historical fiction – Page 39 – Cannonball Read 17

For I had seen with startling clarity that the two are connected, the fall of New Bethany and the rise of Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

The Magic Kingdom by Russell Banks

December 21, 2022 by Leedock Leave a Comment

Closing out CBR14 with a whimper, not a bang, folks. This is one of those books that I’m sure will get rave reviews. There are probably countless deep dives out there about how this book is an indictment of capitalism. And it is. It is about a lot of relevant things, but it’s also very boring. The story of a boy who grew into adulthood within various utopian societies throughout the United States should be interesting at least. But it isn’t. I’m going to blame […]

November 2022 Leftovers

The Golden Cage by Camilla Läckberg

Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

The Hot Beat by Robert Silverberg

Your Book, Your Brand: The Step-By-Step Guide to Launching Your Book and Boosting Your Sales by Dana Kaye

Nineteen Seventy Seven by David Peace

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy

Nineteen Eighty by David Peace

Ex Machina, Book Three by Brian K. Vaughan

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Destroy All Monsters (Reckless, Vol.2) by Ed Brubaker

The Ghost in You (Reckless, Vol.3) by Ed Brubaker

Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

December 3, 2022 by Jake Leave a Comment

A happy and blessed Thanksgiving to all who observe! Here is my list of readings that I got to in November that didn’t merit a longer review… The Golden Cage*** Part 1: Ma’am, wyd? Part 2: Good for her! Part 3: Good for…her? Also, kinda sad. Epilogue: Good for her! This is a good, trashy beach read. I just wish there had been less on Faye’s shady past- which wasn’t filled in well-and more on the machinations to destroy her husband’s business. Also, I’m not […]

…kurou, which could be translated to ‘suffering’

Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara

December 1, 2022 by esme Leave a Comment

BINGO!!!! Bingo tile: monster; the first big monster is the internment of Japanese and Japanese Americans from (primarily) the West Coast and the subsequent theft of their property by white Americans; the second monster would spoil the mystery, but is monstrous! In Clark and Division, Naomi Hirahara crafts a mildly diverting mystery and, more compellingly, a moving portrait of the tremendous challenges facing Japanese and Japanese Americans post-Pearl Harbor. Aki Ito, her parents, and her older sister, Rose, are forcibly interned in Manzanar after Pearl […]

Blonde Assassin

The Blonde by Anna Godbersen

November 27, 2022 by Jake Leave a Comment

The fun thing about this book is that few of the individual subplots work and yet, Anna Godbersen creates such a vivid re-imagination of Marilyn Monroe as a person that I really didn’t care. Monroe is often depicted—mostly by but not limited to men (looking at you, Joyce Carol Oates)—as a wide-eyed naifish mentally damaged sex doll. I have to imagine there is more to her life than going around speaking in innuendo and substance-induced rage but rarely have I seen this depicted. Blonde is the latest […]

In the City of LA

The Empty Glass by JI Baker

A Student of History by Nina Revoyr

Friend of the Devil (Reckless #2) by Ed Brubaker

November 23, 2022 by Jake Leave a Comment

By both design and coincidence, I read three consecutive books on Los Angeles over the last 48 hours. The first two were good 4-star reads and the third was an excellent 5-star one… The Empty Glass Oliver Stone’s Blonde. This got poor reviews and I guess I get it? I suppose it depends on what your expectations are. Me personally, I enjoyed this wild romp through Los Angeles as a low level county morgue guy tries to unravel a government conspiracy around Marilyn Monroe’s death. […]

Only read if you really love these characters.

Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

November 22, 2022 by narfna Leave a Comment

I have a weird relationship with Deborah Harkness’s books. I liked her All Souls trilogy, but I also recognize that it has some significant problems (that I won’t get into here). I had assumed those feelings would carry over to this book, a sequel to the trilogy, essentially. It’s billed as being about Marcus and Phoebe’s relationship, but it’s actually just an extended epilogue and very little happens that is of consequence. It’s also very weird. The book is split in three parts. First is […]

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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