Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Jake

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I love reading! (Learn more about this Cannonballer: Jake's Quick Questions interview.)

Jake's Reviews:

A Voice of My Generation

The Stories You Tell by Kristen Lepionka

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There’s not much left to say about Kristen Lepionka’s Roxane Weary series that I didn’t already say in my last two reviews. Lepionka is a talented writer who foregoes the frills of many a bestselling mystery book in favor of telling a good tale. In other words: there’s minimal fluff to pad the story. I appreciate that. While I like these books a lot, what makes them difficult to recommend is the voice of the narrator. Roxane Weary is not inherently lovable. She’s a person […]

Weird. Just Weird.

The Vanishers by Heidi Julavits

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CW: mention of suicide One of my favorite jokes in the final season of the tv show 30 Rock was Liz Lemon’s revelation that she did a one-person play in college of which her student newspaper reviewed as “too confusing to be offensive.” Switching the word “offensive” to “appreciate” and you’d have my feelings on this book. There’s a lot to like about this one. Heidi Julavits has a healthy understanding of relationships, maternal-child bonds and how difficult they are to sunder. I appreciated the ambiguity she allows […]

Lost It At the Movies

Double Feature by Donald Westlake

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I was fortunate to snag one of the new Hard Case Crime releases just before everything shut down. And it’s a good thing too because Donald Westlake is one of my favorite writers. I love how versatile he is, doing everything from mysteries to broad noir tales to geopolitical thrillers to biting satire works. When I saw that this would be a re-release of two movie-based novellas, I got excited. This is probably the most eager I’ve been for a new HCC in a while. […]

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Lost Light by Michael Connelly

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For my part, I like picking around the edges of the Harry Bosch catalogue, either when I need a Los Angeles tale or a mind-numbing read. I don’t usually go for airport paperback fare but Michael Connelly has always felt like a cut above. I don’t mean that to condescend anyone who enjoys the James Pattersons and Jeffrey Deavers of the world. But for me, Connelly has always felt slightly above their level, with just enough sophistication to feel refined yet not too much to […]

Bodies Hit The Floor

Killing Williamsburg by Bradley Spinelli

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A big ol’ content warning: this book is about suicide. Suicide is on almost every page. The book itself includes graphic depictions of suicide and bodies in a post-mortem state as a result of suicide. Though I won’t go into detail myself, there’s no way to avoid talking about suicide in this review. If you are triggered by suicide or have a history with suicidal ideation, please skip both this book and this review. … Along with Colson Whitehead’s Zone One, this is another New York […]

Topical

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

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I love New York City. It’s why I frequently read books that are set there. I could go into all the reasons why but if you love New York City too, you probably know ’em. And if you don’t, that’s cool, it’s not for everyone. Obviously, New York City is not right now what it normally is due to the coronavirus shutdown. It’s painful for me to consider as I know the city has so much life in it. Human life yes but also the […]



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