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:

Union Man, Private Eye

October Heat by Gordon De Marco

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As I’ve said multiple times on this here website (and other places): the concept of a lefty-leaning private eye is not all that radical (no pun intended). Chandler, Hammett, and Macdonald, often considered the trinity of male PI literature that birthed the modern Lone Detective mystery tale for America, were all sympathetic to working class folks and skeptical of the rich and those who protected them. Books cannot escape their context: look at Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole, whose early-90s novels carry the spirit of the […]

…just remember me when….

Veronica Mars: Mr. Kiss And Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

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I don’t know how the revival series is going to go on Hulu but as far as this Veronica Mars fan is concerned, Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham could’ve kept pushing these books out and I would have been content. Much like the other one, this takes place immediately following the events of the movie and feels oh-so-much like an extended episode of Veronica Mars. There are fewer auxiliary characters than usual; this is mostly just Veronica and her dad, with Mac, Weevil and Logan on the […]

California Love

The Drowning Pool by Ross Macdonald

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I’ve developed a recent habit of revisiting old books; some favorites, others not. I wanted to see how they held up after all this time and if my notions of them were still true. Many list The Drowning Pool as one of Ross Macdonald (Kenneth Millar)’s greatest works. I am a Lew Archer diehard. I’ve said many times in this space that it’s my favorite detective mystery series of all-time. But I’m also lucky that I unintentionally began it later in the series, when Macdonald had already […]

Living in the Past

This Storm by James Ellroy

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I met James Ellroy when purchasing this book at a book signing. I was nervous, having heard plenty of stories about his uncouth behavior in public. But he was actually quite nice and gracious with his time. It seems to me that once he rides out his initial wave of anxiety and gets comfortable in a situation, he’s fine. Both of us being Lutheran, we joked about the great Martin Luther; he of course appreciating Luther’s vulgarity towards the Pope. Ellroy makes it clear that […]

So Now Get Up

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

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Oh, Wolf Hall. So many great and beautiful moments. So many frustrating, stagnating moments. So easy to appreciate. So impossible to judge. Hilary Mantel writes dialogue with a breezy yet deep style. Her characters say a lot by saying so little. If I’m being too paradoxical, it’s because this is a book comfortable with paradox: the lowborn rising to high positions in Tudor England. It’s a stirring tale of politics and a cautionary one about the price of true reform. Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell is comfortable operating in […]

G.O.(A).T

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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I decided to revisit the GRRM classic after the show ended. I’ve been in a prolonged reading slump due in part to stuff going on in my private life and it’s been difficult to focus on anything new. My personal library is littered with books I lost interest in 10%, 30% and one 50%. Familiarity always helps me break out of slumps and I figured that would be the case here.    I was not disappointed. The book isn’t just as great as I remember…it’s […]



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