THE INAUGURAL INVERNESS BOOK FESTIVAL takes pride of place this month. The main festival programme unrolls at Eden Court Theatre, but with other events in bookshops and libraries around the city. HI~Arts are also making their own contribution through the Blethers event – read about the festival in out multi-strand feature.

Quarks, strangeness and charm (or, how your doctor might be writing novels in his/her spare time): ANNE MACLEOD ponders the complex relationship between her dual roles as medical practitioner and creative writer, and finds an answer to the fundamental question posed by her mischievous colleague in Stromness – why bother with books?

Festival Director JASON ROSE lays out his plans for the inaugural Inverness Book Festival in October