I love introducing new writers based in Devon and today I'd like to give a shout out to Tina Boyd who is from Torquay Tina's debut was publlished last September and, she tells me, is not for the faint - hearted!

And that's our first #devonbookhour of 2026. Looking forward to another year of great #bookchat Thanks as always for your friendship and company. Have a great week

#DevonBookHour Kate Mosse does a great job of building both a sense of place, and strong female characters.

Well, if you like mysteries, you’ll find none better than Ian Rankin’s. Bonus: Edinburgh setting.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #devonbookhour

I'd also love to hear from @librariesunlimited.bsky.social about what plans you have for 2026 so I cvan share them here and maybe I can visit the libraries in the 10 towns that feature in my proposed 2026 bookshop crawl #devonbookhour

For our 10th birthday year I'm going to do a bit of a bookshop crawl - any of you bookshops got things going on you'd like me to celebrate? @liznojan.bsky.social @winstonesidmouth.bsky.social @harbourbookshop.bsky.social @thebookery.bsky.social and any whose account I don't have here #devonbookhour

What book did you plan to read for ages and how was it when you got there? For me The Count of MC and it's as improbable and wonderful as I hoped #devonbookhour

Am also thinking about ways of celebrating our 10th birthday year. First thought - featuring 10 independent bookshops across Devon and having a bit of a bookshop crawl - which would you nominate? If you are bookshop, give me a shout and I'll come and visit #devonbookhour

Am also thinking about ways of celebrating our 10th birthday year. First thought - featuring 10 independent bookshops across Devon and having a bit of a bookshop crawl - which would you nominate and, if you are bookshop, give me a shout and I'll come and visit #devonbookhour

First book of 2026? One Day In Teh LIfe Of Ivan Denisovich - a wonderful novella by Alexander Solzhenitsin. 5th time of reading and love it just as much. Todfay I started The Count Of Monte Cristo and am mesmerised. Why did I leave it so long? #devonbookhour

Going live with the first #devonbookhour of 2026 - who's with me this evening?

So many things to talk about on this evening's #devonbookhour. Xmas books, how you've started your new year of reading, and ideas for 10 XYZs to celebrate our 10 birthday year. Join us from 8PM for your weekly hour of bookchat.

Looking forward to catching up with everyone for our first #devonbookhour of 2026. Hope you can join me this evening from 8PM.

As everyone's so busy in this holiday season there won't be a #devonbookhour this evening. We'll be back on 5th January to catch up on your news and talk about our 10th anniversary programme for 2026. I'm ending the year with this classic. How about you? Have a great week 😀

As everyone's so busy in this holiday season there won't be a #devonbookhour this evening. We'll be back on 5th January to catch up on your news and talk about our 10th anniversary programme for 2026. I'm ending the year with this classic. How about you? Have a great week 😀

💙📚💙 #booksky The Angel Maker is set in a Devon village in Victorian times. Unmarried mother Charlotte is distraught when her aunt has her baby adopted behind her back. Will she ever see her daughter again? mybook.to/TheAngelMaker #pageturner #historicalfiction

Coming to the end of this week's #devonbookhour. Thanks as always for your friendship and company. I hope you all have a wonderful Xmas and look forward to our last 'hour' of he year next week

#devonbookhour something to do with the spirit world and the real world being close during the long winter nights. As Andy Williams said: There'll be scary ghost stories and takes of the glories Of Christmases long long ago.

“She has told everyone who can read or feel what it means to be a black man or woman in this country.” James Baldwin on Louise Meriwether’s Daddy Was a Number Runner.

@george23-smith.bsky.social Hi George. How are you and how's your reading been this last few weeks? #devonbookhour

I'm looking for ideas for our 2026 programme - themed evenings, maybe a get-together, something to resonate with our 10th birthday (which was in October) - 10 bookshops, 10 top classics, 10... what are your thoughts? #devonbookhour

Just picked up this book from my shelves. Not read @VaseemKhanUK before but have heard him speak and his books seem fun. Anyone read his books? #devonbookhour

As well as your book news, I'm keen to hear your ideas for our community in 2026. We had our 10th birthday in October so I'm keen to build on that - genres to feature, maybe an event or two, 10 best .... etc All ideas welcome #devonbookhour

@sarahward595.bsky.social Hi Sarah - good to see you online. What's happenign in your book world? #devonbookhour

@emilymedwards.bsky.social Hi Emily - thanks for responding to my post. How are things with you? #devonbookhour

Going live with this week's #devonbookhour Who's out there and ready to chat books?

Going live in 5 with this week's #devonbookhour, the penultimate bookchat hour of 2025. Join me, help finish the year in style and plan for our 2026 programme.

I'm back after nearly a month abroad. In that time my feed seems to have lost a lot of the book community. If you see this I'd love to hear from you and get my conversations back on track. And, if you are free from 8PM why not join us on this week's #devonbookhour

Thanks to @austennerd.bsky.social for helping to keep #devonbookhour active whilst I was away. I'm back now and will be back in the saddle this evening from 8PM. So much to catch up on and I want to ask for your thoughts about our programme for 2026. See you later

Hi from Thailand everyone. Just a reminder that @austennerd.bsky.social is hosting this week's #devonbookhour Hope you'll drop by on Monday from 8PM and give her your support. 🙂

I'll drop a few more reminders during the week but please do drop by #devonbookhour on 1/12 from 8PM when @austennerd.bsky.social will be hosting. I'm sure you'll give her your support and if anyone would like to host on 8th and 15th do let me know. I'm away til 22nd. 🙂

Very rarely for me, I had a dnf this week. I usually persist but just couldn't get into that book so decided to start another - Lessons In Chemistry. I know a lot of people love it so will be an airport and flight read for me tomorrow. Do you always finish a book once started #devonbookhour ?

Hi everyone. Had some log in problems tonight. I'm away now for a month but popping by this evening in case anyone is dropping in to #devonbookhour. Next week @austennerd.bsky.social has offered to host but needing volunteers after that. What's your book news this week?

Love this

@wflibraries.bsky.social Hi Wakefield - lovely to conenct with you. What's new in your area? Are you in touch with our Devon Library Service @librariesunlimited.bsky.social ?

That's our hour up folks. Thanks for your friendship and company as always. I'll see you in a few weeks (though I'll try to chip in when I can, though not in the same time zone) - and do let me know if you can host an evening while I'm away #devonbookhour

A reminder that, after tonight I will be away for 4 #devonbookhour evenings and the time difference makes it impossible for me to host whilst I'm away. I do have one or two offers for hosting but please do DM me if you might be able to do so - be godo to share it around.

Hi @marinasofia.bsky.social - I see you are online. How are you settling in? (allowing for the delay in bookshelf delivery) #devonbookhour

#devonbookhour .I have tge full collection of James's ghost stories and love Whistle And I Will Come To You My Lad. I've read them all so it will be a reread.

I've also been packing my Kindle with some wonderful books ahead of a long flight a week today - a mixure of fiction (quite a few by Japanese writers) and non-fiction. What kind of books do you like to travel with? And do you take a hard copy or e-reader? #devonbookhour

Do you need silence to read? I was just thinkingabout that and realise that, perhaps with the exception of some quiet classical music, I do always read in silence. #devonbookhour

I finished The Places In Between by Rory Stewart, which I loved. I'm now half way through The Lost Pianos of Siberia, which is also fascinating. It gives wonderful insights into Siberian history, geography and culture as well as tracking down these wonderful pianos #devonbookhour

Going live with this week's #devonbookhour. Who's online this evening and how has your reading week been?

As always on a Monday, we're live from 8 on #devonbookhour for an hour of bookchat. Wherever you are in the world, if you are a book lover join us and tell us what you are reading this week.

Calling all book lovers. Join us from 8pm for an hour of book chat.

If you are around this evening from 8Pm join me for our weekly hour of #book #chat using #devonbookhour. Book lovers from everywhere welcome - just drop by whenever you're free. Starting to think about your best books of the year so far - what stands out and why?

I see that the winner of this year's @thebookerprizes.com is Flesh by David Szalay. Congratulations to him and all the other finalists. Has anyone read it?

I just invented a new word - 'friendshaip' - really must type better. 😆 #devonbookhour

Heading towards the end of this week's #devonbookhour As always, thank you for your friendshaip and company and for all the wonderful #booktalk. See you next Monday if we don't talk before

#devonbookhour Hex was different from most horror books that I've read. A pretty terrifying plot, you're dropped into the story without knowing what's going on and gradually find out as you read.