Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

This book itself is also a fiasco, ironically. CBRBINGO – Fiasco

Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops by James Robert Parish

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I keep forgetting to post this review. I think my brain is trying to block out my having read this book on purpose to protect from either, a) dropping dead of a rage aneurysm, or b) dropping dead from the poisonous word salad the author spews on every page. I would not have read this book or even had it on my radar but Cannonball Read’s BINGO board this year had a ‘FIASCO’ square, and when I found this book I thought it would be […]

“There’s something about a kiss that brings all the opposites together. The wanting and the getting. The longing and the having.”

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

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4.5 stars Emma Wheeler loves romantic comedies and has even won a contest with one of her screenplays. But with a father who needs around-the-clock care, and a sister to put through school, Emma’s career dreams had to take a backseat. Now her agent has an amazing job opportunity for her, to work with the screenwriter she admires the most in the world, Charlie Yates. However, there is no way she can do the job remotely, she will need to stay in LA for six […]

All good in the hood

Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo with Donal Logue

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For a character actor known for tough guy roles, Danny Trejo has become surprisingly ubiquitous in Los Angeles.  Trejo’s Do-Nuts and Trejo’s Coffee shops are scattered about the city, and his voice is one of those who greets you at LAX.  And I’m all right with that.  LA could definitely do worse.  But the story of his life and how he got to this point would be laughed out of a writers’ table as just too improbable. He was in and out of most of […]

Hollyweird

Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker

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I enjoyed this one almost in spite of itself. Being on a Hollywood/LA kick, I decided to tackle this during a space in my schedule where I’d have a lot of time to read. And I was able to binge it in two days. It helped that the writing is good. I loved Baker’s prose, his smooth storytelling ways, etc. And the characters were interesting enough to indulge in. The execution though. That was…something. Frankly, I can stand the weird stuff that Barker is known […]

February-March 2024 Leftovers

The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones

A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams

Bone White by Ronald Malfi

Alexander the Great by Phillip Freeman

Nero: Matricide, Murder and Music in Imperial Rome by Anthony Everitt and Roddy Ashworth

Beyond a Boundary by C.L.R. James

A Stab in the Dark by Lawrence Block

The Killing Kind by John Connolly

Shōgun by James Clavell

Nobody's Angel by Jack Clark

A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime by Casey Sherman

Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland

The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Michael Woolraich

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Rain, rain, go away. I thought my reading count looked too low and then I realized I didn’t do leftovers for February, so here’s Feb-March combined. The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and Rise of the Tudors ***** Jones is such a talented historian. Gets all the important stuff of the Wars of the Roses in great detail and lets the story entertain. His Templars book will soon be on my radar. A Lowcountry Bride**** Had to read this for a library […]

“And just as she was about to leave the mircophone, she said ‘And to anyone tempted to kiss the TV tonight, please don’t chip your tooth.”

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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When journalist Monique is chosen by the reclusive actress Evelyn Hugo to be her biographer, she has no clue why she was the one chosen – or about the tragic intersection of their lives. I feel like Contrary Mary here to say that I thought a generally universally acclaimed book was just fine, but I’m going to be brave and go ahead and say it: It was fine. Maybe I had too high expectations after reading the rest of the Reidverse books and all those […]



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