Roundups point to varied new titles

A weekend books roundup in Scotland pointed readers to 10 newly reviewed titles spanning poetry, fantasy, history and memoir, a mix that cut from croft life to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. (heraldscotland.com) The list was published by *The Herald* on April 11, 2026, under the headline “10 new books reviewed: fiction, history and memoir,” and was written by columnist Rosemary Goring. Its preview line said the selections ran “from Scottish poetry and fantasy to Rasputin, Dunblane and Putin’s Russia.” (heraldscotland.com) One title named in the article was *Knockan* by Jim Carruth, published by Tapsalteerie, which *The Herald* described as “a novel in poetry” set around a croft in Assynt and a strained annual visit between a mother and daughter. Carruth is the former Glasgow Makar, the city’s poet laureate. (heraldscotland.com) The Dunblane book in the mix lands in a year of fixed public memory. March 13, 2026 marked 30 years since the Dunblane massacre, in which 16 children and teacher Gwen Mayor were killed, and *The Herald* reported that Stephen McGinty wrote *One Morning in March* to coincide with that anniversary. (heraldscotland.com) The Russia strand also fits a longer publishing cycle shaped by the war in Ukraine and renewed interest in Kremlin history. *The Herald* has previously steered readers to books on Russia and Ukraine, including Catherine Belton’s account of Putin’s rise, while current-season industry previews show history, memoir and political nonfiction remaining a major part of spring 2026 lists. (heraldscotland.com) (publishersweekly.com) The fantasy entry sits inside a broader April release calendar that trade outlets have been flagging for months. *Publishers Weekly*’s on-sale calendar for April 2026 and Waterstones’ April roundup both point to a crowded month across fiction and nonfiction rather than a single breakout genre dominating shelves. (publishersweekly.com) (waterstones.com) Scottish publishing has also been pushing that breadth as a selling point this season. Publishing Scotland’s current Spring/Summer 2026 catalogue bills itself as a showcase for “the finest writing and books being produced by Scottish publishers,” and Birlinn’s new-release page shows fresh history and literary titles arriving this month. (publishingscotland.org) (birlinn.co.uk) Poetry is part of that push, not an outlier. *Publishers Weekly*’s spring 2026 poetry preview said the season includes books responding to politics and technology as well as collections centered on place, and the Scottish Book Trust says it updates its recent-poetry list on a rolling basis as supported writers publish new work. (publishersweekly.com) (scottishbooktrust.com) What the roundup captured, more than a single trend, was the shape of one publishing week: local subjects, international history and genre fiction arriving at the same time, and being sold side by side as new-season reading. (heraldscotland.com)