Author Archives: Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

About Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

I'm the Librarian for the Kinrowan Estate. I do love fresh brewed teas, curling, English mysteries and will often be playing Scandinavian or Celtic  music here in the Library here in Kinrowan Hall if the Neverending Session is elsewhere. I'm a violinist too, so you'll me playing in various contradance band such as Chasing Fireflies and Mouse in the Cupboard as well as backing my wife Catherine up on yearly Christmas season tours in the Nordic countries.

What’s New for the 16th of April: Matty Groves as done by Sandy Denny, Mushroom Hunting, Michael Kaluta, Shane McGowan, some books that touch on the American Pastime, Norwegian folk, a Swiss classical take on American music, The Weavers, Federal Music Project, and more

Posted on 16th April 2023 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Conspiracy theories are really attractive. Figuring out patterns is one of the things that gets your brain to give you a nice dose of chemical reward, the little ping of dopamine and whatever else that keeps you smiling. As a … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 2nd of April: Kaiju preservation, Francesca Lia Block; lots of Alan Moore; Celtic music, organ jazz trios, West Coast jazz, and meld of American exotica, minimalist jazz, and Middle Eastern modes

Posted on 2nd April 2023 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

I sipped my own coffee, heavy on the sugar and cream, trying to make up for the late work the night before. Caffeine and sugar, the two basic food groups. — Anita Blake in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Cerulean Sins No, it’s not … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Our Rooms

Posted on 29th January 2023 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Kinrowan Hall’s a vast sprawling estate going back far longer than one would suspect and it’s been added onto more often than perhaps was for the better. What that means is that we who are staff here each have private … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 22nd of January: Lots of mysteries; ambient music, jazz, Norwegian Americana, and lots of English folk rock; live yoiking; and comfort food

Posted on 22nd January 2023 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Happiness, in the land of Deals, is measured on a sliding scale. What makes you happy? A long white silent car with smoked-glass windows, with a chauffeur and a stocked bar and two beautiful objects of desire in the back … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 27th of November: sf, mysteries, and an sf mystery; Finnish light jazz and tango, plus music of a leftover nature; autumnal gardening, Oysters with June Tabor; and rhubarb wine?

Posted on 27th November 2022 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Sometimes, she reflected, she dressed for courage, sometimes for success, and sometimes for the consolation of knowing that whatever else went wrong, at least she liked her clothes. — Eddi in Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks We’ve got our first snow here … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Of Puppets and Their Masters (A Letter to Anna)

Posted on 20th November 2022 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Dear Anna, I was lusting after a wee dram of Laphroig very late one night as I wasn’t sleeping well so I got dressed, left my sweet wife sleeping, and made my way to the Pub. As you know, it … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 13th of November: SF from G. Willow Wilson, R F Kuang, Emery Robin, Everina Maxwell, Larry Niven, and some detective fiction; Persepolis; Vonnegut-inspired jazz, English and Welsh folk music, Balkan music; truly bad candy; some Tolkieniana, and more

Posted on 13th November 2022 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Every book tells a different story to the person who reads it. How they perceive that book will depend on who they are. A good book reflects the reader, as much as it illuminates the author’s text. — Charles de Lint’s The … Continue reading →

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What’s New for the 30th of October: Spooks galore! Stephen King, Ellen Datlow, William Gibson; Halloween on screen; bad Dracula; Singing Bones, Metallica on cellos, scary chocolates and more

Posted on 30th October 2022 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Tom Skelton shivered. Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows’ Eve. Everything seemed cut from soft black velvet or gold or orange … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Staging Shakespeare

Posted on 9th October 2022 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Come in! Glad you got here in time for some theatre tonight. Let’s drop your kit off in the room you’re staying in for the next fortnight before heading out. It shouldn’t surprise you at all that we do theatre … Continue reading →

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A Kinrowan Estate story: Chasing Fireflies

Posted on 25th September 2022 by Iain Nicholas Mackenzie

Come on in, you’re just in time! We haven’t started yet… don’t just stand there in the doorway, come in, come in! We have a contradance planned for tonight. I’m Kate, one of the assistant cooks here, but I’m also … Continue reading →

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