Book Week Scotland, which is about to launch its second annual series of events, came to life several years ago on a Sunday night in the lounge of an Edinburgh hotel.
While I was picking at an undercooked risotto, and wondering whether or not to send it back, novelist Allan Massie suggested that it would be a good idea to have a week dedicated to promoting the work of Scottish writers and books. The other diners that evening were fellow members of the literature working group, charged with coming up with suggestions for the Culture Minister of ways in which literature should be funded under Creative Scotland, once it was in place. Of the many ideas our report put forward, Massie's is still, to the best of my knowledge, the only one that has been implemented.
I doubt even he, however, would have foreseen the gusto with which his remark has been picked up. Put into the hands of Scottish Book Trust, this week-long jamboree is still in its infancy, but as plans for this autumn's events suggest, it is a lively young thing and, one suspects, set to get even more so. Hyperactive would be my prediction by the time it is three.
Running from Monday November 25 to Sunday December 1, Book Week Scotland comprises more than 400 events Scotland-wide, for all age groups and tastes. Some sessions will be fairly traditional. In Lerwick library, for example, Denise Mina will be speaking about her crime novels before local author Douglas Sinclair digs deep into Shetland's past to reveal some real-life crimes from the area (Tuesday, 7-8pm).
Other events, however, are what you might call off-the-wall. Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery, for instance, is hosting Wee Small Hours, an overnight pyjama party on Friday night (10pm-6am), with writers, artists and musicians entertaining the flannel brigade and keeping them awake until dawn breaks. In Kirkcaldy's Mercat Shopping Centre on Tuesday (11am-3.30pm) artist Isabell Buenz will be transforming books into keepsakes and paper sculptures, while in Aberdeen on Thursday (Bucksburn Community Library, 1.45-2.45pm) the creators of the charming Metaphrog stories about little Louis will talk about the graphic novel, and encourage readers to see how they could create their own characters.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the country, in Duns Library (Wednesday, 7.15-8.15pm), Peter Kerr, author of Snowball Oranges and other comic memoirs, will be speaking about his life as an orange farmer in Mallorca, no doubt igniting sparks of envy as he does so. Perhaps my favourite, though, is Santa's Lost Letter (The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, Saturday, 1-4.30pm), which is a workshop for children where they can sing, play instruments, and play with props and puppets as they help get a pile of overlooked letters to Santa in his northerly outpost. If they succeed in that, and I suspect they will, the Post Office should look to its laurels.
Coming as it does under Scottish Book Trust's umbrella, it's no surprise that there is a strong emphasis on children's reading. In fact, as part of this week's treats, all Primary 1 pupils will receive three free picture books. To balance the scales there is also a free book on offer for adults. Treasures is a collection of reflections on a favourite object that is of deep sentimental value, be it a tea caddy or a rucksack. Written by well-known authors and those who have never been in print before, this pocket-sized paperback is ideal for dipping into: 150,000 copies will be on offer in bookshops, VisitScotland visitor centres, the RVS network and libraries.
Interestingly, Scots seem to be more appreciative of libraries than the rest of the UK. A poll by the Carnegie UK Trust last year showed that 76% of us believe they are essential, and 61% of us used them last year, compared with 40% in Northern Ireland, 50% in England, 45% in Wales and 51% in Ireland. Hearteningly these figures also show that only a few Scots say they never read books - a mere 12%. Our favourite genres are, not very surprisingly, thrillers, crime and historical fiction.
What is unexpected, though, is the number who say that they consider themselves slow readers. Just over a fifth of us (21%) fall into that category. Of course, one person's idea of slow is another's amphetamine rush. I admit that despite reading being a large part of my job, I am not nearly as swift as I'd like to be, yet in some ways reading slowly allows you to read fully, and as the writer would wish. Speed reading, to my mind, is a means by which to absorb the gist of a book, but to miss entirely its mood and tempo. That said, for those whose tortoise pace is torture, spoiling a good book because it takes so many weeks to get through it, there is evidence that reading more frequently increases one's facility. Yet whatever gear you read in, the most important thing to remember is that reading is not and never should be a competitive sport. That, in fact, is one of its great pleasures.
For details of all events, go to www.bookweekscotland.com. See Monday's Herald for details of a competition to win £1500's worth of books for a primary or secondary school of your choice
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