Blog

Review: Fake

02 Jun 2022

  A timely novel about truth and deception in our digital lives by the award winning author of Boy 87 which was a huge hit with young adult readers. Imagine a world where your only friends are virtual, and big tech companies control access to food, healthcare and leisure. This is Jess’s world but when she turns fourteen, Jess can … Read more

They’ve Only Gone and Won the Double!

26 May 2022

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 … Read more

Review: Shadowlands

11 May 2022

  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 … Read more

Lost Classics Rediscovered

09 May 2022

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

06 May 2022

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 … Read more

Review: Meditations in an Emergency

03 May 2022

  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 … Read more

Feminist Book Fortnight 2022

29 Apr 2022

As part of Feminist Book Fortnight we are delighted to be hosting Dreadnought South West’s Rebellious Sounds Archive. Call into the bookshop to experience this inspiring installation during FBF22, 14th-28th May. The Rebellious Sounds Archive project presented an opportunity to commemorate, consider, share the heritage of women since the Representation of the People Act of 1918, and to recognise how women’s suffrage … Read more

Annette’s Devon Bookshelf

27 Apr 2022

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 … Read more

Review: Villager

26 Apr 2022

  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, … Read more