Cliff

Review: The Romantic

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  Superstar author William Boyd is back, telling the story of a rich and varied life well lived. Cashel Ross, an orphan brought up in Cork, navigates his way through the early 19th century touched by major events and significant figures – he survives Waterloo, he travels Europe and socialises with romantic poets, and crosses the Atlantic to become a brewer. Although the life of one man, the history he lives touches on universal truths and deeply held values. William … Read more

Kev’s Shelf Obsession: Marian Keyes

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Kev McCready is a writer, born in Liverpool but now living in Devon. Always with his nose in a book and a cuppa brewing. A fanatical reader since the age of five, Kev has a collection of bookmarks as esoteric as his bookshelves… It’s easy to dismiss Marian Keyes work as romantic fluff and you would be foolish to do so. Her books are a delicate balancing act of dry wit; combined with big issues addiction, mental illness, domestic violence … Read more

Annette’s Devon Bookshelf

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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

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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

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  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

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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

Kev’s Shelf Obsession: Iain Banks

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Kev McCready is a writer, born in Liverpool but now living in Devon. Always with his nose in a book and a cuppa brewing. A fanatical reader since the age of five, Kev has a collection of bookmarks as esoteric as his bookshelves… Iain Banks occupies a peculiar place in literature. His contemporary novels have a dark, oxymoronic moral coating of sex, violence and morality. There is a very manichiestic sense of what is what is right and wrong; but … Read more

8 Of The Best YA Books About Growing Up

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A fascinating selection hand-picked by our Work Experience teen: Amelie! “This is a selection of our favourite young adult books that focus of growing up and exploring the world around us. They are about teenagers from all walks of life and range from fantasy to real life, and are guaranteed to be gripping reads!” Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenez Aristotle is 14 when he when he meets Dante, a scrawny boy who … Read more

Why Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks Could Get Your Child Reading

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One of the most successful run of children’s books in the 1980s were the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series. Heavily influenced by the Dungeons & Dragons craze at the time, these activity ‘novels’ allowed the reader to shape their own destiny and navigate their way through a story making decisions along the way (and usually fighting monsters!). Perfect for reluctant readers, this hybrid style of book and game was very fashionable and spawned many imitators. Like most crazes though, they gradually … Read more

Annette’s Devon Bookshelf

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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. Breakpoint by T. Orr Munro Set in Devon. Tick. Author lives on site so to speak. Tick. Unsettlingly creepy. Most definitely. And the cover has that air of seaside scenic allure … Read more