In early April, Scotland - and indeed people all over the world - received some devastating news: the Edinburgh Festivals were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Like so many events this year, the Festivals would not be making an appearance.

This was terrible news in itself, but to me it felt somehow unnatural.

Let me explain; there are so many merits to the Festivals - but the feature that sticks out the most, more than popularity, eccentricity, or even the wave of excitement that spills over Edinburgh each summer, are their reliability. The Festivals come back year after year in a seemingly never ending encore. It doesn't cancel. And yet, in 2020, this year that seems to be trying to prove its outrageousness to history in the most horrible of ways, the Edinburgh Festivals were cancelled. The Edinburgh International Book Festival, an off-shoot with a massive following of its own (this author included) was, of course, also cancelled. Before the 15th of August, it seemed a resigned fact that the Book Festival would not exist until next year; then, technology came to the rescue.

I am pleased to be able to say that the Edinburgh International Book Festival is now functioning via the internet, up until the end of August. Unbelievably, the quality is almost as brilliant as always, despite the physical distance. There are talks by a plethora of profoundly amazing writers, a packed schedule, and although there are no book signings, there is a very accessible virtual bookshop. So many books, so little time! At the time of writing I have only been to a handful of events, but each of them has been absolutely worth it and I have come away with so many new ideas and so much more knowledge. The issues discussed are all contemporary, fascinating and expertly addressed.

To conclude, I would recommend the virtual Edinburgh International Book Festival to everyone who enjoys books and/or interesting discussions. As the director of the Book Festival says, the most fundamental thing in these strange times is to keep exploring our world through books and writing - to keep the conversation going.

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For this year programme of virtual events, go to: https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/