Arcadia Scotland

This year, Book Week Scotland (18-24 November) is organised around the theme of the fantastic Scottish word ‘blether’.

blether/ˈblɛðə/ n. a person who chatters incessantly; idle talk, v. to engage in idle talk, to chatter; C16 from Old Norse blathra, from blathr nonsense.

The week is an annual celebration of books and reading, and there are pop-up events all around the country (with author talks, book sales and book swaps) and a four-part podcast.

As this is International Year of Indigenous Languages, the Scottish Book Trust invited the public to vote on their favourite Scottish word. The winning word,  announced this week, will be chosen from a shortlist that includes ‘beastie’, ‘bumfle’, ‘eeksie-peeksie’, ‘sitooterie’ and ‘wheesht’. (Look them up here!)

You don’t have to be in Scotland to take part, of course! Wherever you are in the world this week, why not swap one of your best-loved titles for that of a classmate? Or buy a book to gift someone this festive season? Or maybe just meet up with a friend in a bookshop café for a right good blether?