Cannonball Read 17

Boys only want love if it’s torture.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

September 28, 2025 by carmelpie Leave a Comment

Reciprocity was a thing you had to learn. Someone had to tell you, first, that you deserved to be treated well, before you knew it for yourself. ― Alexandra Rowland, A Taste of Gold and Iron CBR17 Bingo: Family Family because the sultan loves her brother, Kadou, but she must remain emotionally … [Read more]

carmelpie's CBR17 Review No:26 · Genres: Fantasy · Tags: Alexandra Rowland, cbr17bingo, gay romance, low fantasy, messy characters, Palace politics, queer romance ·

“Magic Is the First and Last Religion of the World. It Has the Power to Make Us Whole.”

Imajica by Clive Barker

September 28, 2025 by LittlePlat Leave a Comment

Damn, the effort I have gone to in my search for a book that fits the “I” square! I went through a bit of a horror-reading phase in my early twenties, and Clive Barker was one of the authors I had on rotation. But I never did pick up his fantasy doorstopper Imajica—I think I was just a little too … [Read more]

LittlePlat's CBR17 Review No:26 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror · Tags: #fantasy, body horror, cbr17bingo, Clive Barker, doorstopper, horror, I, Imajica, to meander or roam ·

The Word ‘Turbulent’ Is Bearing a Lot of Weight Here

Bomb Season in Jakarta: A personal account of a turbulent period in Australian diplomacy by Grant Dooley

September 28, 2025 by LittlePlat Leave a Comment

This is yet another book I’ve discovered via listening to ABC’s Conversations. The subtitle of Bomb Season in Jakarta is A personal account of a turbulent period in Australian diplomacy, and Grant Dooley is not kidding when he writes this. Back in 2004, Dooley and his family had moved to … [Read more]

LittlePlat's CBR17 Review No:25 · Genres: Audiobooks, Biography/Memoir · Tags: #memoir, B, cbr17bingo, DFAT, diplomacy, Grant Dooley, Indonesia, politics, terrorism ·

Moving Beyond the “Great” Men

The Problem with Great Men by Hallie Rubenhold

September 28, 2025 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

A couple of weeks ago an essay that Hallie Rubenhold had presented for the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2020 as part of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction Lecture came to my attention, and I slid it into the TBR. The Problem with Great Men hits on so many of the things that are … [Read more]

faintingviolet's CBR17 Review No:41 · Genres: Non-Fiction · Tags: cbr17bingo, culture, Great Man Theory, Hallie Rubenhold, social history, The Problem with Great Men ·

I Knew I’d Seen This Movie Before!

The Skin of Dreams by Raymond Queneau

September 28, 2025 by elderberrywine 4 Comments

cbr17bingo Play Written in 1944 by French surrealist author Queneau, this is the story of a man, Jacques, who lives in, as the cover blurb says, waking dreams. He seamlessly transitions from chatting with his friends to imagining himself in a certain situation, and then back to everyday life. … [Read more]

elderberrywine's CBR17 Review No:52 · Genres: Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Romance · Tags: cbr17bingo, Film-related, Fun read, James Thurber related, Late 1940s France, Not everyone need to be a star, Perfect job, Raymond Queneau, Waking dreams ·

1930s Cinema History

Pre-Code Hollywood: Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema; 1930-1934 by Thomas Doherty

September 28, 2025 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

Are you looking for a primer on how the enforcement of what became known as the Hayes Code on the movie business in the 1930s impacted what came before and after 1934? I might have the book for you. In 1999 Thomas Doherty published what might be considered the go to book on early 1930s Hollywood, … [Read more]

faintingviolet's CBR17 Review No:40 · Genres: Non-Fiction · Tags: arts, cbr17bingo, cinema history, classic hollywood, moral panic, read harder challenge, Thomas Doherty ·

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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