Fiction – Page 33 – Cannonball Read 17

Free Will

System Collapse: The Murderbot Diaries Book 7 by Martha Wells

January 21, 2024 by ElCicco 1 Comment

I read all the previous Murderbot stories at the beginning of CBR14 (reviews here, here and here), and while the details of those novels were perhaps a little fuzzy for me when I started this latest Murderbot, I was quickly up to speed and enjoying the continuing saga of everyone’s favorite misanthropic human-robot hybrid. As usual I zipped through this and loved it for its snarky humor and for its development of Murderbot’s relationships with the humans it works for and the artificial intelligence it […]

A ghost story from the olden days

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

January 20, 2024 by genericwhitegirl Leave a Comment

This period thriller is from 1898 and is about a governess who is hired by a man to care for his niece and nephew. The governess begins the job with excitement, but soon experiences disturbing events and believes ghosts of deceased employees are coming for the kids. This novella was adapted from serial installments in the magazine Collier’s Weekly. It was interesting to read a ghost story from over 100 years ago and see how similar it is to modern-day ghost stories, but in a […]

The Love Hypothesis Hypothesis

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

January 15, 2024 by dreadpiratekel Leave a Comment

The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood ♥ Hypothesis Although not that experienced with reading romance novels, I might like one if it started out as Star Wars fan fiction.

My first DNF

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

January 15, 2024 by ElCicco 9 Comments

I wanted to love this book. On the face of it, it ticks off a lot of boxes that appeal to me. It could be that my mind is unfocused right now because a lot is going on at home, but I really think there is a problem with this book. I’d never heard of it before the movie came out and maybe I know why. It’s tedious and pedantic. Poor Things is a kind of Mary Shelley Frankenstein story where the “monster” is a […]

Murderbot and ART: relationships, trauma, and planets are the worst

Network Effect by Martha Wells

System Collapse by Martha Wells

January 12, 2024 by Dome'Loki 3 Comments

Note: This is a spoiler-free review for Network Effect and System Collapse. If you’ve read Network Effect dive into both reviews! However, if you haven’t read Network Effect do not continue on to the review of System Collapse. In order to discuss System Collapse I need to include information that is learned in Network Effect (which is kind of spoiler-ish if you haven’t read it yet). If you have not read Network Effect yet, please enjoy its review. When you’re finished come back for my review of System Collapse! […]

Eileen: when being unlikeable is your personality

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

January 11, 2024 by donttrustthe_bea Leave a Comment

mood music: twilight – Bôa My first read of 2024…a disappointment. I had high hopes as it was adapted into a film starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie, but it was tough even at a short 197 pages on ebook. Eileen is narrated by the aforementioned woman, now in her seventies, as she recounts her last week in her hometown, a small snowy city in New England she calls X-ville. Raised by two alcoholic parents, twenty-four-year-old Eileen is a very miserable person with a love […]

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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