Jake – Page 20 – Cannonball Read 17

Her Too?

Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly

May 24, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

Ok so this is actually one of the better Connelly books I’ve read. It definitely merits the 4-star. So why three? There’s just this one thing I can’t let go and I can’t discuss it without spoilers… Also, these spoilers are going to reference the #MeToo Movement and sexual assault in general. I won’t go into graphic detail but if any of that makes you uncomfortable, give it a pass… (Spoilers ahead) Ok so Connelly wrote this at the height of the #MeToo Movement. I […]

Dodger This

The Last of His Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness by Andy McCullough

May 17, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

The fascinating thing about this book is how I was more interested in Clayton Kershaw’s story than the man himself. I suppose both are intertwined. But I think Kershaw has a fascinating story, rising from the challenges of his youth to becoming the consensus best pitcher of his generation. The man himself? Eh. Stays private, sometimes shows a funny side, family man, Christian of the Baptist/Evangelical/non-liturgical variety. Seems like a decent guy, certainly not an intriguing one. Andy McCullough seems to know this without saying […]

April 2024 Leftovers

X = : Poems by Stephen Berg

Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh

The Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton

Vineland by Thomas Pynchon

L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais

Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird

Sleep With Strangers by Dolores Hitchens

The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn by Josh Young

One of Us Is Wrong by Sam Holt

The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker

The Second Murderer by Denise Mina

Blackmailer by George Axelrod

The Darkest Glare: A Story of Murder, Blackmail, and Real Estate Greed in 1979 Los Angeles by Chip Jacobs

Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith

May 6, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

Happy April, y’all! X = : Poems**** This is why library book bingos are necessary. I only checked this one out because I needed to read a book of poems and I wanted to check the nettlesome “X” off the A-Z reading list. A convoluted reason to begin with and this wasn’t even the book I thought I was getting! I thought I’d get a different X by a different author. I’m glad I got this one. Some of these really spoke to me, including […]

Dietrich in Harlem

Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance by Reggie L. Williams

May 6, 2024 by Jake 2 Comments

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is widely celebrated by mainline Protestant (mostly white) Christians because he’s one of the rare public instances in which a white Christian has been on the right side of history. In standing up to the Nazis, Bonhoeffer is considered a modern day martyr. But what’s not as publicly known is that Bonhoeffer found the strength to resist the Nazis during his time in Harlem. Studying at General Theological Seminary, located in nearby Morningside Heights, Bonhoeffer worked in the famous Abyssinian Baptist Church. It […]

The Stroll

These Women by Ivy Pochoda

May 4, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

The thing I most admire about Ivy Pochoda’s These Women is how both feet are firmly in two worlds that she’s willing to write about. In making this a character-driven crime tale with a focus on the sex workers (maybe some of them victimized?), we get a clear picture about the unglamorous life of sex work, especially sex work in low income areas. The need for cash, the dehumanization, the stigma…and yet, these women just go about their business dealing with it all. There’s no glorification or […]

Pulp Facts

Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino

May 3, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

There’s something enjoyable about watching a person go on at length about their favorite medium. Not always and not everyone but occasionally, it’s just fun to listen to someone’s passion for music or movies or sports. Even if I don’t share in their full commonality or appreciation, I admire their reflections. And man, it’s just so much fun reading Quentin Tarantino as he talks for 10+ hours on the movies that have helped form him. I’m not a cinephile, much less an addict like Tarantino […]

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.

About Jake