LittlePlat – Page 21 – Cannonball Read 17

An Unbelievable Life

Born Again Blakfella. by Jack Charles; Namila Benson

August 14, 2021 by LittlePlat 2 Comments

Jack Charles certainly started Born Again Blakfella with a memorable scene. As a beloved actor in Australia and noted First Nations activist, you would think that he would start by drawing attention to his achievements in both of these fields. But Charles decided to start his memoir with a facet of his life that didn’t lead to him getting glowing reviews in the newspapers: “It’s the middle of the night and I’m huddled over, dragging my dilly bad, which is chock full of all […]

Our Boys’ Own Wine Adventures. Also, I Know How to Say Château d’Yquem Now

Stalin's Wine Celler by John Baker, Nick Place

July 18, 2021 by LittlePlat 2 Comments

…for which I am very proud. I’ve said often enough that I find the book recommendations from Audible (My main source of audiobooks) a little bit rubbish. But occasionally it comes through for me — like, I never knew I needed to read a biography of the HMS Erebus, but that turned out to be a fantastic read that readily started spruiking to everyone. I also didn’t know that a book about potential wine-crime might also pique my interest, but here we are: I cut […]

Sympathy for the Devil.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee

Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee

Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee

March 7, 2021 by LittlePlat 1 Comment

Reread time! Massive reread time! This was all triggered by last years’ Cannonball Book Exchange, where ElCicco was kind enough to send me the three main entries in the The Machinaries of Empire series. I had read the books one by one as they had come out, but I had never sat down and binge-read them before. And honestly, now that I have done that—while adding the more recently published short story collection—I think the series is even better. Usual disclaimer: as I am reviewing […]

If You’re Sick of Reading About Our Current Disaster, Try This One.

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham

February 10, 2021 by LittlePlat Leave a Comment

Let’s distract ourselves from current disasters with even worse ones from the past, shall we? There are nor many single-event disasters with greater name recognition or cultural impact than the meltdown at Chernobyl—so much so, that it still shapes the zeitgeist around nuclear power 25 years after the event. Adam Higginbotham does an excellent job at detailing exactly how the world fell apart and the exact human cost. It certainly seemed like the end of the world for the town of Pripyat, which was built […]

The Only Winner Here is Corn.

The Scientist and The Spy by Mara Hvistendahl

February 2, 2021 by LittlePlat 10 Comments

On one hand, I enjoyed reading The Scientist and the Spy, really. Mara Hvistendahl has given us a really compelling account of economic espionage. But Christ, this book is a sticky one. It covers multiple topics I’m interested in: genetics, agriculture, international relations and intellectual property—and political shit-storms. But it also makes me want to bang my head against the wall while crying out ‘everyone’s a pack of arseholes’ because that was basically the only conclusion I could come to. But with a story this […]

She Grows On You

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

January 31, 2021 by LittlePlat 10 Comments

More comfort reads! More comfort reads! Nimona is a real favourite of mine. Before Noelle Stevenson saw success with the She-Ra series, she was writing Nimona—an absolutely glorious webcomic-turned actual-comic. The setting of Nimona isn’t actually too far divorced from what we see in She-Ra: rather high fantasy on the surface, with a lot of nerdy science and magi-tech elements scattered throughout. We have heroic and villainous knights in shining armour with jousting sticks but said knights also have high-tech research labs where they develop […]

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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