Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Monty

CBR15 Participant

Your local landscaper who absolutely needs to be outside less.

Monty's Reviews:

Review #6: Slow burn, but what for?

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham

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This is the latest series from one-half of the writers of “The Expanse” books (those under the pen name James S.A. Corey, with Age of Ash being published under the name Daniel Abraham). My partner picked it up because of his deep love of The Expanse, but I stole it and read it before him, and unfortunately ended up influencing his opinion on whether to read it or not. Publisher’s description: “Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, […]

Review #5: Ursula Vernon does it again

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

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“The trees were full of crows and the woods were full of madmen. The pit was full of bones and her hands were full of wires. Her fingers bled where the wire ends cut her. The earliest cuts were no longer bleeding, but the edges had gone red and hot, with angry streaks running backward over her skin. The tips of her fingers were becoming puffy and less nimble. Marra was aware that this was not a good thing, but the odds of living long […]

Review #4: “Violence is what people do when they run out of good ideas”

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

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Third book in a nine book set, Abaddon’s Gate by James S.A. Corey is a “hard science” fiction epic with a popular television show and is widely considered one of the best genre series to come along in a while. I read and enjoyed the first two, so it was an easy decision to spend a few days tackling this one. Straight from the book jacket: “For generations, the solar system – Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt – was humanity’s great frontier. Until now. […]

Review #3: I stayed up until 1:38 AM to finish reading this one

The September House by Carissa Orlando

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1:38 AM is very late for me. I’m a landscaper, so I tend to wake up around 6 AM, willingly or not. And I shouldn’t be reading new books anyway – I haven’t even finished the 10 book reviews I owe Cannonball in the next 10 days. But I read the plot description of The September House by Carissa Orlando last night and couldn’t say no. The website “Vulture” releases their “Best of 2023” lists this time of year, and for some reason the book […]

Review #2: 1203 Pages of Awesome

The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson

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The sixth book in an epic fantasy ten book series, reading this was a no-brainer for me. I have already read the first five books, and mostly loved them, so how could I not continue? The Bonehunters publisher’s summary is as follows (spoilers hidden): “The Seven Cities Rebellion has been crushed. Sha’ik is dead. One last rebel force remains, holed up in the city of Y’Ghatan and under the fanatical command of Leoman of the Flails. The prospect of laying siege to this ancient fortress […]

Review #1: When I Cease to Understand This Book

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut

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This book was a curiosity to me – a “blend of fiction and historical fact” is how it was most often described. But how is that going to work? Truthfully, I read almost exclusively genre fiction, and sometimes feel like I’m missing out or disconnected from the real world – I picked this up wondering if it could reconnect me. The publisher of the book says that When We Cease to Understand the World “is a book about the complicated links between scientific and mathematical […]



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