Cliff

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.

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

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. Annette writes: “Books have been a lifelong passion. I was lucky with my early home life as we had bookshelves in every room as well as reading with mum and dad. As a teenager, when all my friends had Saturday jobs in clothes shops like Etam, I worked in the library. Bliss! … Read more

Review: Villager

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  Westcountry-based nature writer Tom Cox’s first full-length novel is full of treats and surprises, and touches on the inter-connectedness of us all. Villager follows the history and fortunes of a fictional Devon village, spanning from its distant past to the near future. Seamlessly woven into the landscape and personalities is the influence of an obscure musician called RJ McKendree, whose talent permeates through the fabric of Underhill and resonates long after his death. Flavoured with the folklore, nature and … Read more

3 Questions With Tom Cox

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Tom Cox is a writer, journalist and broadcaster who has written many bestselling books such as 21st-Century Yokel, Help The Witch and Notebook. He lives near Dartmoor, wrangles a number of cats, and has just released his first full-length novel, Villager – You can read our review here. Question 1 – What book changed your life? My first instinct is to say something I’ve read as an adult which significantly changed my reading habits or my ideas about what I … Read more

Review: When Our Worlds Collided

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  An outstandingly powerful coming-of-age novel about chance encounters and how the choices we make create our future. The worlds of three 16 year olds, Chantelle, Jackson and Marc, collide when they witness the stabbing of 14 year-old Shaq outside of a busy shopping centre in Manchester. The three teenagers, from very different walks of life, are unexpectedly brought together when they’re the only ones who stop to help. In the aftermath they find themselves turning to each other for … Read more

What We’ve Been Reading Recently

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More recommendations this month from staff and volunteers at The Bookery – a great mixed bag of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books to tempt you with!

Shirley Hughes 1927-2022

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Thank you to our friends at Penguin Random House for permission to reproduce this tribute to Shirley Hughes, one of our most beloved children’s authors, who died in February this year at the age of 94. Shirley was an award-winning author of more than 50 children’s books, and illustrator of some 200 more, with worldwide sales of more than 11m. In addition to her own work, Shirley championed the cause of illustrators and authors, serving on the management committees of … Read more

Review: Paradais

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  Juvenile lust, desire and greed are laid bare in this quietly powerful Booker International longlisted novella. Bored teenage gardener Polo works in the ‘Paradais’ complex and in his downtime hangs out with Franco Andrade, a porn-obsessed loner who fantasises about his glamorous neighbour. When a plot is hatched to fulfill his dream, Franco enlists the drifting Polo to be his wingman…with deadly results. Told in short and arresting prose, this stark novel serves as more than just a shocking … Read more