Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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I'm trying to catch up with my reading And my writing And my everything, really. Not actually a platypus (Learn more about this Cannonballer: LittlePlat's Quick Questions interview.)

LittlePlat's Reviews:

You’ll Be Examining More Than Just the Chicken and the Egg Here

From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves and the Meanings of Life by David Haig

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David Haig’s From Darwin to Derrida: Selfish Genes, Social Selves and the Meanings of Life is probably not one of the most accessible books that I could close the year on—which is why I decided to make it my second last and not the last review of the year.  David Haig is an Australian biologist and current George Putnam Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. I first came across his work when reading up about genomic imprinting and maternal-fetal conflict. (These subjects are […]

“I am the servant of the sword,” he said. “I obey the will of the—great god, woman, put on some clothes!”

Swordheart by T Kingfisher

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In my review of A Sorceress Comes to Call, I mentioned that T Kingfisher has a number of books that have slightly older women as protagonists. Halla in Swordheart might be a little younger than Hester in A Sorceress, but she’s not an ingenue.  Halla is in her mid thirties and a widow. The passing of her husband has not freed her from the clutches of her in laws though. This is both a blessing and a curse in some ways; thanks to her basically […]

The Hindu-Buddhist Empire You’ve Never Heard Of.

Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia's Greatest Empire by Herald van der Linde

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I mentioned this one in the best and worst books round up at the end of the year so now I feel obliged to post a review before we actually hit the end of the year. While it’s often said that history is written by the victors, I think  reality is a little more complex than that. A great empire celebrated in one era may fade into obscurity in the next. Geopolitical shifts can suppress the stories of past triumphs, and without visible monuments or […]

Keep thinking that I’m just a silly old woman. It will make it easier for me to do whatever I’m going to do to stop you

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher

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I’m going to confess, I know I’m in for a good time if I pick up a fantasy novel and the protagonist is an older lady with a bit of life experience under the belt. Someone who’s seen some things. One of the very best examples of this is the main character from A Paladin of Souls (Although giving her name might spoil other books in the series), several protagonists in the Divine Cities series, and the of course, T. Kingfisher has made this a […]

Adventures, Both Realistic and Fantastical

The Book of Road and Kingdoms by Richard Fidler

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Richard Fidler’s Conversations on ABC Radio has been a reliable source of book recommendations in the past. His own writing makes for a some excellent reads as well. His main area of interest is the rise and fall of long ago civilizations –  I have previously reviewed Ghost Empire, whose focus was Constantinople and the Byzantium. This time his focus is Central Asia, and the travelers that crossed the region during Islam’s Golden Age. The Book of Road and Kingdoms is also the name of […]

Only Room for One Goat at the Top

The Feast of the Goat / La fiesta del Chivo by Mario Vargas Llosa

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This is my first go-around with Mario Vargas Llosa, and this book was the month’s choice for a world literature bookclub that was held back in May.  I had known for weeks that this was the chosen book, so I thought I had plenty of time to track down a copy to read. However, when I checked the local e-libraries, none of them had any of Vargas Llosa’s books available—in English. Interestingly, Harris County’s online library seems to have almost his entire back catalog in […]



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