A round up of the North East in books for 2021; It's been a busy year across the North East for both authors and bookshops -here's a round up of books either written by North East authors or set in the area.
Byline: By, Daniel Hall
Wondering what to do with the book token you got from your auntie this Christmas
There's a lot to choose from if you want to read about the North East, or support the authors who set their work here.
From one of the UK's most beloved comedians releasing their autobiography to a detective favourite making their return to yet anotherNorthumberland beauty spot, the region's authors have covered a lot of ground in 2021.
There have also been recipe books, deep dives into the geology of Northumberland and new book shops opening to give readers more choice on what to read and where to buy their books.
Here is the Chronicle's 2021 round up of the North East year in books.
Go here for more what's on updates, news and reviews from around the North East
Fiction
Though there was no new Vera Stanhope novel this year, Ann Cleeves returned in August with the Heron's Cry -the second in her Two Rivers series starring Detective Matthew Venn, which has been adapted into The Long Call forITV.
Vera author Ann Cleeves launches new 'reading for wellbeing' project
Ann also celebrated the 21st anniversary of her beloved creation Vera with a new 'reading for wellbeing' project with nine 'community reading workers' helping people with access to stories and reading across the North East.
Another detective making a return was LJ Ross's DCI Ryan, whose 18th adventure The Rock, was set around Marsden Rock near South Shields. It is the latest in a series set in some of the North East's best-known beauty spots, including Warkworth Hermitage, Holy Island, Kielder Forest and Sycamore Gap.
Ross took a break from crime to bring together authors from across the region for her anthology of short stories: Everyday Kindness on World Kindness Day in November, with proceeds going to Shelter.
Ross has been giving other writers a hand through her publishing imprint Dark Skies Publishing, with the third Lindisfarne Prize for Crime Fiction, which celebrates the work of crime and thriller writers who are from or whose work celebrates the North East,Whitley Bay author and former pizza deliverer wins prestigious North East crime novel prize.
Crime and thriller fans really were spoiled in 2021, with this genre seemingly the most popular among North East authors.
In Detective Kate Daniels' eighth outing, she received a letter from the victim whose death she would go on to investigate in Mari Hannah's Her Last Request, set in Craster. One Way Street by Trevor Wood...
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