I knew I had to read this novel as I have so enjoyed listening to The Reverend Richard Coles on the BBC Radio 4 programme Saturday Live and seeing him on his many TV appearances. I also follow him on Twitter and find his tweets very amusing. So I was expecting great things of this,Continue reading “Book Review: ‘Murder Before Evensong’ by Revd. Richard Coles”
Category Archives: spirituality
Book Reviews: ‘Brother Cyril’s Book’ by Penelope Wilcock and ‘Winter People’ by Grainne Murphy
Today I’m pleased to bring you two reviews: one, a historical novel set in a medieval English monastery and the other, contemporary fiction set on the Irish coastline. Both books – Brother Cyril’s Book by Penelope Wilcock (published Feb 2023 by Humilis, Hastings) and Winter People by Grainne Murphy (published Oct 2022 by Legend Press)Continue reading “Book Reviews: ‘Brother Cyril’s Book’ by Penelope Wilcock and ‘Winter People’ by Grainne Murphy”
Strange Tales from Paranormal Warwickshire Part 3: Shakespeare’s Ghosts and Spirits
When it comes to William Shakespeare‘s own beliefs about ghosts and spirits, scholars and actors hold divergent views. ‘Did Shakespeare believe in ghosts and spirits?” said the actor who led the Stratford-upon-Avon town ghost tour. “One hundred per cent! Of course he did!” And the unspoken corollary to that was, of course, so do allContinue reading “Strange Tales from Paranormal Warwickshire Part 3: Shakespeare’s Ghosts and Spirits”
Book Review: ‘The Spirit Engineer’ by AJ West
The Spirit Engineer by AJ West: This fictionalisation of a true story was probably one of the creepiest tales I’ve ever read. The Spirit Engineer by AJ West was published in July 2022. Its creepiness does not come from the purported spirits conjured up by the deceptive Goligher family in 1920s Belfast, but much moreContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Spirit Engineer’ by AJ West”
Blog Tour: ‘The Pilgrim’ by Joy Margetts
Today I am delighted to be part of the blog tour for Joy Margetts’ new book ‘The Pilgrim‘ to be published by Instant Apostle on 22 July 2022. ‘The Pilgrim‘ is historical fiction, set in medieval Wales. BLURB Driven by ambition and family expectation, young Henry de Brampton is determined to make his mark. DestinedContinue reading “Blog Tour: ‘The Pilgrim’ by Joy Margetts”
Book Review: ‘The Fever of the World’, book 16 in Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins series
Today I review The Fever of the World by Phil Rickman, who is one of my favourite authors. Phil’s genre defies categorisation, but Amazon often kindly list him under Welsh crime, and he variously takes the tags contemporary horror, horror thrillers, paranormal, women sleuths, gothic romance, and mystery, the last two being the case withContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Fever of the World’, book 16 in Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins series”
Book Reviews: ‘Heaven is For Real’ by Todd Burpo and ‘Eye Can Write’ by Jonathan Bryan
Recently two related memoirs have come into my hands within a short space of time. The first, Heaven is For Real I picked up from a secondhand book sale at a local Warwickshire Open Gardens event. The second, I bought at a writing conference in the Hayes Centre, Swanwick, just this weekend (3-5 June 2022).Continue reading “Book Reviews: ‘Heaven is For Real’ by Todd Burpo and ‘Eye Can Write’ by Jonathan Bryan”
A Tribute to a Gifted Friend: Multifaceted Artist Alison Hird-Beecroft
Today I want to celebrate a rare soul and gifted artist, a lover of the structure and form and beauty she found in the world, both in nature and in the built environment, who cunningly wove that into her own exquisite artefacts: Alison Hird-Beecroft. Alison was a dear friend of both myself and my sisterContinue reading “A Tribute to a Gifted Friend: Multifaceted Artist Alison Hird-Beecroft”
Book Review: ‘Urban Angel’ by A J Chamberlain
Today I review a recently published Christian Fantasy novel, Book 1 of the Masters series. Urban Angel by A J Chamberlain was published by Nielsen both as paperback and ebook on 23 May 2021. This is a fascinating story: for the young main protagonist, Alex Masters, the journey to faith has been marked by griefContinue reading “Book Review: ‘Urban Angel’ by A J Chamberlain”
Thoughts on ‘Witch Child’ by Celia Rees
Today I share my review of ‘Witch Child‘ by Celia Rees, now out in a special 20th Anniversary edition. This is a compelling historical novel of the arrival of a group of Puritans in New England in 1650, of their encounters with the Native Indians, and a tale not only of religious intolerance but ofContinue reading “Thoughts on ‘Witch Child’ by Celia Rees”
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