Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Archives for December 2021

Voyage of the Dawn Treader, whoops, I mean Muntjac.

The Magician King (The Magicians, #2) by Lev Grossman

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Now I’m remembering why this was only four stars. What was otherwise a clever play on Lewis’s Voyage of the Dawn Treader had the oomph taken out of its sails (heh) by a completely unnecessary SPOILERS rape scene at the end END SPOILERS. More on this in a bit. Quentin is still having his identity crisis all over the place in this one, but he’s much less obnoxious about it here than in the first book. The real centerpiece of this book is Julia, as we […]

A final book that does this wonderful series justice.

Leviathan Falls (The Expanse, #9) by James S.A. Corey

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I cried, because I am nothing if not predictable. This was a good ending, but I’m not sure five stars worth? Also, I’m not sure what exactly happened there at the end. Mostly, I’m even more excited to do my full-series re-read in 2022. I did all of these except #4 on audio the first time through (because Jefferson Mays didn’t originally record that one) so I spent 2021 slowly collecting the paperbacks in preparation for my re-read (I also will be purchasing the 10th […]

“I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell.”

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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Been putting off this review because this book is too smart for me. Or, actually, all the characters and maybe the author want to be smarter than me. I am pretty smart! I just have different priorities than everyone in this book. I don’t know about Donna Tartt, it could go either way with her. I still haven’t decided if she secretly empathizes with all these assholes she birthed from her mind, or if she’s skewering people and ideas and places instead. Either, way, this […]

A Classic and a (Maybe?) New Classic

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

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This English professor finally got around to reading Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott’s classic book of advice about writing. In all honesty, when I read for fun I gravitate toward genre fiction–mysteries, detective novels, romance, etc. I like a good story. I was surprised, then, by how much I enjoyed just luxuriating in Lamott’s prose. It is by turns hilarious, touching, and, most importantly, honest. For example, she includes an entire chapter about professional jealousy that I at first found odd until I found myself relating […]

Dance to the Music of Time Second Movement – Anthony Powell (1962)

At Lady Molly's by Anthony Powell

Casanova's Chinese Restaurant by Anthony Powell

The Kindly Ones by Anthony Powell

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Again this book, like the previous one, necessitates the question of whether to treat this as a “roman fleueve” or to take the books individually in terms of independent of one another. I am writing this review as a kind of liveblog and we will see what difference or effect it creates. My plan is also to read a book in between each of the sections as well, which should also create a more concrete break too. Book 4: At Lady Molly’s — Like a […]

In six weeks alone, Supercollider was responsible for 468 lifeyears lost.

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

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I loved Hench, LOVED IT! It’s funny, thoughtful, violent, compassionate and full of rage. Anna Truelove, pronounced troh-MED-lov, is trying to get a stable job working for a supervillain. The gig economy though, means mostly she temps and tries to stave off scurvy while she rises and grinds and waits for her invoices to get paid. As she’s starting to get a foothold in the Electric Eel’s organization, Supercolider and his sidekick, Accelerator, intervene in the Eel’s dastardly deeds and Anna ends up in the […]



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