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Sponsored by Dartmouth Community Bookshop Book Review
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR W
ho doesn’t love a cheesy, Christmas movie? However, if you’re looking for something with a
little more shelf-life than a festive themed read this is the perfect time to settle down with something enlightening, enduring and maybe even a little chilling. The Stone Chamber (Piatkus) sees the return of bestselling DI Wesley Peterson. The Tradmouth (spot the connection!) detective must solve the mystery of
by Emma Jones
Seasonal Guide to 2022 (published by Gaia) and written by Lia Leendertz. This pocket-sized guide is divided into the 12 months with a set of tables providing practical information on the outdoors and the seasons. With features on each month’s unique nature, such as the meteor shower of the month, beehive behaviour, folklore, seasonal recipes and charts tracking moon phases and tides this is perfect as a gift or one to have on hand at
the execution-style murders of a couple at their Devon countryside home. Alongside a series of unexplained deaths Peterson uncovers a possible link with the recent discovery of a skeleton buried in a sealed chamber as well as connections to a former asylum on Dartmoor. The detective must solve the puzzle before anyone else meets a terrible end. The author Kate Ellis is renowned for weaving past and present storylines incorporating history and archaeology against her Devon backdrop so expect twists, turns, malice and deception in this haunting and atmospheric read. A sense of adventure and an eye for detail are
paramount in the recently published SBS Silent Warriors: The Authorised Wartime History (Harper Collins) by historian Saul David. This history of the ultra-secretive unit was written with exclusive access to the special forces archive and charts the history of the world’s first maritime special operations unit founded in 1940. The SBS started as a small and inexperienced outfit that leaned heavily on volunteers’ raw courage and boyish enthusiasm. However, armed with only limited resources they succeeded in destroying enemy ships and infrastructure, landing secret agents, tying up enemy forces, spreading fear and uncertainty, and, most importantly, preparing the ground for D-Day and helping to make an Allied victory possible. Informative, thrilling and gripping as any work of fiction this is “… an accomplished act of storytelling …. a book about big personalities, adventurers and inventors... a book that gladdens the heart, but also makes you think about the nature of sacrifice.” The Times Nature writing seems set to continue in popularity so why not get in on the year ahead with The Almanac: A
home for camp nights, beach trips or expeditions away. If you are looking for a present for a little one, look
out for The Night The Moon Went Missing (Dorling Kindersley). This is the latest creation by Devon author and illustrator Brendan Kearney and tells the story of a little girl’s search to find the missing moon. Space can be lonely, so Moon likes to watch people down on Earth. There’s just one problem: when Sun is out, everybody on Earth is happy to see him, but when Moon is out, everyone goes to sleep. This makes Moon upset. What Moon doesn’t know is that little Lucy loves to look up at Moon, and one clear night she sees that Moon has disappeared. Can Lucy find the Moon? This colourful, captivating and engaging tale carries the underlying message about how valuable everyone is and why the moon is so important to our lives – a perfect bedtime story. I was drawn to My Mess is a Bit of a Life not just by the
colourful cover but mainly as it’s written by screenwriter and producer Georgia Pritchett. She really is at the top of her game, winning awards for television shows including Succession, Miranda, Veep, The Thick of It…the list goes on. However, what you might not know is that alongside her professional success she is one of the many who deals daily with crippling anxiety. This memoir, written in a form of vignettes is a joyful reflection on just how to live - and sometimes even thrive (sometimes not) - with anxiety. Alongside her worries of becoming a woman and being a parent, she touches on childhood worries about monsters under beds. It is touching, laugh out loud, entertaining as well as underlining how normality can be hilarious and fun - truly a breath of fresh air.
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