Book Week Scotland this November will explore the impact that literature has on our quality of life

Authors Val McDermid, Michel Faber and Diana Gabaldon are just some of the famous writers who will be taking part in this year’s Scottish Book Week events.

The celebration of reading, which takes place in the last week of November, will also see 300,000 free books given out.

Authors and other famous bibliophiles will reveal what inspires them to be readers and the public will be encouraged to submit their favourite quote.

The full programme, which was launched this week, includes hundreds free events will taking place across the country.

Can a book lighten your mood, ensure a better night’s sleep, steal away loneliness? - Marc Lambert

Scottish Book Trust (SBT), which organises the events, is also looking for people with unusual stories to tell about how reading has improved their lives.

Marc Lambert, chief executive of SBT, said: “The huge personal benefits in health and wellbeing that flow from spending just a short time each day lost within a book are now widely documented and understood. But it seems that people still remain to be convinced.

“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 – and to share their stories and results with us in a celebration of all the things books and reading can do.

“This challenge sits at the centre of Book Week Scotland, but the full programme is many and varied, and offers something for everyone on a national basis. For example we will be working in parallel with Scottish Adult Learners Week to further explore and celebrate books’ capacity to effect real, long-lasting change in people’s lives."