Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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vel veeter's Reviews:

Broom of the System

The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace

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Broom of the System – 4/5 Stars This is David Foster Wallace’s first novel, the original draft of which was his thesis. The novel itself is sophomoric, for a first novel (if that’s possible) and both precocious and impressive. At times, it really sings, and at other times it’s too goofy for words and too clever by half. It’s not ever boring, and it’s not ever dumb, but at times it’s very very very young feeling. It’s so clear that in this novel David Foster […]

Green Mars

Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

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This is the second book in the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. This book takes place a few generations after the first book, although because of longevity technology in medical science a handful of the original colonizing crew are still alive. The novel looks at Mars now in the beginning stages of terraforming as the local and colonial politics shape the various decisions being made planet-wide. Earth is in a kind of turmoil because of overpopulation, stagnant economic growth, and political strife. Mars on […]

Dissolution

Dissolution by CJ Samson

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I guess the early to mid 2000s was a big Thomas Cromwell moment in fiction. An honest question: how well known is T. Cromwell apart from the recent novels and tv shows? Like, do British schoolchildren learn about him? Is he an easy reference point, or is he more of a historical plucked from relative obscurity? This novel takes place more or less within the same context as the Hilary Mantel novels, but our main character is one of Thomas Cromwell’s “Commissioners”, a kind of […]

Nocturnes

Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

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This is a relatively short, short collection by Kazuo Ishiguro, that was published in 2009. I think this is his only collection, and perhaps he never really wrote short stories otherwise. The stories are linked thematically, but in some cases with overlapping elements. The thematic elements appear in the title and subtitle: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, and a nocturne is a song related to or inspired by night. Oddly though, I would say not all of these stories are about night? Anyway, the […]

Wild Seed

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

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When I first read this book and series, I read them in chronological order. This time around I more or less read them in publication order, though I think this book came out before Clay’s Ark, and I just read that. Regardless, I do remember spending a lot of time and energy in my first reading of this book trying to piece together what is happening. This time around not only having read it and all the books before and again, I really enjoyed what […]

New Teeth

New Teeth by Simon Rich

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I generally don’t laugh at books, though audiobooks have a greater chance. Too often, I might chuckle or just smirk or notice humor and move on. So consider me surprised when this book, which I wasn’t even super keen on reading made me laugh several times throughout. Simon Rich is most famous for the being the younger son of Frank Rich, and I am sorry if that’s offensive to him. He’s also a screenwriter who created Man Seeking Woman and wrote the screenplay for American […]



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