zinka – Cannonball Read 17

“What I did know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood; however blameless a life we led, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do.”

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

May 11, 2024 by zinka 2 Comments

I’ve had a run of bad luck the past few years where the first book I pick to read ends up, at worst, pretty terrible, and at best, readable but not enjoyable. Unfortunately, Ariadne by Jennifer Saint falls into the latter. Since I spent a lot of 2023 reading and rereading Greek Mythological retellings (thank you Natalie Haynes and Madeline Miller among others), I honestly thought this would be a shoo-in as an easy read, my return to CBR, and jump starting my reading for […]

Tom Robbins re-reads #2, #3, and #4: Cowgirls, frog legs, and making love stay

Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins

Half-Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins

May 23, 2021 by zinka 1 Comment

Even after re-reading a handful more of Tom Robbins’ books, there is not much I can say differently about why I love his writing and his stories so much that I didn’t already say in my first re-read review of Skinny Legs and All. That being said, this round of Cannonball Review Catching up includes my all-time favorite of all the Tom Robbins books, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, his work which I often perceive as the most popular amongst others (especially men), Still Life […]

Witchy as hell (but there’s something about it…)

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

March 3, 2021 by zinka Leave a Comment

I’ve been escaping some of the heavier research reading I am doing for work/project through fantasy/fiction audiobooks. The last one wasn’t entirely a dud but also didn’t leave me with that ecstatic, “I’m so happy I’ve consumed this story and can’t wait to read more” feeling. This one, The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow, was also somewhere in the grey zone for me; somewhere between being really good and thoughtful, but also not being something I was consuming with great vigor either. […]

I like the idea that Life potentially starts in every moment, but the execution was just okay

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

February 24, 2021 by zinka 2 Comments

I wish I had written this review closer to when I actually finished the audiobook, but I wasn’t too anxious to review this one since it’s not as stellar as other books I’ve read this year so far. Checking out The Midnight Library was a direct result of cannonball reviews, both good and bad, and a certain curiosity about how I would fare with the story. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Matt Haig’s, The Midnight Library, is about a woman who […]

“I mourned not the loss of what I once had, but what had been taken from me before I drew my first breath…”

The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames by Justine Cowan

February 12, 2021 by zinka Leave a Comment

*Full disclosure: I know and work with Justine Cowan at the Atlanta based nonprofit, Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta I do not read a lot of straight history for fun because I tend to prefer my history with a little flourish, or through the lens of a personal experience, fictional or lived, and so far I’ve found it difficult to find history books that do that well (but if you know them please send them my way because I do actually like learning history […]

Love what you do, how you do it, and the body you do it in

Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by Adrienne Maree Brown (Editor)

February 3, 2021 by zinka Leave a Comment

Woof. I have been reading a lot of really amazing critical work this year and a lot of it has been just for fun. Also, a lot of it makes me feel like my brain is exploding but in a way that feels really really good to me, and I think Adrienne Maree Brown would approve. Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, by Adrienne Maree Brown, is a collection of essays, interviews, and other writing by Brown as well as a series of […]

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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