Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About esmemoria

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Eager to get back on the horse this year! In my walking around life, I miss my old, blind pug (the Ancient Mariner), help amazing college students become teachers, and tie an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: esmemoria's Quick Questions interview.)

esmemoria's Reviews:

A Goddess Rewoven

Circe by Madeline Miller

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CBR Bingo – Mythic I bought Madeline Miller’s Circe in hardback, which I almost never do. I didn’t even know much about the book, except it was a bestseller, which doesn’t always count for much. But I was happy to discover that the book’s success was well-deserved. It even made me happy that so many had read and enjoyed it—it is that magical. Circe is a compulsively readable novel about the life of the goddess Circe. I read a lot of myths when I was […]

All the Names in the World!

Rumpelstiltskin by The Brothers Grimm

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CBR Bingo – Book Club. I saw this on the Cannon Book Club fairy tale list and decided to read one of the original fairytales. It’s been a long time! I’m sure we all know the tale, but here it is anyway! “Rumpelstiltskin” by the Brothers Grimm is about a little man who helps a beautiful young woman spin straw into gold for an avaricious king. In exchange, the man asks for a reward. For his final request, he demands the maiden give him her […]

Charming with Dark Undertones

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

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CBR Bingo – People. The cover of the edition I read has silhouettes of the main characters under a tree. Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a short but fantastic novel about a schoolteacher and a small group of girl students known as the Brodie set. Miss Brodie is an unconventional, independent teacher with definite ideas of how the students should behave and what they should think. She exhorts the girls to comport themselves with dignity while oversharing about her love life. […]

Feloniously, Willfully, and [with] Malice Afterthought

The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told by Tom McCarthy

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CBR Bingo – Free! I was happy to receive my first free book through NetGalley. The review that follows was not influenced by any obligation to them. The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told, edited by Tom McCarthy, is an easy-to-read compilation of true crime stories, some dating back as far as the 1800s. I’ve read a lot of true crime, so some of the stories were familiar, but there were others that were new to me. Each chapter is written by a different author. […]

As They Say, a Rollicking Adventure

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

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CBR Bingo – Old Series The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is the first book in the Gentleman Bastards series, first written in 2006. I did not find it an easy read at first. Not because it isn’t well written. Lynch writes with great detail and imagination. Initially the book covers the escapades of the thieving Gentleman Bastards, rather than character studies or relationships. The shenanigans are great fun and cleverly crafted, but the characterization was a bit thin. The first half of […]

“I know the story is broken”

Judas by Jeff Loveness and Jakub Rebelka

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Judas is a graphic novel by Jeff Loveness and Jakob Rebelka about Judas Iscariot. This book is so deep I don’t want to give too much away. It needs to be experienced. The story follows Judas from the early loss of his faithful mother, his betrayal of Jesus, his death, and his experience in hell. Judas is a thoughtful, pained man who hears voices deep within himself. First it is the voice of Jesus, whom he begins to follow. Later he hears a different voice […]



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