Monthly Archives: November, 2017
A Short Analysis of William Blake’s ‘The Clod and the Pebble’ by guest author Dr Oliver Tearle
This article was first posted on 23 November 2017 on the website Interesting Literature set up by Dr Oliver Tearle, Professor at Loughborough University in England. It can be found at https://interestingliterature.com/2017/11/23/a-short-analysis-of-william-blakes-the-clod-and-the-pebble/ . The Clod and the Pebble is a William Blake poem that first appeared in his 1794 volume Songs of Experience, the companion-piece to …
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
I had never heard of the author Chinua Achebe before his novel Things Fall Apart was book of the month at my book group. It was then I discovered how important this author’s work had been to Nelson Mandela during his years of imprisonment. Chinua Achebe was born in Ogidi, Anambra, Nigeria on November 16, 1930. …
The Crime Writer’s Casebook by Stuart Gibbon and Stephen Wade
Today I am delighted to welcome my friend, Stuart Gibbon to the blog. Stuart is a retired DCI from Lincolnshire Police. He is dicussing his new book, The Crime Writer’s Casebook which I am sure will be of great assistance to authors who write either modern day or historical crime novels. Thank you for inviting …
The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
I discovered the works of Karin Slaughter through a recommendation from a Facebook book group. The Kept Woman is the most recent novel by her that I have read. I do think Slaughter is a brilliant surname for a crime writer. Karin Slaughter is an American crime writer, whose first novel Blindsighted became an international …
The Year of No Rules by Rose McClelland
I have just finished reading The Year of No Rules by Rose McClelland. The book was recommended to me by a friend, so, although it is not my favourite crime genre, I decided to give it a try. The book fall into the ‘women’s fiction’ genre. This novel has such an excellent title, who wouldn’t …
Eeny Meeny by M.J.Arlidge
I always enjoy coming across new authors, particularly those who write crime thrillers, my favourite genre. The books of MJ Arlidge were recommended to me by my fellow members of a book group on Facebook. Matthew Arlidge is an English author of crime novels starring DI Helen Grace. He has also worked in television for the …
Val Penny on Writing
I am delighted to be with my friend Nina Romano on her blog today. We share a love of reading and writing: this is a powerful link. I believe that to be a good writer you must first develop a love of reading and stories and telling stories. I remember when my younger sister and …
Pompeii by Robert Harris
Several books by Robert Harris have been recommended to me, and The Fear Index is reviewed on this site: https://bookreviewstoday.info/2017/07/20/the-fear-index-by-robert-harris/ . However, I the first read Pompeii when it was book of the month in our local book group. Robert Harris is a British author and previous journalist and BBC television reporter. Pompeii was originally published by …
Val Penny's Book Reviews 
Recent Comments