In the heart of Culzean Castle’s second-hand bookshop on the rugged Ayrshire coast, a noticeboard displays a haunting collection: forgotten notes, photographs, old receipts, postcards—silent witnesses to lives once lived. These fragments of memory became the unlikely inspiration for Things Found In Books, the stunning new collaborative album from acclaimed songwriters Yvonne Lyon and Boo Hewerdine, releasing March 7, 2025.
Presented both digitally and as a beautifully crafted bespoke hardback CD book, Things Found In Books is a tribute to the ephemeral yet enduring nature of human connection. Lyon and Hewerdine, weaving together found stories with their own, create a tender, resonant body of work that captures the joy, grief, longing, and nostalgia tied to fleeting moments preserved in forgotten pages.
Both artists bring a formidable legacy to the project. Boo Hewerdine, an Ivor Novello Award-nominated songwriter, is celebrated for his work with Eddi Reader (notably the classic “Patience of Angels”) and for producing the revered Sings the Songs of Robert Burns. Yvonne Lyon, meanwhile, stands among the brightest singer-songwriters in the UK, with ten solo albums and accolades from BBC Radio legends Michael Ball and Bob Harris, who praise her music for its emotional intensity and stunning craftsmanship.
Reflecting on the album’s genesis, Lyon shares:
“Culzean’s bookshop is a place where lost stories gather. As I stood there, I felt an album forming—songs born from the lives glimpsed through handwritten notes, Post-it memories, and holiday postcards. Over seven years, Boo and I let these fragments breathe into songs that carry both our own histories and the invisible lives they left behind.”
Hewerdine echoes this sentiment:
“Each item—whether a clipping or a love letter—was once important, then abandoned. Our songs reimagine these lives, transforming forgotten tokens into new, empathetic stories. They are snapshots, not monuments—fleeting, emotional, deeply human.”
Things Found In Books captures a timeless truth: that stories, no matter how small, connect us across time and space. Through richly crafted melodies and evocative lyricism, Lyon and Hewerdine invite listeners to find echoes of their own lives in the songs’ delicate details.
The album stands as a heartfelt exploration of memory, meaning, and imagination—an extraordinary collection from two of Britain’s most beloved songwriters. As journalist Tom Morton notes, “An absolutely wonderful piece of work, beautifully packaged, highly recommended and a good reason to look forward to 2025.”
