Caesar’s Wife – Page 17 – Cannonball Read 17

Sliding Wars

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

February 24, 2022 by Caesar's Wife 2 Comments

Lionel Shriver is never afraid to get down into the muck of humanity and ask the hard questions. Weight gain, overpopulation, school shootings, exercise addiction – every book I’ve read of hers has conjured up strong and uncomfortable emotions. Yet I found The Post-Birthday World to be uncomfortable in a slightly different way, as it examines a quieter and more domestic question of ‘what if?’. The protagonist of this tale, Irina, is a 40-something USA expat living with her long-term partner in London. She is […]

A smidge TOO ‘simple’…

Destination Simple by Brooke McAlary

January 27, 2022 by Caesar's Wife Leave a Comment

Destination Simple is very short self help book, aiming to introduce the reader to ‘everyday rituals for a slower life’. The cover shows a blue sky with trees and little clouds, and the back has a pair of hands holding a warm terracotta mug of something steamy. It posits the usual platitudes: life is too busy, everyone is stressed, we take on too much, etc etc. McAlary’s answer to modern mayhem is to introduce a series of rituals (NOT ‘to dos’) and rhythms (NOT ‘routines’) […]

Give me space!

Eight Short Science Fiction Stories by Ray Bradbury

January 21, 2022 by Caesar's Wife 1 Comment

Sometimes you just need to escape and read some space stories. And this collection of Bradbury’s finest was quite satisfying. These are quite old stories, and all are freely available via Project Gutenberg or other sites. I’ll include original publication dates and links in case one or more takes your fancy. Knowing when the tales were published makes each that much more enjoyable (to me, at least). Truly, Bradbury is a genius. 1. Rocket Summer First published in 1947. This is a wonderfully political take […]

The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all

The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

January 11, 2022 by Caesar's Wife 1 Comment

This is a short story which, I gather, is part of a larger collection of six stories in the ‘forward collection’. But it’s worth seeking out as a stand-alone novella. Tremblay has really outdone himself here, and I’m now more determined than ever to read A Head Full of Ghosts (his most well-known work). You awake in a hospital bed. You are blind, alone, and suffering from intense pain. Slowly, you are recuperated. You are taught to think, to talk, to stand, walk, run. Your […]

Slash in the pan

The Last Final Girl by Stephen Graham Jones

January 10, 2022 by Caesar's Wife 3 Comments

This was so stupid. Okay, I suppose that is not a very fulsome review… but I’m so cranky that I read this crap. It was my first foray in the offerings of a Kindle Unlimited subscription and… yeesh. So the book is written like a pseudo film script, kind of. It’s a slasher story that is allegedly a love-letter to teen slashers and super self-aware. It was likened to Cabin in the Woods (which is the only reason I read it). It is not like […]

The only thing worse than Them, is us

The Last Woman in the World by Inga Simpson

January 10, 2022 by Caesar's Wife Leave a Comment

I am no stranger to apocalypse fiction, but despite hailing from The Land Downunder I haven’t consumed much Aussie apocalypse fiction (beyond ‘On the beach‘ in 2020). And if ‘The Last Woman in the World’ is anything to go by, then I have truly been depriving myself. The story commences as the world is already falling apart, as various references are made throughout to the pandemics, the downfall of the USA, and communities decimated by climate change. As we slowly learn, in the midst of […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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