You live in them and die in them. You love in them and hate in them. You find yourself getting lost in them.
Before objects wing their way towards my bonce from the cheap seats, allow me to explain: I’m talking about books. B-U-K-E-S, madam.
It’s Book Week Scotland, which will see a plethora of events take place up and arguably down the country. The aim of the Week, organised by the Scottish Book Trust (SBT), is to “celebrate the transformative power of books”.
We’ve all experienced that to a degree, though it can be short-lived, rather like feeling the bliss for five minutes after a meditation class then losing the rag when you can’t find your car keys.
The key transformative experience is probably acquiring the reading habit in the first place, because thereafter it’ll take up a large part of your life. It’s a deeper experience than going to the movies, because you have to do a bit of work yourself, not least creating pictures in your cranium from the clues provided. Also, you don’t have to sit next to texting neds when you’re doing it.
SBT chief executive Marc Lambert says: “Can a book really transform the way we feel? Can it lighten your mood, ensure a better night’s sleep, steal away loneliness? This year, we are challenging Scots from all walks of life to try this miracle cure out for themselves.”
Surgeries, so to say, will be held in libraries, schools, community venues and workplaces, with authors, poets, playwrights, storytellers and illustrators ready to administer the medicine.
Highlights from the many events include an evening with Diana Gabaldon and Neil Oliver at Stirling Castle tonight, a discussion between Caro Ramsay and Neil Broadfoot as to whether Edinburgh or Glasgow is the best setting for a crime novel (Assault & Vinegar vs Assault & Sauce, Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Thursday), and a talk by thriller writer Doug Johnstone about practical matters such as getting an agent, editing and promotion (Glen Mhor Hotel, Inverness, tomorrow).
It’s all good, so put that book down and get out there.
www.scottishbooktrust.com/book-week-scotland has all times and further details about the festival, which runs from today until Sunday.
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