Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Love Among the Feral Set

The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford

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If you have ever been exposed to the world of the British landed gentry (in books only, obv!), it is generally on the male side.  The young lads attend a public school (such as Eton), go off to one of the Oxbridge colleges, and then emerge as captains of the Empire.  The female side?  Not even close. My first exposure to their bizarre world was <i>Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford</i>, which I read and reviewed earlier this year.  The Mitford sisters were six in […]

She was for the birds

Birdlore: The Iridescent Life of Florence Merriam Bailey by Jess Keating

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Online reader copies have pretty much become the way that I read future publications as fewer physical reader copies are finding themselves in my hands. And one that I am glad I read, regardless of the format, is Birdlore: The Iridescent Life of Florence Merriam Bailey by Jess Keating and some far out illustrations by  Devon Holzwarth. Due in mid-March 2025, I am excited to tell you about it so you can go to your local independent bookstore and pre order copies. Yes, copies. You […]

Orphans and them

We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans and Clayton Cowles

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I have had We Called Them Giants by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans and Clayton Cowles as an online reader copy for a few months. I have had opportunities to read it, but for the most part I figured it would expire before I had a chance to. Thankfully I was able to find it and read it at lunch today. It was an interesting experience. This graphic novel is an on book. We know the dystopian aspects (a girl wakes up one morning to find […]

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 […]

When you’re the first person in 150 years to be charged with horse theft, but you did it, so then what?

Grand Theft Horse by G. Neri

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Grand Theft Horse started out slow, but once we get into the legal aspects and the world of horse racing things pick up. Told in first person narrative, G. Neri tells the story of his cousin Gail, who on Christmas Eve decided to steal a horse. Of course, it is not as simple as that. Part owner of a racing horse, she (as his trainer) realizes he is unable to run the next race due to an injury. But the majority-owners do not see an […]

This Week, In Irish Trauma Porn…

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

The Gathering by Anne Enright

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To be fair, only half of this is Catholic trauma porn. One may wonder why Ireland, of all places, has spawned such a fabled literary heritage. Personally I think it’s their sly sense of humour, finely tuned after years of British occupation. Perhaps it’s the potatoes. Both of these books abundantly feature potatoes.  Small Things Like These (Claire Keegan) *** Bill Furlong is a coal merchant in a small town in Ireland in 1986. It’s nearly Christmas; the busiest time of the year for him. […]



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