Jake – Page 21 – Cannonball Read 17

The Faint of the Heart

The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis

April 24, 2024 by Jake 2 Comments

One of the strangest things to those who study the European theater of World War II is why the Nazis didn’t send their militarized concentration camp troops to the front lines in the east. I don’t know enough about history to know if it would have made a difference or not; probably not. But Berlin certainly knew that the Soviet Union wouldn’t be seeking a simple armistice after Operation Barbossa and the atrocities of Stalingrad. One would think that preserving the safety of the Reich […]

In A Summer Swelter

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry

April 22, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

I sort of came to this book backwards. I had made it a point in life to learn as little about Charles Manson as possible. I knew he was some sort of specifically evil serial killer, responsible for the deaths of Sharon Tate and others. I knew what he did happened in the 60s. I knew he was considered the modern day boogeyman. But when Once Upon a Time in Hollywood prepared to hit theaters five years ago, I decided it was time to learn more about […]

Hollyweird

Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker

April 17, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

I enjoyed this one almost in spite of itself. Being on a Hollywood/LA kick, I decided to tackle this during a space in my schedule where I’d have a lot of time to read. And I was able to binge it in two days. It helped that the writing is good. I loved Baker’s prose, his smooth storytelling ways, etc. And the characters were interesting enough to indulge in. The execution though. That was…something. Frankly, I can stand the weird stuff that Barker is known […]

Seeing the Masterpiece

Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block

April 10, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

When I first read through the Matthew Scudder series, I couldn’t appreciate Eight Million Ways to Die for what it is. I had avoided the Scudder series for a long time because alcoholic ex-cop PI held no appeal for me. I learned that Matt grows with the series over time. And I did as well. It’s documented in other reviews, I won’t rehash here. Just check the tag. But this one is always considered his best work. And when I read it…I mean, it was good. I […]

The LONG Long Goodbye

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

April 8, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

I picked this up thanks in large part to Megan Abbott’s review. It’s not her fault, though, that I didn’t like it. For Goodreads, Abbott talked about the book’s similarities to Robert Altman’s movie The Long Goodbye, mostly in terms of aesthetics, a forgotten Los Angeles, as well as the narrator’s anxiety. The Long Goodbye is one of my all time favorite movies, Chandler but better. So I had to grab this. And yeah, she is right that it gets the aesthetics well. I deeply felt […]

February-March 2024 Leftovers

The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones

A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams

Bone White by Ronald Malfi

Alexander the Great by Phillip Freeman

Nero: Matricide, Murder and Music in Imperial Rome by Anthony Everitt and Roddy Ashworth

Beyond a Boundary by C.L.R. James

A Stab in the Dark by Lawrence Block

The Killing Kind by John Connolly

Shōgun by James Clavell

Nobody's Angel by Jack Clark

A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime by Casey Sherman

Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland

The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Michael Woolraich

April 3, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

Rain, rain, go away. I thought my reading count looked too low and then I realized I didn’t do leftovers for February, so here’s Feb-March combined. The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and Rise of the Tudors ***** Jones is such a talented historian. Gets all the important stuff of the Wars of the Roses in great detail and lets the story entertain. His Templars book will soon be on my radar. A Lowcountry Bride**** Had to read this for a library […]

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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