Hats off to the organisers of Book Week Scotland. There are some really brilliant events this year and most of them are free. Thanks to the Scottish Book Trust, to the various library services and anyone else involved for coming up with a wide-ranging and interesting set of authors.
This morning I picked up my tickets for the very tasty looking Urban Noir Showcase in Haddington on 24th November at 7:00pm. It features Stuart Neville, Arne Dahl and Eva Dolan. It's a stellar line-up and I'm really looking forward to hearing what they have to say. If you're in the area and have any doubts about the quality of this one, the library has stocked up on books by the trio and there's plenty of time to do some research.
If you're keen to take the evening further, for just £6 you can get extend things by going along to a local hotel for a coffee and a chat with the writers. I'm not sure I'm able to go there yet, or whether I might just be a little too shy, but it's a bargain without any shadow of a doubt.
Another of my picks would be one of the Ed James in conversation with Len Wanner sessions. It promises to be a very informative and interesting event and it's on twice if that helps with diary dates. Ed James is the author of the hugely successful Scott Cullen series and Len Wanner has written the guide to all things related to Scottish crime fiction, Tartan Noir and published by Freight Books.
Ann Cleeves and Lin Anderson add weight to the lineup of the week and if you're a mum or a gran who likes to write, Dunbar's very own Hannah Lavery has a workshop you might well be interested in down at North Berwick.
You can find more details of these events and other gems at this link.
Another outstanding time can be had in the company of Douglas Lindsay as he discusses The Legend Of Barney Thomson. Barney is the hairdresser at the centre of a series of books published by Blasted Heath and the movie The Legend Of Barney Thomson was the opener at the Edinburgh International Film Festival earlier this year. This one's at Edinburgh's Central Library at 7:00pm on Friday 27th November. More details of that here.
More icing on the cake comes in the form of a screening of Get Carter at the Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, on this occasion introduced by Ian Rankin. What a great pairing that is.
Basically, it's a week you should take part in if you're able. I'm only skimming the surface with these picks and have probably missed off a whole load of crackers (more research required by me). You can indulge yourself in many different ways, no matter what your taste in books. Make sure you check it out. The whole thing's on Facebook, so if you can access that there are no excuses.
Enjoy.
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