Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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cover of You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

Sometimes you want to look at a guy and say: Well, he’s f***ed, but he’s trying.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

June 26, 2024 by carmelpie Leave a Comment

Eddie has to be careful, otherwise he’s going to open his mouth and give this man five paragraphs of lunacy, starting with “You’re pretty” and ending with “Are you always this bad at your job?” with maybe some “Can I touch your suit?” thrown in there to maximize the horror. ― Cat Sebastian, You Should Be So Lucky It’s not just the burden of continually lying, it’s keeping your existence a secret. When the world has decided that people are supposed to be a certain […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance Tagged With: 1960s America, American baseball, Cat Sebastian, gay romance, historical fiction, New York City, queer love story, queer romance, secret romance

carmelpie's CBR16 Review No:56 · Genres: Fiction, Romance · Tags: 1960s America, American baseball, Cat Sebastian, gay romance, historical fiction, New York City, queer love story, queer romance, secret romance ·
Rating:
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The Book of Eight Summers Ago

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

June 22, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

During one summer off while in college, I worked as a waiter in a tacky chain Mexican restaurant. And for the first two weeks, I was terrible at it. Just awful. Triage was impossible for me. I wouldn’t have lasted half-a-shift at the restaurant in this book. My manager was very encouraging but one of my co-workers just had it in for me. She berated me, belittled me, basically made my life hell because I was a lousy waiter. I eventually got better and by […]

Filed Under: Featured, Fiction Tagged With: #food, New York City, service industry, stephanie danler, sweetbitter

Jake's CBR16 Review No:86 · Genres: Featured, Fiction · Tags: #food, New York City, service industry, stephanie danler, sweetbitter ·
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Player of Pearl

Earl the Pearl: My Story by Earl Monroe

June 6, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

I’ve always been fascinated by NBA player Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. I don’t know when I first became familiar of him being a great player, first for the Baltimore Bullets, then the New York Knicks. But my first memory is the Denzel Washington monologue in He Got Game where he talks about how Earl was called “Jesus” on the playgrounds of Philadelphia because he was such a great player. I wanted to know more about Monroe’s time in Baltimore. Being a native, I have always considered him […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir Tagged With: Baltimore, basketball, Earl Monroe, NBA, New York City, New York Knicks

Jake's CBR16 Review No:82 · Genres: Biography/Memoir · Tags: Baltimore, basketball, Earl Monroe, NBA, New York City, New York Knicks ·
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May 2024 Leftovers

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Batmanga: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga, Vol. 1 by Jiro Kuwata

Magic: The Life of Earvin "Magic" Johnson by Roland Lazenby

Somebody Owes Me Money by Donald Westlake

When the Sacred Ginmill Closes by Lawrence Block

The Curse: The Colorful & Chaotic History of the LA Clippers by Mick Minas

Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon by Roland Lazenby

You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott

Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses

June 5, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

June already? Sheesh. The Brass Verdict**** Ever since John Grisham lost his fastball in the late-90s, I’ve mostly forsaken legal thrillers. But I like the Bosch series and I wanted to read something LA-based and this delivered. It’s a fun plot with some legit exciting twists. Will probably go back to it at some point or maybe watch the show. Interior Chinatown*** I wish I liked this one more than I did. The satire is razor sharp, the story is deep and the pain is […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Fiction, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Sports, Suspense Tagged With: #writing, AAPI, basketball, Batman, Charles Yu, craft in the real world, Donald Sterling, Donald Westlake, gymnastics, hard case crime, harry bosch, Interior Chinatown, Jerry West, Jiro Kuwata, lawrence block, legal thriller, los angeles, Los Angeles Clippers, Magic Johnson, manga, Matthew Salesses, Matthew Scudder, megan abbott, Michael Connelly, Mick Minas, Mickey Haller, movies, mystery, NBA, New York City, Noir, Roland Lazenby, Somebody Owes Me Money, sports, the Brass Verdict, When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, writing craft, You Will Know Me

Jake's CBR16 Review No:81 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Fiction, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Sports, Suspense · Tags: #writing, AAPI, basketball, Batman, Charles Yu, craft in the real world, Donald Sterling, Donald Westlake, gymnastics, hard case crime, harry bosch, Interior Chinatown, Jerry West, Jiro Kuwata, lawrence block, legal thriller, los angeles, Los Angeles Clippers, Magic Johnson, manga, Matthew Salesses, Matthew Scudder, megan abbott, Michael Connelly, Mick Minas, Mickey Haller, movies, mystery, NBA, New York City, Noir, Roland Lazenby, Somebody Owes Me Money, sports, the Brass Verdict, When the Sacred Ginmill Closes, writing craft, You Will Know Me ·
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April 2024 Leftovers

X = : Poems by Stephen Berg

Charcoal Joe by Walter Mosley

A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh

The Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton

Vineland by Thomas Pynchon

L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais

Watch It Burn by Kristen Bird

Sleep With Strangers by Dolores Hitchens

The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn by Josh Young

One of Us Is Wrong by Sam Holt

The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker

The Second Murderer by Denise Mina

Blackmailer by George Axelrod

The Darkest Glare: A Story of Murder, Blackmail, and Real Estate Greed in 1979 Los Angeles by Chip Jacobs

Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith

May 6, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

Happy April, y’all! X = : Poems**** This is why library book bingos are necessary. I only checked this one out because I needed to read a book of poems and I wanted to check the nettlesome “X” off the A-Z reading list. A convoluted reason to begin with and this wasn’t even the book I thought I was getting! I thought I’d get a different X by a different author. I’m glad I got this one. Some of these really spoke to me, including […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: a game of Lies, Blackmailer, california, charcoal joe, Chip Jacobs, Clare Mackintosh, crime, cults, denise mina, Dolores Hitchens, Easy Rawlins, ed brubaker, Elvis Cole, europe, Ffion Morgan, France, Freddie Otash, George Axelrod, Graphic Novel, Halley Sutton, hard case crime, historical fiction, Joe Pike, Josh Young, Kristen Bird, L.A. Requiem, LGBTQIA, long beach, los angeles, Marilyn Monroe, movies, mystery, New York City, Noir, One of Us Is Wrong, Patricia Highsmith, Philip Marlowe, poems, postmodern, real estate, reality television, red scare, Ripley's Game, Robert Crais, Sam Holt, Sleep with Strangers, Stephen Berg, Texas, The Darkest Glare, the fade out, The Fixer, The Hurricane Blonde, The Second Murderer, Thomas Pynchon, Tom Ripley, true crime, Vineland, wales, walter mosley, Watch it Burn, X

Jake's CBR16 Review No:66 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: a game of Lies, Blackmailer, california, charcoal joe, Chip Jacobs, Clare Mackintosh, crime, cults, denise mina, Dolores Hitchens, Easy Rawlins, ed brubaker, Elvis Cole, europe, Ffion Morgan, France, Freddie Otash, George Axelrod, Graphic Novel, Halley Sutton, hard case crime, historical fiction, Joe Pike, Josh Young, Kristen Bird, L.A. Requiem, LGBTQIA, long beach, los angeles, Marilyn Monroe, movies, mystery, New York City, Noir, One of Us Is Wrong, Patricia Highsmith, Philip Marlowe, poems, postmodern, real estate, reality television, red scare, Ripley's Game, Robert Crais, Sam Holt, Sleep with Strangers, Stephen Berg, Texas, The Darkest Glare, the fade out, The Fixer, The Hurricane Blonde, The Second Murderer, Thomas Pynchon, Tom Ripley, true crime, Vineland, wales, walter mosley, Watch it Burn, X ·
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Consider this a warmup for the real romance in book #2

Game Changer: A Gay Sports Romance (Game Changers Book 1) by Rachel Reid

April 22, 2024 by carmelpie Leave a Comment

“I know you hated that guy.” “Hate is a strong word,” Scott said. “A strong, accurate word.” ― Rachel Reid, Game Changer “I’m sorry I couldn’t get a third ticket, but this game is super sold out.” “Yeah, no shit. The tickets are going for, like, five thousand dollars online,” Maria said. “I’ll text you a selfie from the game, alright?” “Oh, fuck you.” ― Rachel Reid, Game Changer Scott is the star forward of the New York Admiral’s NHL team. Although he’s a great […]

Filed Under: Romance Tagged With: forbidden love, gay love, gay romance, hockey romance, New York City, NHL, queer romance, Rachel Reid

carmelpie's CBR16 Review No:36 · Genres: Romance · Tags: forbidden love, gay love, gay romance, hockey romance, New York City, NHL, queer romance, Rachel Reid ·
Rating:
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