So what did Scots have to smile about this year? When they watched Britain voting for Brexit, when they heard the constant arguments about independence, and when they saw a strangely coiffed son of a Scotswoman become President of the United States, they turned to their usual survival technique – they laughed. When they saw Rangers stumble on their road back to the top, a Scot, Andy Murray, becoming a top world sportsman, and a Scottish horse winning the Grand National, they naturally made a joke or two. And in their quieter moments they recalled the patter of street traders, how they still cannot fathom the opposite sex, and why we all go mad at the first sign of sunshine. All these and more made up The Herald’s funniest stories of the year, published every day in the newspaper’s ‘Diary’ column. And now the very best have been gathered here for you to enjoy all over again.

So, what did Scots have to smile about in 2018? The world can feel like an alarming and peculiar place – what with the antics of politicians, celebrities, sporting icons and more ordinary folk. Even so, there’s always something funny happening on the streets and in the homes of Scotland. It's lucky for us that readers of The Herald take the time to jot down those everyday chuckles that tickle their funny bone and send them into the paper’s daily Diary column. These tales might be about the gems that the younger generation come out with, the gaffes of those in power at home and abroad, the shenanigans of Scottish football or the ripostes of rocky relationships. Whatever the topic, if it makes you smile it ends up in The Diary. And now the very best of these have been gathered together so that the smiles may continue. From the political trials and tribulations of the year, sports and celebrity scandals and triumphs, and hilarious stories overheard on the street, The Herald Diary has it all, and is a perfect summary of the year.

So what did Scots have to smile about this year? In politics, parties kept on losing their leaders, some folk, not us, voted for Brexit and Donald Trump flew in to give Scots his words of wisdom. In sport Andy Murray smashed it, Rangers returned, and we watched the European Championships from afar, and in The Herald we reminisced about supporters buses, stern refs, and sexist golf clubs. Meanwhile Scots continued to muse on the damp weather, why they didn t understand their kids, how to meet the opposite sex, and going to the pub. All these and more made up The Herald s funniest stories of the year, published every day in the newspaper s Diary column. And now the very best have been gathered here for you to enjoy all over again.

In the late summer of 1942, more than ten thousand members of the First Marine Division held a tenuous toehold on the Pacific island of Guadalcanal. As American marines battled Japanese forces for control of the island, they were joined by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis. Tregaskis was one of only two civilian reporters to land and stay with the marines, and in his notebook he captured the daily and nightly terrors faced by American forces in one of World War II’s most legendary battles—and it served as the premise for his bestselling book, Guadalcanal Diary. One of the most distinguished combat reporters to cover World War II, Tregaskis later reported on Cold War conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. In 1964 the Overseas Press Club recognized his first-person reporting under hazardous circumstances by awarding him its George Polk Award for his book Vietnam Diary. Boomhower’s riveting book is the first to tell Tregaskis’s gripping life story, concentrating on his intrepid reporting experiences during World War II and his fascination with war and its effect on the men who fought it.

'Gripping . . . You won't put it down' Sunday Telegraph A shocking collection of dark stories, ranging from chilling contemporary fairytales to disturbing supernatural fiction. Alone in a remote house in Iceland a woman is unnerved by her isolation; another can only find respite from the clinging ghost that follows her by submerging herself in an overgrown pool. Couples wrestle with a lack of connection to their children; a schoolgirl becomes obsessed with the female anatomical models in a museum; and a cheery account of child's day out is undercut by chilling footnotes. These dark tales explore women's fears with electrifying honesty and invention and speak to one another about female bodies, domestic claustrophobia, desire and violence. 'A brilliant collection of stories . . . All will burrow their way into your brain and not let go' Stylist 'Shimmers with menace . . . Fans of Angela Carter and Shirley Jackson take note' i Newspaper KIRSTY LOGAN WAS SELECTED AS ONE OF BRITAIN'S TEN MOST OUTSTANDING LGBTQ WRITERS by Val McDermid for the International Literature Showcase in 2019

In uncertain times we all need a good laugh, and this brand new collection from THE HERALD DIARY is sure to help. In Purrsuit of Happiness has hundreds of strange, amusing and hilarious tales that will bring a smie to even the most grim-faced banker, politician or traffic warden. So go on, crack a smile and enjoy!

The book examines the narratives of climate change which have developed and which are currently evolving in three areas: law, fiction and activism. Narratives of climate change generated by litigants, judges, writers of fiction and activists are having, and will have, a profound effect on the way we respond to the climate change crisis. Acknowledging the prevalence of unreliable narrators, this book explores the reliability and significance of different forms of climate narrative. The author analyses overlapping themes and points of intersection, considering the recurrent motif of the trickster, the prominence of the child, the significance and ongoing viability of the rights discourse, and the increasingly prevalent emergency framing with its multiple implications for law’s empire. She asks how law, fiction and activism measure up as textual and performative fora for telling the story of climate change and anticipating a climate-changed future. And, in addition, how can they help foster transformative narratives which empower us to confront the climate change crisis? This highly topical, cross-disciplinary work will be of interest to anyone concerned about the growing climate emergency and makes a valuable contribution to climate law, environmental law, the environmental humanities and ecocriticism.