Michael Finkel – Cannonball Read 17

Am I Supposed To Like Him?

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by MIchael Finkel

March 29, 2025 by bjornsnipe Leave a Comment

Stéphane Bréitwieser is probably the most prolific art thief of all time, pulling off more than 200 heists with his girlfriend as his accomplice on most of them. Stealing from crowded museums, frequently in broad daylight, his collection was worth an estimated $2 billion. Stealing for aesthetic sake alone, he never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom. He felt unstoppable. And then everything came to a sudden end. Fortunately, this book also came to an end. I have no idea […]

Museum Insecurity

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

January 29, 2025 by jeverett15 Leave a Comment

After reading a very long, fictional account the theft of one piece of art, I decided to follow it up with a short, non-fiction account of one of the most prolific art thieves of all time. Stephane Breitweiser committed around 200 thefts from museums around the world. With his girlfriend alongside to keep watch, he pulled off incredibly daring heists, carefully scouting locations, security systems, and the behavior of museum guards. But the most interesting aspect of the story isn’t how Breitweiser pulled off his […]

The Fairly Fascinating Account of the Most Secluded Hermit in America

January 9, 2018 by Dustin Rowles 1 Comment

My buddy Seth from over on Pajiba got me this book for Christmas, and I have no idea why he’d think I’d be interested in a non-fiction account of a hermit who lived in the woods of Maine for 27 years, other than the fact that I live in Maine. Turns out, however, it’s a pretty fascinating book, and though I do live physically in Maine, I don’t follow the local scene that much, so somehow I managed to know absolutely nothing about Christopher Knight […]

Oofta

June 17, 2017 by yesknopemaybe Leave a Comment

I have really mixed feelings about The Stranger in the Woods. I picked it up because I had heard good things and I remember reading the original magazine story about Christopher Knight and being enthralled. By the time I finished reading this book however, I felt kind of dirty and guilty for having read it. This book is an ethical quandary. In 1986, Christopher Knight drove into the main forest and disappeared from society. It wasn’t until 27 years later when he would be arrested […]

There’s Alone, and Then There’s This

May 23, 2017 by ASKReviews Leave a Comment

Best for: Anyone looking for a profile of an interesting man doing something unthinkable to most of us. In a nutshell: Man lives alone in the woods for nearly three decades, uttering words to only one person. Gets arrested. Line that sticks with me: “He parked the car and put the keys on the center console. He had a tent and a backpack but no compass, no map. Without knowing where he was going, with no particular place in mind, he stepped into the trees […]

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.

Help Our Mission