Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Pair of Library Books

A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek

The Geographer's Map to Romance  by India Holton

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A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek – 4 stars Odile, the adoptive daughter of a sorcerer, must steal the identity of the beautiful Marie, get herself engaged to the crown prince, and get her hands on the only remnant of magic in the kingdom to bring it back everywhere. But when a brutal murder rocks the palace, Odile finds herself turning to an unexpected ally – Marie herself. Guys, I’m obsessed with the cover. This book is more inspired by Swan Lake than a true retelling, […]

Have Seen the Enemy

Smiley's People by John Le Carré

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Of the many things that can be said about John Le Carré’s George Smiley series — and there is a lot to be said — the overarching lesson is how you can never really “win” at espionage. Oh sure, you can occasionally foil the enemy, maybe draw some large gains or uncover revelations. Espionage helps win war when an actual war is going on. But when war is fought in the shadows — and the Cold War most certainly was — one’s never going to […]

This One’s A Thriller

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben MacIntyre

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First of all: RIP Oleg Gordievsky. I picked this up unaware he died earlier in March. Or maybe I had heard it and my subconscious urged me to read it. Either way, hope he rests in peace. Yeah the “reads like a thriller” tag is accurate here. I really do need to read more Ben MacIntyre. I’ve tried with MacIntyre before and while his books are good, I need to be in a specific headspace to read non-fiction and stuff kept getting in the way. […]

The King is Dead and Secrets Will Roll

The King Is Dead by Benjamin Dean

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Taken from a review found online:  Sometimes I find it really hard to rate a book, and The King is Dead is one of them. A lot of my friends had already read it and almost unanimously gave it three stars. Their conclusion: a nice story, but … a bit boring and a rushed ending, a fun read but off pacing, a solid book but lacking subtlety, you name it. And I can understand them all. And still … I found The King Is Dead […]

Magical found families are my cat nip

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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After months of work stress, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was exactly what I needed. This cozy fantasy romance introduces us to Mika Moon, an orphaned witch living in the UK. She meets every quarter in secret places with fellow witches of Britain. They’re not allowed to talk to each other except at these meetings, lest they be discovered and persecuted. Primrose, Mika’s guardian, is the de facto head of the witches who enforces these rules for the greater good. Much to Primrose’s […]

Nostalgia

Amla Mater by Devi Menon

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Even though I have trouble reading online, I am finding even my longer reads there. Such as Amla Mater by Devi Menon. It is less than 200 pages, and therefore more of a novella graphic novel, but what I mean by longer is not a picture book. Actually picture books can be relatively easy to read online (unless they have a smaller print, a lot of print or illustrations that need the book to be turned to read), but when I do my young adult […]



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