First Draft Books

These May releases are deeply immersive, transportive stories. It's as if they know that we're getting a bit of wanderlust. Let's see where they are taking us. . 🌍 Birdlands by Anthony McGowan - three birds, with individual struggles, unite to find a new home [ages 8+] 🌍 Cathedrals by Claudia Pineiro, translated by France Riddle - a family saga about harms done in the past finding their way to the present; Claudia does human-centered crime stories extremely well 🌍 John of John by Douglas Stuart - family expectations weigh on a father-son relationship in the outer reaches of Scotland 🌍 The Savage Landscape by Cal Flyn - ten voyages into wilderness around the world, examining what nature is without humans 🌍 Homebound by Portia Elan - a young woman is left a video game by her uncle to finish in 1980s America, which forges a surprising connection to four bold women across time and space 🌍 Autobiography of Cotton by Cristina Rivera Garza, translated by Christina MacSweeney - a fictionalised social history-meets-biography of her grandparents' lives working a brittle landscape on the US-Mexico border . I'll be talking about these throughout May on here and in the shop(s). So do stop by and have a chat. And, of course, it's also the month of The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. And new Sharon Blackie. And even the next installment of Dream Harbor romances. You've gotta get over here. . You can find out more about each of these books and pick up the e-book or audiobook through the links in the bio. . Happy reading, one and all! .

May's upon us. And what a packed calendar of bookish delights we have for you, with events in Bovey, Ashburton, Moreton & Torquay! . * 1 May - Book Talk: Holly Watt brings her band new thriller, The Good Listener, to Bovey [Free] * 5 May - Book Club: The Junior Book Club at Bovey Library digs into the beautiful Tyger by SF Said [Free] * 6 May - Supper Club: the sold-out From Page to Plate in Moreton combines food from The Van du Pain team & discussion inspired by Leila Slimani's The Country of Others (translated by Sam Taylor) [£20 pp] * 9 May - Film Series: The Reel Earth series is back with Six Inches of Soil at Bovey Paradiso, with Climate Action: Bovey & Heathfield [£10 pp] - book via @boveyparadiso * 12 May - Book Club: The Curious Readers Club meets up to talk about Idle Grounds amongst each other and with author Krystelle Bamford [£5 pp] * 13 May - Book Talk: Poppy Okotcha joins us to talk about how gardens shape us and her new-to-paperback A Wilder Way [Free] * 13 May - Writing Social: our monthly gathering for writers to write together [Free] * 19 May - Book Talk: Nicola Garrard swings by Bovey to talk with teens & adults about her YA novel & growing up in a working class, rural Devon town [Free] * 20 & 21 May - Reading Social: our monthly silent book clubs are back in Bovey & Torquay * 27 May - Book Talk: it's dragon-based, half-term fun with children's author Jenny Moore in Ashburton [Free] . Find details about all of these events in our bio links or at /events/. . See you out there, dear readers!

Friends, we're doing a thing! First Draft Books and Grace & Favour Home are teaming up on a new collaborative pop-up in Ashburton! From this Saturday (11 April), we welcome you to First & Favour at 9A West Street. . For the next three months (and longer if you like us!), you'll find our unique mix of books for all readers and British-made design in Ashburton. We can't wait to get to know our neighbours better. . And don't worry, Bovey, we're not leaving you! It'll be business as usual at 54 Fore Street. . So, see you at First & Favour this Saturday from 10am! Tell your Ashburton friends!! 💕

I can’t quite believe what I’m about to announce … folk legend Steve Knightley is going to be our special guest on Tuesday 19th May @firstdraftdevon Bovey Tracey - and what’s more, he’s going to sing a couple of his songs. My dad took me to a #showofhands gig when I was 14. That same night, I immediately started learning Exile. The message blew me away and shaped my belief in the power of protest writing and social commentary to build empathy. I went on to teach refugees in London and volunteer in Calais. The teenage me - a kid from the Devon sticks who’d never met anyone from anyone further away than Ashburton’s exchange town in Brittany - was shaped by Steve’s powerful words and music. Thank you, @steveknightleyofficial I can’t wait to meet you. There may be tears. @oldbarnbooks

Books that won't weigh you down. Physically at least. We can't avoid the emotional weight. . ✨️ The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman - a feminist classic about a woman on the brink ✨️ The Day of the Owl by Leonardo Sciascia, translated by Archibald Colquhoun & Arthur Oliver - a Sicilian detective meets a wall of silence when investigating a crime ✨️ Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff - enemies-to-lovers romance where tabloid fodder mixes with a long-brewing rivalry ✨️ The Baby is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite - a story about parenthood and playboys ✨️ A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated by Mark Hutchinson - the life of a woman is pieced together by her friends . So light you could cart the whole lot around in one tote! Happy on-the-move reading! .

Curious Readers! Our next book club choice has been announced. We will be reading Camilla Barnes' funny, heartfelt family drama: The Usual Desire to Kill. . Come along on 30 June 2026 from 7pm to chat about the book with fellow readers. Camilla will then join us at 8pm from France for a virtual Q&A. Teas & biscuits will be flowing. . It's £5 to join this edition of the Curious Readers Club. Plus, you'll get 10% off the book (RRP: £9.99) in the Bovey shop. . Get full details, including a peek at the book, through the links in the bio or at /events/. . Camilla's photo credit: Véronique Taupin .

✨️GIVEAWAY✨️ . On 12-14 June 2026, we will be back at the wonderful Craft Festival Bovey Tracey with a stall of colourful, practical, inspiring arts & crafts books. We want to see you there! . To celebrate this Very Big Weekend, we are giving away two one-day tickets to our community (value: £10 each). These tickets will grant you entry on the Friday, Saturday or Sunday of @craftfestival . That means a full day exploring the marquee packed with incredible artisans, enjoying live music and delicious food, loads of talks & demonstrations with @heritagecrafts , kids' activities and more. Check out /Bovey-Tracey/ for full event details. . To enter to win this pair of tickets, comment CRAFT below by 5pm BST on 19 May 2026. . Ts&Cs: ✅️ You must be able to collect the tickets from the Bovey bookshop location by 1 June 2026 ✅️ One entry per person ✅️ Winners will be selected at random by a draw on 19 May after entries close ✅️ Tickets are not for resale ✅️ This giveaway runs at the sole discretion of First Draft Books . Thanks so much to the festival organisers for gifting us these tickets so that we might give them away. . If you don't want to leave your tickets to chance, you can book online through the Craft Festival website right now! Don't miss out - it's such a brilliant, vibrant, community-oriented weekend. Really something for everyone. I can't wait to see you there! . May the odds be ever in your favour! .

Happy one month birthday to First & Favour, our sweet little pop-up collab at 9A West Street in Ashburton. The mash-up of First Draft Books' independent bookshop and Grace & Favour Home's British-made goods is settling in nicely. . Thanks to everyone who has stopped by to browse, buy, wish us well and spread the word. We've loved seeing some Bovey regulars on their home turf and making lots of new friends. . Here's a little peek at what you've been picking up in the shop. Bestsellers that match this new place. But just like Bovey, you all love local! . Cards! Devon & Dartmoor bags! Adventuremice & Rock Idols! Graphic novels!! Emsworthy soaps! . We can't wait to see what the next month brings. . May will bring our FIRST Ashburton book event with the lovely & talented @jennymoorewrites - a dragon-themed half-term book extravaganza for ages 7+ on 27 May. It's free to join! Just let us know you're coming by saving a seat through the Event links or at /events/. . See you soon! And thanks so much for the warm welcome. .

From Page to Plate is a full sensory experience. If only you could smell those tagines, hear that book chatter, pull apart those pita through IG. Alas, you gotta be there! . Thanks to the very talented Liz and Laurent @thevandupain for whisking us off to Morocco while we discussed Leïla Slimani's The Country of Others (translated by Sam Taylor). . So why not join us for the next literary supper club on 5 August in Moretonhampstead. We will be talking about The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. And enjoying a meal inspired by its Sri Lankan setting. . Tickets are £22 and include a two-course meal plus book chat starter questions. Book in through the Event links in the bio. Bon appétit! .

As much as I'd love to, I cannot read every book that comes my way. Fortunately, I know some people who like to read, too. My fabulous Community Readers have stepped up to help me once again when ARCs arrived this month. . Here are three books out now or on their way and what these three plucky readers had to say about them. . 📖 Helen enjoyed Ana Kinsella's Frida Slattery As Herself for its realistic portrayal of the arts and the (engaging but flawed) people getting by within it [out May 2026] 📖 Sophie liked but didn't love Helen Scheuerer's The Shadow Prince, despite its good world-building and action [out May 2026] 📖 Fiona got sucked into Araminta Hall's Unreliable Narrator but got a bit annoyed by it all [out now] . So there you go. Three readers giving three real takes. Thanks to Helen, Sophie, Fiona and all of the Community Readers who have helped us keep on top of the books. You can find all of the Community Readers' reviews so far through the Book links in the bio. . If you give one of these a go, let us know what you think. Agree, disagree? Do tell! .

Some places just feel special the moment you walk in… 💜 @gracefavourhome is one of those rare independent shops where everything has clearly been chosen with care…no mass-produced feel, just genuinely unique pieces you won’t see everywhere else. And just when you think you’ve seen it all… tucked around the back is a tiny bookshop, @firstdraftdevon 📚 It’s the kind of place you go in for ‘a quick look’ and leave with something you absolutely love. If you’re near Bovey Tracey or exploring the area soon, this one’s DEFINITELY worth a visit! #SupportSmallBusiness #HiddenGemsUK #BookshopFinds #DevonLife #BoveyTracey

How does fiction build empathy and understanding? Nicola Garrard has some ideas. . Join us at First Draft books in Bovey on 19 May from 6:30-8pm to talk about On the Edge, her wonderful YA book that was nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing 2026. . It's a story that dives into the realities of working class lives in rural Devon towns. That explores how young people's lives can be built on uneven ground. That gives us complex characters in beautiful, familiar landscapes. . Following the talk, you can ask your questions to Nicola. She will hang out after to sign books and chat. . This is a free, ticketed event for teens & adults. Please save your seat through the EventBrite link in the bio. You can also reserve a copy of the book during your registration. See you there for what is certain to be a thought-provoking chat. .