KStar – Cannonball Read 17

2020 Would Be Better with Cookie Golems

A Wizard's Guide To Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

September 13, 2020 by KStar Leave a Comment

I suppose this book is technically YA, since it has a 14-year-old protagonist, and no sex or swearing. However, it has a lot of murder, and politics, and war, and zombie horses, and a semi-sentient carnivorous sourdough starter named Bob. Truly a novel for our times. T. Kingfisher (AKA Ursula Vernon) is a really great author. I cannot emphasize that enough. I have never read a book by her that I didn’t enjoy. Much like Terry Pratchett, she uses fantasy tropes to speak to deeper […]

A Welcome Return to a Favorite Series

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

September 12, 2020 by KStar 5 Comments

I think I came out of the gate too hard for my first Cannonball Read. I don’t usually go for dense literary classics or non-fiction doorstoppers, and I burned myself out a bit with trying to craft in-depth and incisive reviews of heavy books. Then I stated a new job and a pandemic happened and I feel like society is crumbling around me, sooo I didn’t really have the mental energy to put a lot of thought into reviews. It has been a few months […]

Rejoice and Be Glad, Because Great is Your Reward in Heaven

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

January 20, 2020 by KStar Leave a Comment

In the 1850s, America gained control of New Mexico Territory following the Mexican-American War. Subsequently, the Catholic Church decided to make a new diocese out of this new slice of rugged frontier America, populated for generations by Mexican settlers and many, many more generations by the local American Indian tribes. Closely based on historical figures, Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather tells a fictionalized account of two French priests sent to bring the far-flung and neglected territory back under the umbrella of Catholic […]

A Literary Dystopia with a Humorous Twist

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

January 20, 2020 by KStar Leave a Comment

In the alternate universe of The Eyre Affair, classic art and literature are Serious Business. Gangs of Raphaelites brawl in the street with their Surrealist arch-nemeses, Shakespeare performances are met with the same level of audience participation and enthusiasm as a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the Literary Detectives exist as a special branch of law enforcement to handle all crimes relating to books. Our heroine Thursday Next is one such detective. However, this alternate universe is hardly a book-lover’s paradise. […]

Oh, Look. Intelligent, Attractive Romance Novel Protagonists Are Insecure About Their Obvious Mutual Feelings.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

January 15, 2020 by KStar 1 Comment

I have been reading romance since I was approximately 12, raiding my mom’s bookshelves for old Nora Roberts paperbacks. However, I tend to avoid straight-up contemporary romances. Romantic suspense? Hell yes. Paranormal romance? Bring on the werewolves. Historical romance? As long as it’s not too misogynistic, I am down. I want to read about people falling in love and getting their HEA, but I want a murder mystery, a jewel heist, or some werewolves to spice things up a bit and keep the plot moving. […]

Band-Aids Don’t Fix Bullet Holes, and Delusions Don’t Fix Dysfunctional Startups

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

January 12, 2020 by KStar 3 Comments

How does Bad Blood, John Carreyrou’s #1 NYT nonfiction bestseller about Elizabeth Holmes, compare to the music video of “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift’s #1 Billboard single about her beef with Katy Perry? Metric 1: Quality of Prose John Carreyrou is a functional and effective writer. Though lacks he flourishes or lyricism that would make the prose memorable, he is writing a nonfiction account, and he can effectively convey information as a journalist. Taylor Swift rhymes ‘bad blood’ with both ‘mad love’ and ‘deep cut,’ which […]

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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