Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A king, a princess, the masters of wizardry, and a dragon walk into a grove

The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin

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CBR 17 BINGO: “O” (for “Other”) BINGO:  Rec’d, Culture, O, Green, White I started reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s Books of Earthsea last year, and I just recently completed the final (sixth) novel in the collection: The Other Wind. As I mentioned in my earlier review of the initial trilogy, there’s something unique about reading a long-established classic and genre-defining series for the first time. The Books of Earthsea are epics in the vein of Lord of the Rings, and something every fantasy enthusiast should […]

“This is the story of how a Baggins had an adventure.” CBRBINGO – Rings

The Hobbit: Or, There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

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As I’ve written about The Hobbit before, and because other people definitely have as well, and much better than I have, this review will be mostly about the new audiobook productions of Tolkien’s works, which are narrated by Andy Serkis, of Gollum fame. So far I have only listened to this lovely production of The Hobbit, but I have the full trilogy and The Silmarillion also ready to go for whenever I am feeling like a re-read. And chances are, now that I know how […]

The making of a wizard

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin

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The thrill that comes from reading a classic of any particular genre is you get to see the early formation of that particular class of fiction. That can also be a problem, as the object of inspiration often leads to greater literary feats that can sometimes make the early attempts feel underwhelming. That’s sort of how I felt about the first three books in the Earthsea series, though I definitely got more engaged as I made my way through the trio. A Wizard of Earthsea […]

Thank you Moira Quirk–I would not have discovered this book without you.

The Councillor by E.J. Beaton

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Okay I’m going to end the year with a book I mostly purchased because of who narrates the audiobook. This is some somewhat Machiavellian fantasy. With a scholar in a central role. For anyone who enjoys the politicking in George R R Martin’s books or perhaps The Priory of the Orange Tree, this might be for you. The Councillor starts off with a death. The Iron Queen Sarelin Brey has been murdered, and the question of her successor has not been left up to the […]

The Lost World by Arthur Conan

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle

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As a huge fan of Doyle, and knowing the influence this book has had on fantasy, I saw an edition of The Lost World from a printing in the early 1970s at a used book store and immediately purchased it. Oy, what a mistake. I am aware that Holmes has been accused of being misogynistic and there are elements of racism within those books but man did Doyle let his id out of control in this novel. I literally hated every single one of these […]

One Ring To Rule Them All…..

The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien

The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien

The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien

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My first encounter with the enormous doorstop that is Tolkien’s classic was when I was ten and my dad read it to me as a bedtime story. I blame him, and these books for my obsession with fantasy and the ridiculous amount of Pinterest boards I’ve dedicated to LOTR and Hobbit fan art.  Even so, sitting down to re-read the doorstop is a commitment I’m not usually ready to make, so for a long time, the movies have kept my obsessions alive. But pandemic lock […]



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