Month: May 2022

They’ve Only Gone and Won the Double!

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Some of you have already seen the news but if you haven’t, the most extraordinary thing happened on Monday evening… The British Book Awards, aka The Nibbies, are an annual celebration of books and everyone who brings them to life. Often described as the BAFTAs of the book world, they affirm, connect and energise all who have a hand in creating books and all who read them, by showcasing the authors and illustrators who have stirred our hearts and imaginations, … Read more

Review: Shadowlands

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  Shadowlands is an exploration of places in Britain which have disappeared – by plague, economic change and development and, most dramatically, by flood.  Matthew Green tells the stories of well known examples such as Dunwich and St Kilda as well as lost places whose histories are less familiar. They are all poignant; ruins only become ‘romantic’ long after the people have left and losses in living memory are still felt deeply by those affected.  Green writes vividly giving the … Read more

Lost Classics Rediscovered

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There’s something uniquely exciting about discovering an old novel which is revered but has been out of print, and is revived by publishers for a new generation to discover. The two recent rediscovered gems below are well worth picking up.

New Patron Sarah McIntyre

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Award-winning illustrator Sarah McIntyre to become Patron of South West Bookshop of the Year The Bookery in Crediton. Award-winning illustrator Sarah McIntyre has been announced as Patron of community-owned bookshop The Bookery, in Crediton – The British Book Awards South West Bookshop of the Year. Sarah has recently re-located to Devon following a decade of visiting her writing partner and local author Philip Reeve on Dartmoor – which has provided the inspiration for the ‘Outermost West’ location in their Roly-Poly … Read more

Review: Meditations in an Emergency

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  A welcome re-issue of an iconic classic of 1950s poetry. “It is easy to be beautiful; it is difficult to appear so. I admire you, beloved, for the trap you’ve set. It’s like a final chapter no one reads because the plot is over.” Made famous in recent years due to the TV series of both Mad Men and Normal People, Frank O’Hara’s beautiful collection survives the test of time as more than just a fashionable prop. The quiet, … Read more