Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About octothorp

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I buy books faster than I can read them. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: octothorp's Quick Questions interview.)

octothorp's Reviews:

You’re a PhD!

Why we sleep by Matthew walker

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I’m in the process of reading this still, but had to start my review early because I was so irritated.  It may seem pedantic, but in a scientific book I expect facts to be accurate and held to rigorous standards. Only a few pages after writing that “the data infers” a result (nope, readers infer, data implies.  Unless data has gained sentience it can’t draw conclusions from what’s being reported, interpretation or inference is strictly for humans.  Data can imply, but not infer) this PhD […]

Despite all my rage I am still just the girl on the train

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

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It’s honestly refreshing to have a book where the main character has actual flaws instead of cutesy “I’m such a klutz!” “I’m just too ambitious!” pseudoflaws. Rachel, our hero, is a straight out alcoholic. And half of the mystery she’s committed herself to solving involves putting her fractured memories of the night of the crime together, a task made more difficult by the wine induced blackout that evening. Rachel isn’t just a heavy drinker, she has an out and out problem, and Hawkins does an […]

Bandaids don’t fix bullet holes

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

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I enjoyed this book immensely, and appreciated the factual and as unbiased as possible approach the author took, as his investigation of Elizabeth Holmes and her company Theranos eventually made him a part of the story once Holmes began to view the journalist as a threat.  Carreyrou’s level headed reporting was a necessity given Holmes’ view of him as someone with a vendetta against her personally, and he admirably sticks to what can be factually confirmed, making allowances any time he draws a conclusion that […]

Take another little piece of my soul now baby

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

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“And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.” Damn, Joanne, how badly did you want to be done writing these? That line can’t NOT be metafiction. All kidding aside, there’s some of Rowling’s best writing in this, and I missed it the first time around in my haste to see how it all played out, and my frustration (less warranted on second read through) about stranding our heroes in the woods for too […]

Gonna gnaw my leg off to get outta this one

The trap by Melanie Raabe

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Purchased on a whim because the octolet had a fit of pique at Barnes and Noble before I could sort through my pile of books I was interested in before checkout, and I’m weak willed around remaindered books. Plus, apparently I never learn my lessons about cover blurbs, and really wanted another Gillian Flynn/Paula Hawkins type book. I know Gillian Flynn. Gillian Flynn is a close personal friend of mine. (No, not really.) And you, ma’am, are  no Gillian Flynn. This book was written flat as […]

Brand name goods at low low prices

Cheap by Ellen Ruppel Shell

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How ironic for the author that I wouldn’t have picked this up for full price (hi there used section of local bookstore!) and that I just found in linking it for the review that it is only available from outside sellers for a fifth of its list price. The author manages to avoid the scolding tones of other books that admonish us to avoid buying discount merchandise so poorly made as to give planned obsolescence a bad name, but much like so many books about […]



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