janetfaust – Cannonball Read 17

The Speed Bump in an Otherwise Smooth Ride

House of Chains by Steven Erikson

June 5, 2019 by janetfaust 3 Comments

I started reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen last year. I wanted to read a completed epic fantasy series and had heard a lot of good things about it. I had some Audible credits so I got Gardens of the Moon and soon enough, I was engaged, but a bit left behind somehow. This series isn’t something you can just casually listen to as an audio book and really hope to get. I made it about two-thirds of the way through the first audio […]

The Gifts and Curses of our Ancestors

March 29, 2018 by janetfaust Leave a Comment

It’s no secret or shock to anyone with a decent knowledge of history that America is a country built on the backs of enslaved people. When Michelle Obama, speaking at the DNC in 2016, stated that slaves built the White House, it generated waves of shock and faux outrage. How dare she point out a historical fact. I remember not being surprised by her statement at the time nor thinking it should be particularly shocking to anyone, but it was for white people who didn’t […]

The Right Words Can Change the World

February 1, 2018 by janetfaust 2 Comments

This book is about taking the broken pieces of yourself and arranging them into something resembling a thinking and feeling person again. It’s about facing your deepest, most painful secrets and being able to exist with them and because of them. It’s about owning and honoring all the parts of you that scare you; whether those parts are wretched or wonderful. And it’s also about people with magical abilities who can defy gravity, change their appearance, heal instantly and fight with long, magical swords. Brandon […]

Creeping Dread Coated with a Veneer of Bigotry

November 29, 2017 by janetfaust Leave a Comment

My introduction to the works of H.P. Lovecraft was most likely the film Reanimator, though I don’t know if I realized the source at the time. I was interested in reading these stories because Lovecraftian mythos is has been the source of so much pop culture that I’ve imbibed – movies, books, video games – Lovecraft has either provided a source for other storytellers to embellish (as in the case of Reanimator) or has inspired all new horrors (like the xenomorph in Alien). Chances are […]

The Macaroni and Cheese of Fantasy Books

March 8, 2017 by janetfaust 2 Comments

Peter David writes my very favorite Star Trek books. I discovered his work at some point in the ’90’s when I was still interested in attempting to read all the Star Trek novels related to The Next Generation. The lack of quality of most of the TNG ties-ins made it quite an effort, and then Peter David comes along. I don’t remember exactly which novel of his I read first, but I remember Imzadi being the point at which I decided to go from buying […]

Caution – Difficult to Put Down

February 4, 2017 by janetfaust 4 Comments

This book is fairly new territory for me as a reader who primarily sticks to science fiction, fantasy, and the occasional non-fiction book. Fiction set in our world, in current times, simply hasn’t been on my radar. But Resurrection Express enticed me with its cover, featuring the skyline of my hometown, and from the first couple of pages I was hooked. How this thriller compares to others in the genre, I really cannot say. If you enjoy action, lots of plot turns, suspense, and don’t […]

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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