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CONTACT US | FICTION | INTERVIEW | QUICKIES A : B : C : D-E : F : G : H : I-K : L : M : N-O : P-Q : R : S : T : U-V : W : X-Z | REVIEWS | ARCHIVES | SITE GUIDE 2 0 0 0C E L E B R A T I N GT W E N T Y - F I V EY E A R S !2 0 2 5 Welcome to PenHead.org, an oasis of uninformed analysis in a desert of educated guesswork. What is a Penhead? Do you fancy yourself a writer? Enjoy a good read? Then you may already be a Penhead yourself! We are your source for original stories, the occasional interview with our favorite authors, book and play reviews, recommendations (of current and forgotten finds), and more. Our Goal: World domination through the written word via the vast network of the internet. Until then, we'll be found risking what's left of our reputations here, at PenHead.org. Keep in mind the internet's similar to the Jersey Turnpike - it's all about hits and traffic - so visit often, share us repeatedly and we'll do our best to keep things interesting. Who knows... you might even be entertained. RECENTLY REVIEWED . . . W. P. Kinsella was a relatively unknown writer until 1989 when a novel of his was made into a major motion picture. That movie, starring Kevin Costner, was an adaptation of his 1982 title Shoeless Joe, winning Best Picture and appearing on theater marquees as Field of Dreams. Kinsella answered his call from Hollywood, and never looked back. W. P. Kinsella's writing is a welcome respite from the profuse sensationalism that plagues much of today's bestselling fiction. He writes with a nuanced eye, placing characterization above high-octane plot twists. The results are deeply textured, heartfelt stories embedded with characters that are to be believed, even in their eccentricities. Dance Me Outside is a short story collection. Set on the Ermineskin Reserve in northern Alberta, it follows eighteen-year old Silas Ermineskin and his friend Frank Fence-post through a series of stories written through Silas in the first-person. Frank and Silas are enrolled in a mechanics class at the technical school in Wetaskiwin . . . more > Unlike W. P. Kinsella's Dance Me Outside with its intertwined stories that focus on a handful of recurring characters, the stories in The Dixon Cornbelt League have nothing in common, save for one singular theme: baseball. The nine stories that comprise Dixon Cornbelt all feature baseball players who are on the far side of their careers. They're either playing for minor leagues with dreams of making a comeback, or languishing in retirement, wishing they were playing in the minors. Like the past champions of horse racing, these boys of summer have been put out to pasture. While ball players past their prime may sound like a sure yawn, in Kinsella's hands they're anything but. He's a master craftsman of plot, presenting the unexpected, breathing new life into otherwise tried and tired subject matter. In the case of The Baseball Wolf, Kinsella slips in a bit of mystic fun, giving two . . . more > The New Year provides a perfect time for trying new things. Whether that be travel, food, or drink, there are plenty of sources to point you in your desired direction. Not least of which, the humble, oft shoved to the back of a cupboard 'til the memory of it is naught, drink recipe book. The Bartender's Black Book is the product of veteran bartender Stephen Kittredge Cunningham. Geared toward the professional, it is spiral bound so pages with new drink recipes can be added with each edition. Within its pages, Cunningham covers about every libation known to man - not just the trendy, but the classics too - listed alphabetically. To aid the barkeep who doesn't know the name of a drink, but does know its base ingredient, there is a helpful index in the back matching drinks with their liquor. There are also sections on non-alcoholic concoctions, martinis, frozen drinks, hot drinks, shots and shooters, dessert drinks, and beers. Cunningham's Black Book isn't just about alcoholic concoctions, though. He also offers tips for the professional bartender on everything from controlling the room, to tipping out the back of the house, to making it home with your hard-earned gratuities intact. For the bar patron, he offers sound advice on etiquette that, in a perfect . . . more > In this age of mega-corportaions determining our tastes, it's easy to forget that wasn't always the case. In the sixties and seventies, the sway of publishing mogul Hugh Hefner left its mark on America at large. At the time, the Playboy brand was considered the height of contemporary sophistication. Through his publishing empire and chain of clubs, Hefner changed the norms of society when it came to our attitudes toward sex and partying, making naughty nice again. New School Basics Published by Playboy Press, Playboy's New Bar Guide: How to Create and Enjoy the World's Best Drinks, is intended for the home bar host. It includes tips on getting guests to your party (none on getting them home, however), stocking the home bar (as a rule, its recommended you keep one gin; both sweet and dry vermouth; four whiskeys - American blended, bourbon, Scotch and Canadian; and the ever popular . . . more > The Industrial Revolution marked a seminal moment in human history. While some scholars credit the application of a railed cart to mining ore in 1550's Austria as the revolution's austere beginning, it's generally accepted the period wasn't born until some two hundred years later with the invention of the steam engine. Regardless of when it got its start, the revolution of industry changed the face of commerce in sheer volume of production and the method in which goods were moved to the marketplace. It expanded the world in terms of feasibility, while simultaneously condensing it with speed and ease of delivery. A period of hyper-influence, the Industrial Revolution held sway over the modern workplace, over our shopping habits, our addresses, our mode of travel, and continues to influence society still today, and one might expect, well into the future. Steam locomotives have a special place in the hearts of Fredric Winkowski and Charles Fulkerson, Jr. Author and photographer, respectively, of The Great Steam Trains: America's Great Smoking Iron Horses, they've created a book that reflects their genuine love for the iron work horses of an era past. Through Winkowski's deft . . . more > pop.u.luxe [pop-yuh-luhks] noun 1: the decade between 1954 and 1964; 2: the products and concepts associated with that decade. When folks refer to "the good ol' days", more often than not they're reminiscing on the 1950s. It was a decade of commercial progress in America, with products the likes of which had never been produced on such massive scale. Madison Avenue was born for such a moment, honing the marketing techniques of advertising agencies on a captivated consumer audience. It brought to the table new concepts in consumption, such as the perceived necessity for a new vehicle every year. Consuming was marketed as an exercise of privilege; luxury as necessity. Overnight, the consumer society was born. A Perfect Storm At first glance, Populuxe: The Look and Life of America in the '50s and '60s, from Tailfins and TV Dinners to Barbie Dolls and Fallout Shelters looks like a catalog. Filled with images of popular products from the decade . . . more > America's obsession with wealth is undeniable. Money means power. Power means control. Control means anything you like. We celebrate those who possess it with a religious fervor, though wealth disparity hurts us all. In America, if a man's rich enough, he can even win the highest office of the land, while bragging about sexual assault. Perhaps this fascination with wealth is in our DNA. Maybe the ages old divide between the Haves and Have-nots is imprinted on us. Rich or poor, it's everybody's story after all. Mine, yours, the butler's; all of ours. Whatever the reason, humankind's need to greed fascinates. With a string of bestsellers under his belt, Harold Robbins has earned the unique distinction as the world's bestselling storyteller. It's no wonder. His stories are well suited for the bestseller list, filled with morally bankrupt characters in lustful pursuit of wealth, fame and power. The Raiders, his sequel to The Carpetbaggers . . . more > Once upon a time, in a city far, far away, two men got together and devised a scheme to sell books. One, a book packager, the other a writer of mysteries, their scheme involved creating a puzzle within the story which they challenged their readers to solve. The person with the correct solution - or closest to it - would receive a $10,000 reward. The scheme worked, and Who Killed the Robins Family? became a bestseller overnight. American Bluebloods At the time Robins Family? hit the bookstores, I was in school. $10,000 would go far toward tuition and books, and I aimed to solve the puzzle and win it. I buried my head in the book every chance I got, examining and re-examining the circumstances around each murder, attempting to sort its red herrings from the brass tack facts of the crimes. The Robins family are scions of east coast wealth. Heirs and heiresses to an international cosmetic firm . . . more > Riding on the success of Who Killed the Robins Family? (Willam Morrow & Co., $9.95), its creators came out with a sequel the following year. Revenge of the Robins Family provides all the twists and turns of its predecessor, with one big difference: this time out the Robins family isn't being stalked and killed; the suspects from the first novel are. Like the original, Revenge contains eight murders. Unlike the oriuginal, one of the slayings is solved for the reader. Also unlike the original, the prize money has increased a dollar, bringing the reward for its solution to $10,001. Largely formulaic, Revenge lacks the freshness of its predecessor. On the upside, it features characters you've come to know from Who Killed the Robins Family. In the end, you're going to read it for the challenge of figuring out who the killer (or killers) are anyway, not for its literary value, which is limited . . . more > Thanks for visiting! 12,592 Penheads served. Some components of this publication may not be suitable for children. Prices listed on this site are for reference purposes only. They reflect an item's original retail price, and it is neither implied nor inferred that the listed price is applicable in today's market. The actual price may be higher or lower. Views and opinions expressed on this site are those of the individual contributor and are not representative of the views and opinions of PenHead.org or its affiliates. Copyright 2000-2025 M. Hofferbert. All rights reserved. Site last updated: 11/30/25 TOP