Annette’s Devon Bookshelf

Annette Shaw is a freelance journalist with 30 years of experience, and has a regular column in Devon Life, sharing her pick of brilliant books with Devon connections. With her reputation for championing books and authors around the county, we’re delighted to have the opportunity to showcase her reviews here. How To Live in The Country by Tom Hodgkinson Lockdown has caused many of us to re-evaluate our lives. Pondering more self-reliance and living in closer harmony with nature, priorities have … Read more

Best of 3 – Lawrence Osborne

One of the best writers around today is Lawrence Osborne. Originally a travel writer, his modern fiction is atmospheric, gritty, and seductive – perhaps the best way to describe him is that he channels the ghost of Graham Greene, punctuated with the bite of early Ian McEwan short stories. Below are three of his best and most interesting works: The Wet And The Dry A funny and entertaining travelogue, where Osborne travels the world trying to get a drink. Moving … Read more

Review: Small Angels

  You’re all invited to a wedding. Sam and Chloe are getting married in Small Angels, the church of Sam’s childhood village. His sister Kate is along to help. But something is not happy with the imminent festivities at the edge of Mockbeggar Woods. It’s angry, manipulative and eldritch at the same time. Small Angels is a patchwork of a book. Beneath it is a general, creeping, lurking terror of what will happen on the day itself. Beneath that is … Read more

Six Great Adventure Books for Ages 7-11

Cathie – head of our schools team – shares her top picks for adventurous readers… Here are our favourite adventure books from the last few years! From time travelling with a hamster to surviving in the jungle, there is sure to be something to catch your imagination. We think these are books that you won’t be able to put down and are perfect holiday reads. Darwin’s Dragons – Lindsay Galvin A book with a difference. It’s based on fact: the … Read more