Full disclosures: this book was written by my dad’s writers’ group, my dad is a fellow Cannonballer (new this year!), and I make no promises not to be biased as hell, ’cause Dad is awesome. Each story has to do with something we’ve all encountered: badness while traveling. At the end of each story, the author tells his/her own worst travel story, which I thought was a neat touch. There are regular road trip troubles, and adventures with ghosts and witches and other dimensions, and […]
Fooled by a name and a good cover
I’ve enjoyed Andre Norton’s sci-fi/fantasy books in the past, so when I saw a mystery with her name on it, I thought it had to be at least worth a try. It…kinda wasn’t. Fredericka Wing is a librarian from the big city. She takes a job looking after a bookstore in rural Massachusetts while its owner is away. A week after she gets there, the body of the local lady everybody hated is found dead in her hammock. Since it’s a small town, everybody is […]
Not the fun “can I put brownies in the waffle iron” kind of experiment
The most interesting thing about this book is that I picked it up when I was 1,521 miles from home, and it turned out the first murder happened in a town about 20 miles from where I live. So that was kinda cool, to read about the medical examiner in Ulster County, and think “Hey! I live there!” Unfortunately, that is only a draw for a very small geographical population. For the rest of you, I’d say don’t bother. Remember that terrible movie with Scarlett […]
Big, mutant, junkie moths
I’ve been trying to pin down what’s got me so obsessed with China Mieville. His characters are often unlikeable. Really bad things happen. A happy ending is not guaranteed. He gets a little hung up on his favorite vocab words and uses them to death. This book was 700 pages and it took a while to get into. And yet…I can’t wait to read the next one. The scope of his creativity is amazing. The atmosphere in his books is like a physical thing. It […]
Didn’t get it; liked it anyway
The last time I reviewed a Delaney book, I said the writing was good but the story was too simple. This time, the writing is still good, and the story is too complicated. I guess I just need to find the Baby Bear of Delaney books. It’s far in the future, and humanity has done away with themselves in a nuclear fashion. The beings that came after are strong and suited to the environment in different ways – some with gifts that seem downright magical. […]
It’s hard to find a cute clutch to carry your pistol
Miss Melville is a rich, respected, established artist in New York City, from a long line of wealthy Melvilles. She is also a hitwoman, semi-retired. She still kills the odd drug-dealer or pimp when she believes it’s necessary, but doesn’t take on too many big assignments anymore. She changes her mind when a government agency asks her to kill a member of the royal family of Gandistan who is visiting New York. Miss Melville accepts the assignment when she finds out that the target is […]
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