Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Why does it matter who drew it if it’s good?

Botticelli's Apprentice by Ursula Murray Husted

January 30, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Botticelli’s Apprentice  is a nice cozy read that is not just a “girl wants to paint because can’t because, you know, “girl” story.”  While this book is not a “perfect five” (there are a few things I was not 100% liking (sorry Blue, you’re cute, but OMG what a problem pup!) it is almost there.  It was a book I read in almost one sitting (and probably would have if it hadn’t been online). Ursula Murray Husted has a story that is about the time, […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, History, Young Adult Tagged With: art, artists, family, Florence, friendship, Girls & Women, Renaissance, Sandro Botticelli, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Themes, Ursula Murray Husted

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:67 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, History, Young Adult · Tags: art, artists, family, Florence, friendship, Girls & Women, Renaissance, Sandro Botticelli, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Themes, Ursula Murray Husted ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
Alone Time book cover: a photograph of an elaborate metal railing with a blurred old city skyline in the distance

Curiosity = Happiness

Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude by Stephanie Rosenbloom

January 7, 2023 by KateMc 3 Comments

“Alone, there’s no need for an itinerary. Walk, and the day arranges itself.” In Alone Time, New York Times travel writer Stephanie Rosenbloom travels solo to Paris, Istanbul, Florence, and New York. She shares details about the small, quiet moments that make up the most memorable parts of her trips: Alone, with no one at my side, I was also able to see le merveilleux quotidien, “the marvelous in everyday life”: a golden retriever gazing at a café chalkboard in Montmartre, as if reading the […]

Filed Under: Featured, Non-Fiction Tagged With: Florence, Istanbul, new york, non fiction, paris, Stephanie Rosenbloom, travel

KateMc's CBR15 Review No:1 · Genres: Featured, Non-Fiction · Tags: Florence, Istanbul, new york, non fiction, paris, Stephanie Rosenbloom, travel ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

My first CBR post since 2019

Inferno (Robert Langdon #4) by Dan Brown

February 2, 2021 by kfishgirl 4 Comments

This is my first CBR review since 2019. I’m not sure what happened last year (aside from the global pandemic), but it just kind of got away from me. I just checked Goodreads, and I read 55 books last year, so I totally could’ve hit another Cannonball. I just didn’t have the energy to review them. I think the problem was that I waited too long to start. I read a few books in January, but I also had this huge investigation I was writing […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: #plague, dan brown, Florence, Robert Langdon

kfishgirl's CBR13 Review No:1 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery · Tags: #plague, dan brown, Florence, Robert Langdon ·
Rating:
· 4 Comments

A Monstrous Nightmare

September 27, 2016 by Ellesfena 4 Comments

In 2000, writer Douglas Preston moved his family to a villa in Tuscany so he could work on a new mystery that would take place in Florence. Soon after, he discovers that a clearing near his new house was the scene of a gruesome double murder. The murder was attributed to the Monster of Florence, a serial killer who targeted young couples and was still at large. Preston abandons his novel and begins working on a nonfiction work about the Monster, teaming up with Mario […]

Filed Under: Mystery, Non-Fiction Tagged With: Douglas Preston, Florence, Mario Spezi, serial killer, The Monster of Florence, true crime

Ellesfena's CBR8 Review No:42 · Genres: Mystery, Non-Fiction · Tags: Douglas Preston, Florence, Mario Spezi, serial killer, The Monster of Florence, true crime ·
Rating:
· 4 Comments

A trip through Dante’s Inferno

January 26, 2014 by Valyruh 2 Comments

   As a true lover of Dante’s Divine Comedy, I must confess that Brown’s choice of inspiration for his fourth Langdon novel hit just the right spot for me. While some readers may be bored by his lengthy descriptions of Dante’s cantos on the odyssey from Inferno and Purgatory to Paradise, I wanted more. Some readers may find his near tour-guide-style descriptions of Florence and Istanbul to be a divergence from the plot, but I was entranced and nearly salivating at the chance to visit […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Mystery, Suspense Tagged With: Dante, Florence, genetic engineering, Istanbul, Malthus, overpopulation

Valyruh's CBR6 Review No:9 · Genres: Fiction, History, Mystery, Suspense · Tags: Dante, Florence, genetic engineering, Istanbul, Malthus, overpopulation ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments


Recent Comments

  • 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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