just loved it from start to finish. It was informative as well as entertaining. So I give The Clanlands Almanac 5 out of 5 stars!
I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in or is planning a trip to Scotland, likes Outlander and/or Men in Kilts, nonfiction travel memoirs, entertaining stories, and laugh-out-loud humour.
Maybe I’m biased because I love Outlander and Men in Kilts, so (of course) I also love Sam and Graham. Much of the book is educational, telling the story of several historical and contemporary events, as well as what they do now to celebrate the anniversary of the events. And a lot of it is Sam and Graham just having fun. They have some great banter throughout, always teasing each other and having a laugh, which I loved. I found some of the clan feuds quite complicated to follow, but I think that was because they were mainly fighting over something silly that I didn’t understand. There were also a few parts that I laughed out loud at - the sections about Haggis, Dougal McKenzie’s cocktail list, Sam forcing Graham to do challenges that he wasn’t comfortable with, and any stories about the cast members being drunk. There were a few parts where Sam and Graham laughed out loud themselves, which made me laugh even more.
There was nothing that I didn’t love about this book. I just loved it from start to finish. It was informative as well as entertaining. So I give The Clanlands Almanac 5 out of 5 stars!
I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in or is planning a trip to Scotland, likes Outlander and/or Men in Kilts, nonfiction travel memoirs, entertaining stories, and laugh-out-loud humour.