Love North Cornwall Fairies And Legends? Readers share 89 books like North Cornwall Fairies And Legends...

By Enys Tregarthen,

Here are 89 books that North Cornwall Fairies And Legends fans have personally recommended if you like North Cornwall Fairies And Legends. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Jamaica Inn

Kat Hausler Author Of What I Know About July

From my list on sleuths who have enough problems without a mystery to solve.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to see complicated characters rising to the occasion. People in real life generally have a lot going on just handling the day-to-day, and they aren’t waiting around for adventure, romance, or mystery to find them. It feels very human to me to see characters struggling with more mundane things like social situations, worrying about their appearance, or holding down a job, rather than only focusing on the plot arc, and that’s the type of character I also focus on as a writer. My latest protagonist, Simon, definitely has enough problems without a missing-person case to solve, so he may be what got me thinking of this topic. 

Kat's book list on sleuths who have enough problems without a mystery to solve

Kat Hausler Why did Kat love this book?

I have always loved literary thriller queen Daphne Du Maurier's complex and resilient characters, and Mary Yellan is no exception. Everything’s looking pretty miserable for her after her mother’s death forces her to give up the family farm and her hometown to live in a creepy inn with her miserable aunt and aggressive drunk of an uncle.

So I really enjoy how brave and resourceful she is in getting past violence, danger, miserable living conditions, a desolate setting, and bad taste in men to find out whether something more sinister than smuggling is going on at the empty inn.   

By Daphne du Maurier,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Jamaica Inn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After the death of her mother, Mary Yellan crosses the windswept Cornish moors to Jamaica Inn, the home of her Aunt Patience. There she finds Patience a changed woman, downtrodden by her domineering, vicious husband Joss Merlyn. The inn is a front for a lawless gang of criminals, and Mary is unwillingly dragged into their dangerous world of smuggling and murder. Before long she will be forced to cross her own moral line to save herself.


Book cover of A Year of Marvellous Ways

Anna Chorlton Author Of Cornish Folk Tales of Place: Traditional Stories from North and East Cornwall

From my list on capturing the magic of Cornwall.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to write about the places, folklore, nature, and above all the magic of Cornwall. I have lived in Cornwall most of my life, I learned to crawl along the rockpools of Cornish beaches and I went to school in a moorland village. Now, I live on the edge of Bodmin Moor and write in the Cornish wilds, I live close to both the moors and the sea. I began writing for Cornish folklore project Mazed in 2013 and I have been retelling Cornish Folk Tales and writing poetry and stories inspired by Cornish folklore ever since. 

Anna's book list on capturing the magic of Cornwall

Anna Chorlton Why did Anna love this book?

Ninety-year-old Marvellous is a river goddess, her whole being is immersed in a Cornish creek, she lives in a caravan beside the water and loves a swim.

Marvellous lives on in my imagination. Nature is an organic part of the novel, time and seasons move with the tide; the reader knows it is spring because the ransoms (wild garlic) are out. I love rivers, they wind their way into my own writing, West Looe River is often my muse as a poet. 

I met Sarah Winman when I stumbled upon her book signing at my local bookshop. I only had enough money to buy Marvellous Ways or shoes to wear to an awards ceremony that evening. I realized no one would notice my old shoes so I bought the book and loved every page.

By Sarah Winman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Year of Marvellous Ways as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A YEAR OF MARVELLOUS WAYS is the unforgettable and completely captivating new novel from Sarah Winman, author of the international bestseller WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT.

Marvellous Ways is eighty-nine years old and has lived alone in a remote Cornish creek for nearly all her life. Lately she's taken to spending her days sitting on a mooring stone by the river with a telescope. She's waiting for something - she's not sure what, but she'll know it when she sees it.

Drake is a young soldier left reeling by the Second World War. When his promise to fulfil a dying…


Book cover of Cornish Folk Tales

Anna Chorlton Author Of Cornish Folk Tales of Place: Traditional Stories from North and East Cornwall

From my list on capturing the magic of Cornwall.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to write about the places, folklore, nature, and above all the magic of Cornwall. I have lived in Cornwall most of my life, I learned to crawl along the rockpools of Cornish beaches and I went to school in a moorland village. Now, I live on the edge of Bodmin Moor and write in the Cornish wilds, I live close to both the moors and the sea. I began writing for Cornish folklore project Mazed in 2013 and I have been retelling Cornish Folk Tales and writing poetry and stories inspired by Cornish folklore ever since. 

Anna's book list on capturing the magic of Cornwall

Anna Chorlton Why did Anna love this book?

Cornish Folk Tales takes the reader on a journey into the heart of Cornish Storytelling.

I have listened to Mike O’Connor many times and he is a master storyteller. I love the Cornish Droll telling tradition; droll tellers went from place to place telling tales for a bed and a bite to eat. The narrators of Cornish Folk Tales, blind droll teller Anthony James and his guide young Jamie are a perfect combination.

Mike O’Connor, through Anthony tells the tales with anecdotes, music, history, and Cornish language. This book taught me how to approach folklore retelling in an accessible way.

Reading I felt myself beside the firesides of Cornwall, listening to tales of dragons, mermaids, giants, and saints; puzzling over riddles, and learning about Cornish traditions and music

By Mike O'Connor,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cornish Folk Tales as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The ancient land of Cornwall is steeped in mysterious tradition, proud heritage and age-old folklore. Before books were widely available, wandering 'droll tellers' used to spread Cornish insight and humour to all parts of the Duchy - exchanging their tales for food and shelter. Anthony James was one such droll teller, and this collection follows him as he makes his way around Cornwall one glorious summer. Richly illustrated with hand-drawn images and woodcuts, Cornish Folk Tales will appeal to anyone captivated by this beautiful land and its resident kindly giants, mischievous piskeys, seductive mermaids, bold knights and barnacle-encrusted sea captains.


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Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Book cover of Collected Poems, 1951-1975

Anna Chorlton Author Of Cornish Folk Tales of Place: Traditional Stories from North and East Cornwall

From my list on capturing the magic of Cornwall.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love to write about the places, folklore, nature, and above all the magic of Cornwall. I have lived in Cornwall most of my life, I learned to crawl along the rockpools of Cornish beaches and I went to school in a moorland village. Now, I live on the edge of Bodmin Moor and write in the Cornish wilds, I live close to both the moors and the sea. I began writing for Cornish folklore project Mazed in 2013 and I have been retelling Cornish Folk Tales and writing poetry and stories inspired by Cornish folklore ever since. 

Anna's book list on capturing the magic of Cornwall

Anna Chorlton Why did Anna love this book?

Charles Causley’s poems celebrate every turn of Cornwall’s stride. He writes of the sea, towns, moors, and people with incredible imagery humor, and tragedy.

The poems ask questions of love and nature. "And careless, like tide-marks, the hedges / Are bursting with Almond and May." Causley sings the magic of Cornwall, ‘Its anchor is glittering granite," "His smile was sharp as tin."

My favorites are the ballads, I was inspired to write the Caradoc ballads by reading Causley’s ballads over and over. Folklore underpins many of his poems, there are mermaids, giants, saints, and even a baby devil.

By Charles Causley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Collected Poems, 1951-1975 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The collected work by poet, Charles Causley.


Book cover of A Castaway in Cornwall

Michelle Griep Author Of Lost in Darkness

From my list on to satisfy Jane Austen and Jane Eyre lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Though I live in the foothills of the Ozarks, I’m an Anglophile at heart, loving all things Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. I spent much of my angsty adolescence tucked away in Regency and Victorian England with my nose stuck in a book. As a result, I now jump at every chance I get to skip across the pond and roam the English countryside, listening hard to hear all the voices from the past—which is why my stories are always tied to British history. So whether you love ballrooms or shadowy tales set in gothic manors, here’s a great list for you.

Michelle's book list on to satisfy Jane Austen and Jane Eyre lovers

Michelle Griep Why did Michelle love this book?

Every chance I get to skip across the pond I take in a heartbeat, and one of my very favorite places to visit is the coast of Cornwall. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on airfare, though, to do the same. The descriptions in this book are positively scrumptious. You’ll feel as if your toes are in the sand with seagulls circling overhead. Plus there’s a fantastic mystery involved. Win. Win.

More Jane Eyre than Jane Austen.

By Julie Klassen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Castaway in Cornwall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Set adrift on the tides of fate by the deaths of her parents and left wanting answers, Laura Callaway now lives with her uncle and his disapproving wife in North Cornwall. There she feels like a castaway, always viewed as an outsider even as she yearns to belong.

While wreckers search for valuables along the windswept Cornwall coast--known for its many shipwrecks but few survivors--Laura searches for clues to the lives lost so she can write letters to next of kin and return keepsakes to rightful owners. When a man is washed ashore after a wreck, Laura acts quickly to…


Book cover of The Little Country

Nancy M. Bell Author Of Laurel's Quest

From my list on magic and myth in our everyday lives.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love horses and I love the magic that exists in the world. I have always been drawn to both. My maternal grandmother had the ‘second sight’ as they called it, and I have inherited that from her. My books and poetry reflect my sincere belief that magic and wonder are alive and well and that we need to nourish them by acknowledging their existence in our everyday lives. The miracle of life, the sun rising and setting every day, the dance of the stars and moon across the sky, the glory of the northern lights—who can claim that isn’t magic? 

Nancy's book list on magic and myth in our everyday lives

Nancy M. Bell Why did Nancy love this book?

de Lint creates a magical mix of myth and reality that is totally believable, his characters stay with you long after the book is done. The glowing mists of magic lingering long after the pages are closed. He makes you wonder if what you think you saw out of the corner of your eye is actually real. 

By Charles de Lint,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Little Country as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Celtic folk musician Janey Little discovers a secret manuscript in an old attic trunk, strange and frightening things begin to happen. Janey’s perilous story, and the one she is reading—about spunky adolescent Jodi Shepherd, beset by the witchery of the evil Widow Pender—expertly weave two separate plot threads. A steadily mounting tension makes two small seaside villages in Cornwall come alive with danger, magic, and mystery. One of de Lint’s best-loved novels, The Little Country is a fantastic escape dealing with ancient standing stones, the power of music, and the warmth of true friendship.

This Triskell Press e-book contains…


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Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. Brené Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,…

Book cover of A Cornish Farmer's Diary

Sue Appleby Author Of The Hammers of Towan: A Nineteenth-Century Cornish Family

From my list on Cornish history.

Why am I passionate about this?

Part-Cornish, as a child I spent family holidays in Cornwall and was told family stories of Cornish relatives, especially of great grandfather Philip Henry Hammer and his numerous children who left Cornwall for destinations near – London and Wales – and far–South Africa, Australia, and Tasmania – to make a living. Old family photographs, some from the 1870s helped to bring these men and women alive and inspired me to write The Hammers of Towan. The more I research Cornish history, the more I learn, and the more I want to write about Cornish people and their place in the world. 

Sue's book list on Cornish history

Sue Appleby Why did Sue love this book?

Just love reading James Stevens words as he wrote them: "February 23 – Cut a batten 20 ft long and made trough and rack for the calves. Much rain falling this last week. Great war on with South Africa."  "October 26 – Drove mare and trap to St Ives. Bought 500 pilchards at 1s 4d per 120."

This diary gave me a great insight into the daily life of a 19th-century Cornish farmer, which I needed as I began to write my book.

Book cover of Escape Beyond the Tide

Louise Murchie Author Of Dìonadair

From my list on spicy, Scottish romance, multi-partner suspense.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love second-chance romances and I am not in my twenties anymore; so I wrote what I wanted to read. Now, I've found other authors who write 35+, characters who have lived, been hurt, and moved on in life. I do read New Adult or younger than 35 characters and often, really smutty, erotic books as I need to get out of my head sometimes. I love Nora Roberts, Claudia Burgoa, Catharina Maura, Jolie Vines and I'll one-click quite a few indies.

Louise's book list on spicy, Scottish romance, multi-partner suspense

Louise Murchie Why did Louise love this book?

This book is set in Cornwall, Nat's favourite county. She builds up such a strong world that's realistic. The characters deal with life, angst, fright, flight, and situations that are just horrible and real. This is the first of a three-part series and I devoured it all. Now, I want to visit that town (wish it were real) and just sit on that coastal path.

By N. Dune,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Escape Beyond the Tide as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

I remember like it was yesterday, how he promised he would find me if I ever tried to leave him... Lou has only one plan-run as far away as possible from her abusive boyfriend. She chooses the only place he wouldn't think to look. Seeking refuge with the only person who has ever made her feel safe. As Lou tries to put the broken pieces of herself back together, a need for her best friend reignites. Jay has loved Lou since they were building sandcastles on the beach. When fate throws them back together, he is determined not to let…


Book cover of The Lip: a novel of the Cornwall tourists seldom see

Joy V. Sheridan Author Of The Lamorna Reach: A Cornish Saga

From my list on a sense of history, oppression and exploitation.

Why am I passionate about this?

The collection Little Musings, available on Amazon, covers several decades of Joy's work as poet and painter. It touches on many aspects of her life, including the loss of her mother, in Do Not Mourn Her and Loss - Double Rainbow. Her childhood was spent in Plymouth, and in A Plymouth Girl Reflects, she recalls the aftermath of the air raids. Being in close proximity to Cornwall, that area also a major theme here, especially in Newquay, Cornwall, and On Air, By Melancholy. Four of the poems, "Absent Friends," "Isle of Thanet," "At Jim's Cafe," and "Captain Ahab of Thanet" are focused on the Thanet area of East Kent, where Joy now lives.

Joy's book list on a sense of history, oppression and exploitation

Joy V. Sheridan Why did Joy love this book?

At this time there was extensive maritime traffic between Cornwall and the West Indies. The Lip also has an affinity with my own experience, which included going on a Transatlantic Voyage, described in my own book, and a collection of poems I wrote on board.

By Charlie Carroll,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Lip as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WRITERS' GUILD BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD | SHORTLISTED FOR THE HOLYER AN GOF LITERARY FICTION AWARD | LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD

'This unsparing debut novel portrays the unromantic side of Cornwall few visitors see and which so many novelists choose to overlook. Charlie Carroll inhabits his damaged heroine completely' Patrick Gale
'A moving and affecting novel about life on the edge, with a very special flavour of wild and rugged Cornwall.' Emma Stonex, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS

Away from the hotels and holiday lets, there is an unseen side of Cornwall, where…


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Book cover of I Am Taurus

I Am Taurus by Stephen Palmer,

The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. This book traces the story of the bull in the sky, a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull.

Each of the sections is written from…

Book cover of My Cousin Rachel

Ruby Todd Author Of Bright Objects

From my list on life after personal tragedy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been preoccupied with how personal tragedy, loss, and grief can ultimately teach us truths about existence and our own strength that we might never have learned otherwise. As a child, I was confounded by the fact of death and the transience of life, and as an adult, I’ve spent much time contemplating how literature is able to testify to the magnitude of these things in ways that ordinary language cannot. This interest led me to complete a PhD on the topic of elegiac literature and has also influenced the themes of my own fiction. I hope you find connection and inspiration in the books on this list! 

Ruby's book list on life after personal tragedy

Ruby Todd Why did Ruby love this book?

This book is a masterwork of psychological suspense that I love for its unreliable narration, emotional intensity, vivid rendering of character and place, and ingenious plot twists. Just as compelling and atmospheric as du Maurier’s earlier Rebecca, this novel similarly features a central enigma in the form of a shape-shifting woman. Still, its narrator and protagonist is a young man.

Philip Ashley, heir to a Cornish estate, is reckoning with the sudden overseas death of his beloved cousin and guardian, Ambrose, under mysterious circumstances. As he increasingly questions the role Ambrose’s new wife—a mysterious widow named Rachel—might have played in the months leading to his death, the grief-stricken Philip is drawn into a drama of conspiracy, romance, and obsession that will test the limits of his sanity.

By Daphne Du Maurier,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked My Cousin Rachel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING RACHEL WEISZ AND SAM CLAFIN

'Du Maurier is a storyteller whose sole aim is to bewitch and beguile' NEW YORK TIMES

'Du Maurier has no equal' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

' One of her best novels, ingeniously contrived as to plot, successfully realized as to characters' KIRKUS REVIEWS

'I threw the piece of paper on the fire. She saw it burn . . . '

Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in making Philip his heir, knowing he will treasure his beautiful Cornish estate. But…


Book cover of Jamaica Inn
Book cover of A Year of Marvellous Ways
Book cover of Cornish Folk Tales

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