Perhaps its the dramatic scenery or perhaps our splendid isolation, but the Isle of Wight continues to provide inspiration for authors.
If you're settling in for some winter reading, here are seven books with Island links to consider adding to your bookshelves...
South Island Slaughter by Tim Cheverton
Isle of Wight-born Tim Cheverton's debut is described as a 'gripping thriller' which explores the harrowing aftermath of tragedy, as DS Cully investigates a shooting. A sequel is already planned for 2025. Tim now lives in France and worked in child protection, as well as teaching at a university.
Island references are frequent in South Island Slaughter, published by Austin Macauley and you can buy it HERE for £12.99.
Portrett i flammer by Stian M. Landgaard
Using the Isle of Wight County Press's archives for research, Stian M. Landgaard's Portrett i flammer is set on the Island in 1974. Written and published in Norwegian, it is about Arnold Krag, a painted who travels to the Isle of Wight from Oslo after his marriage breaks down.
Stian hopes it will one day be published in English.
Published by Roman, find it HERE
Ventnor in 99 Old Postcards by Ventnor and District Local History Society
Ventnor and District Local History Society’s latest publication, Ventnor in 99 Old Postcards, features postcards selected from Ventnor Heritage Centre’s extensive archive. The pictures include aerial views, the beach, carnival and fete, the Cascade, the children’s corner/boating lake, hotels, houses, pubs and more.
Society chair, Lesley Telford, said: “We are excited about this new book, which gives a unique window on Ventnor’s past and shows the value of our historical archive. It will make an ideal Christmas present for anyone with an interest in local history.”
The book is on sale through the Society’s online shop at ventnorheritage.org.uk/shop/ or from Ventnor Heritage Centre.
Jack, Thomas and the Hovercraft, by Graham Lelliott
This new children’s book is the second in a series of stories about two boys, Jack and Thomas, by author, Graham Lelliott. It tells the tale of two brothers who love an adventure and a family day out including a ride on a hovercraft.
Loretta Lale, head of commercial at Hovertravel, said their team provided photographs for the illustrators to work from and helped Graham to ensure all the facts were accurate.
She added: "Most of all, we loved the way Graham captured the excitement that we see in our customers who are flying with us for their first time.”
The book is available from https://pegasuspublishers.com/books/graham-lelliott/jack_-thomas-and-the-hovercraft
The Rift by Standish Cope
It is a historical fiction focusing on the tragic encounter of a colonial judge and his family, and a freedom fighter, and his family.
Cope was born in Kenya Colony in the early 1950s and has personal experiences of life in Kenya as an English teacher in a Harambee (self-help) rural school and a
visiting teacher of first aid homeopathy with Uzima in Our Hands.
He helped to produce a stage play of The Rift in Mombasa in 2022 as part of the celebration of 60 years of Kenyan independence.
The novel is published by Austin Macauley and is also available on Amazon Books. It will be available from Medina Bookshop from November 24.
The Piper, The Wyght Island Chronicles Part One, by Matthew Ryan
Matthew Ryan has penned an exciting new fantasy set on the Isle of Wight in the early 19th century.
When Thomas Smith and his family moved to Brading, they were hoping to have found a place they could finally call home. Unfortunately, trouble had a habit of following them.
The Smith family encounter murder, treachery, and betrayal within the small town, but this is overshadowed by an infestation of rats. The town however, had found a saviour. The one known as the Piper……or so they thought.
This is the start of a series mixing fantasy and mystery while set around historic locations on the Isle of Wight.
Available on Amazon and Kindle, and also in Medina Bookshop.
Shot in the Dark, by Anna Britton
Shot in the Dark opens on a young woman racing through a moonlit forest. She climbs a tree, believing she will be safe, but then shots ring out through the forest.
Female detectives Gabe and Juliet are tasked with hunting a killer across Southampton and the New Forest.
A lack of resources, missing forensic evidence, and suspects who won't stop lying make this their toughest case yet.
Shot in the Dark is the debut crime novel of Isle of Wight author Anna Britton and is the first in a new series.
A signing at Waterstones is on Saturday, October 28, from 11am to 1pm.
The book can be purchased at Waterstones or Medina Books.
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