Blog

Review: The Birdcage

24 Jun 2022

  An atmospheric Cornish setting with secrets galore make this an engrossing and intriguing story. Three half-sisters, Flora, Kat and Lauren all have different mothers and the same father Charlie Finch. Charlie is an artist and his mother owned a house in Cornwall called Rock Point. They used to visit their Granny and Father in the summer holidays and the … Read more

The Women’s Prize 2022

16 Jun 2022

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s most prestigious annual book award celebrating & honouring fiction written by women. This year’s winner was announced as The Book Of Form And Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. Our review is below, along with the rest of the very strong shortlist from this year. Ozeki’s latest breathtaking novel encapsulates grief, mental illness and … Read more

Review: The Big Goodbye

14 Jun 2022

  Sam Wasson revisits one of the most pivotal moments in American film history – the making of Chinatown. 1974’s Chinatown, which starred Jack Nicholson and was directed by Roman Polanski, is widely regarded as a turning point in both the style and method of filmmaking in America. Behind the scenes of this groundbreaking motion picture though is a story … Read more

Annette’s Devon Bookshelf

13 Jun 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.With her reputation for championing books and authors around the county, we’re delighted to have the opportunity to showcase her reviews here.   Tea At The Palace By Carolyn Robb No doubt Devon will … Read more

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