Jake – Page 19 – Cannonball Read 17

Surf Dracula

Mister Magic by Kiersten White

June 15, 2024 by Jake 2 Comments

The Surf Dracula corollary began as a tweet regarding television. User @TopherFlorence… back in the day if u did a tv show called surf dracula you’d see that fool surfing every week in new adventures but in the streaming era the entire 1st season gotta be a long ass flashback to how he got the surfboard until you finally get to see him surf for 5 min in the finale Topher’s tweet is accurate. Too many shows nowadays are invested in origins and withholding. It […]

Deliberate or Cruel

Deliberate Cruelty: Truman Capote, the Millionaire's Wife, and the Murder of the Century by Roseanne Montillo

June 14, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

I think Roseanne Montillo is on to something when considering why Truman Capote disdained Anne Woodward so much: their similar backgrounds. Neither was born of upper class New York stock. Neither would have gotten anywhere if not for dint of relationship (Truman’s mom landing a Wall Street guy, Woodward apparently being hot enough to bag a Brahmin). Like the song Creep, they don’t belong here. And both took different, yet stylistically similar paths to get where they were. This is an incredibly readable book that […]

Player of Pearl

Earl the Pearl: My Story by Earl Monroe

June 6, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

I’ve always been fascinated by NBA player Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. I don’t know when I first became familiar of him being a great player, first for the Baltimore Bullets, then the New York Knicks. But my first memory is the Denzel Washington monologue in He Got Game where he talks about how Earl was called “Jesus” on the playgrounds of Philadelphia because he was such a great player. I wanted to know more about Monroe’s time in Baltimore. Being a native, I have always considered him […]

May 2024 Leftovers

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Batmanga: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga, Vol. 1 by Jiro Kuwata

Magic: The Life of Earvin "Magic" Johnson by Roland Lazenby

Somebody Owes Me Money by Donald Westlake

When the Sacred Ginmill Closes by Lawrence Block

The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers by Mick Minas

Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon by Roland Lazenby

You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott

Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses

June 5, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

June already? Sheesh. The Brass Verdict**** Ever since John Grisham lost his fastball in the late-90s, I’ve mostly forsaken legal thrillers. But I like the Bosch series and I wanted to read something LA-based and this delivered. It’s a fun plot with some legit exciting twists. Will probably go back to it at some point or maybe watch the show. Interior Chinatown*** I wish I liked this one more than I did. The satire is razor sharp, the story is deep and the pain is […]

Play Stopper

Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant by Roland Lazenby

June 3, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

CN: This review touches on the details surrounding Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case and settlement. While it does not go into graphic detail, those who are sensitive to sexual assault can skip this review. And so I conclude Roland Lazenby’s trio of books on great Lakers guards. First Magic Johnson, then Jerry West, and finishing up with Kobe Bryant. This is by far Lazenby’s best one and though it struggles with some of the same issues his others do (trading insight for access, taking shortcuts […]

Twofer Her

Dogtown by Mercedes Lambert

Soultown by Mercedes Lambert

May 31, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

A year-and-a-half ago, I was at Mysterious Bookshop in Manhattan, aka my favorite place in the world. I was in a mood to read some LA fiction. The problem is, I have an extensive knowledge of writers who set their books in Los Angeles so I needed help. And this is why we need bookstores. Of the recommendations I got, these lost classics were one. A human recommended them to me. Not a computer. Not a publisher-backed listicle. A human being. Two excellent dives in […]

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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