novel review | Penstricken

Throwback Thursday: Book Review: The Pillars of the Earth

Posted on April 2, 2020 2 Comments

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is a hefty tome about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge in 12th century England. It’s full of lovable and deplorable characters, political intrigue, technical details about medieval construction and just a little bit more sex and sexual violence than was necessary.

Book Review: Beyond

Posted on March 29, 2020 Leave a Comment

Beyond by Georgia Springate is sensitively written, drives the protagonist towards a reasonably satisfying resolution and takes the audience on a coming-of-age odyssey of the full tapestry of teenage life. A strong debut from a promising new author.

Book Review: Chino & The Boy Scouts by Nancet Marques

Posted on March 15, 2020 Leave a Comment

I consider Nancet Marques, author of Chino & the Boy Scouts, to be a personal friend… so I do hope you’ll bear with me as I share some of my thoughts and impressions on this debut novel.

6 Excellent Book Reviews

Posted on March 1, 2020 5 Comments

It’s that time again where I step aside to share the limelight with some of my fellow fiction bloggers from across the internet. This time, the posts I’ve listed here share a unifying theme: they are all excellent book reviews.

My Thoughts on Kindle Paperwhite

Posted on January 5, 2020 1 Comment

After a whopping ten years of blissful happiness, my trusty old third generation Kindle Keyboard was finally starting to show its age and so I decided it was time for an upgrade.

Book Review: From Men and Angels by H.L. Walsh

Posted on December 29, 2019 Leave a Comment

Imagine a world where Angels and Demons are not just spiritual beings but physical beings… what kind of world would that be? Debut author H.L. Walsh answers his own question in his new book, From Men and Angels…

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Review: Mark of the Raven

Posted on August 11, 2019 Leave a Comment

I love a good old fashioned high fantasy set in faintly medieval inspired magical worlds and Christian fantasy Mark of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse promised to be exactly that…. In general, an enjoyable book… It didn’t knock my socks off but it was okay.

Book Review: Steelheart

Posted on March 10, 2019 Leave a Comment

There are two things I really like: Brandon Sanderson and superhero stories, so when I heard that Sanderson had written a series of superhero stories, I knew I had found my next book.

Book Review: Burning Bright

Posted on January 27, 2019 Leave a Comment

SPOILER ALERT Anyone who has not read Burning Bright by John Steinbeck is hereby advised that this post contains spoilers. Well, well, well, believe it or not, I’ve never reviewed a John Steinbeck book before, despite repeatedly implying that he’s one of my all time favourite authors. That changes today with this review of John […]