Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“If you had better sense you’d have learned by now that nothing thrives so well as wickedness.”

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

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CBR17 Bingo: Play – Amber works as an actress in the Theatre Royal for a section of the book. Also, she’s always playing one role or another to ensnare her latest protector as she works her way up society’s rungs. Amber starts life as the adopted daughter of a farmer, but her beauty and her naked ambition has her destined for greater things – if only she can break free of her love of the unfaithful privateer Bruce. I read on this book’s Wikipedia page (because, […]

“Every war is a war against the child.”

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear

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CBR17 Bingo: White – Behold, the cover. Also, a bonus! The title. Elinor is a veteran of two world wars and a trained killer, but all she wants now is to retreat into a peaceful, solitary existence in the English countryside. But when a violent past comes back to haunt her neighbors, she cannot help but become drawn in. I’m sure I’ll eventually get around to checking out Winspear’s long-running Maisie Dobbs series, but in the meanwhile I figured I’d pick up the standalone The […]

There’s Nothing More Ill-Mannered than Loving Your Own Wife

Sex and Scandals in Georgian England by John Rankin

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In the Georgian era, where infidelity was widespread –  even expected – among the aristocracy, scandals still resulted, but not necessarily for the reasons one would expect. With the new resurgence of interest in Regency romances, I’ve been struck pretty often how wide of the historical mark some stories can be. The costumes of season three of Bridgerton also makes me wince (I still love Queen Charlotte’s ridiculous wigs though!). But reading Sex & Scandals in Georgian England reminded me that, while it’s one thing to know […]

They Call It University

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

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Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: starts with I It’s really tough to go long on The It Girl because there are dozens of these types of what’s billed as “dark academia” thrillers and while this is better than most, it’s not really inspired. Y’know this genre by now: they usually involve a secret society, a group of friends, a dead body, and time jumps. Most are indistinguishable from one another. They’re fine if that’s your thing, not trying to yuck anyone’s yum. But you know what’s […]

“I wish I were a girl again, half-savage and hardy, and free.”

Fifteen Wild Decembers: A Novel by Karen Powell

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Fifteen Wild Decembers tells the story of the Brontë family through the eyes of Emily, from 1825 when she first goes away to school, to her death in 1848. From their childhood tales of the fantastical island of Gondal, to the events in their lives that shaped them and their literary outputs, Fifteen Wild December offered a glimpse into their lives. It was an alright book; I’d love to rate it any more warmly than that, but it didn’t really inspire much in me. I […]

Well, at least Lesbian Vampires are Better than an Invisible French Woman

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

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“Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow and water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth”   1532 Spain: Maria wants more out of life than to be stuck in her small village, and the combination of her great beauty and wily mind may be the ticket to get her out of there. When all it does is throw her into a man’s world of men’s games played by men’s rules, […]



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