Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Instagram
  3. Follow us on Bluesky
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started in CBR17
    • Rules of Respect
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
    • About Cannonball Read
  • Our Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • Participant Interviews
    • Cannonballer Location Maps
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
    • Star Ratings
    • Featured Review Archive
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • Donate
    • CBR Merchandise
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Suggest a Review
    • 2025 Registration
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Social Media

Wait! Is that Heather on the Hills?

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

December 30, 2023 by elderberrywine Leave a Comment

The plotline was a little convoluted at times, but I will forgive a lot for a brilliant premise, and boy, did this book have one. So there was a mapmaker, General Drafting Corporation, which started some of the first road maps of New York State back at the beginning of travel by auto (i.e., prior to Triple A).  They were generally cheap, purchased at the gas stations that were just coming into being, and were very carefully and meticulously researched.  Before long, other larger firms […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: Actually a Thing!, Gas Station Road Maps, Mysterious doings but then Murder Too, New York State back roads, NY Public Library, Peng Shepherd, Phantom Settlements

elderberrywine's CBR15 Review No:39 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: Actually a Thing!, Gas Station Road Maps, Mysterious doings but then Murder Too, New York State back roads, NY Public Library, Peng Shepherd, Phantom Settlements ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

When the map matters more than the people there will be murder

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

May 6, 2023 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

I really like the premise and general scenario of The Cartographers; you’ve got a good dose of real historical and practical map-making details along with a dose of “magical realism”. I also didn’t realize that this author was relevant to AAIPI month which May is. The general premise is that former whiz kid map scholar Nell Young who was dismissed from the famed NYPL (New York Public Library) in disgrace by her own father must now solve the mystery of her father’s murder which turns […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Mystery, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: #fantasy, #history, AAPI Heritage Month, maps, murder msytery, Peng Shepherd, the cartographers

CoffeeShopReader's CBR15 Review No:32 · Genres: Fiction, History, Mystery, Speculative Fiction · Tags: #fantasy, #history, AAPI Heritage Month, maps, murder msytery, Peng Shepherd, the cartographers ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

The Cartographers (DNF)

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

January 17, 2023 by Owlizabeth Leave a Comment

I come from the review school of “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” and so generally avoid sharing my did not finish (DNFs) books. I’m a mood reader! Taste is subjective! Don’t yuck someone else’s yum! I’ve set books aside thinking I hate them and picked them up months later and fallen absolutely in love! So, yeah, this is very strange and uncomfortable for me, but this book made me so angry I have to share. Basic synopsis: […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: audiobook, DNF, Fiction, magical realism, mystery, Peng Shepherd

Owlizabeth's CBR15 Review No:3 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fiction, Mystery · Tags: audiobook, DNF, Fiction, magical realism, mystery, Peng Shepherd ·
· 0 Comments

I’m still not sure exactly what to make of this book and it’s been months.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

October 17, 2022 by narfna Leave a Comment

I found this an enjoyable reading experience, but it definitely wasn’t a perfect read for me. I’m gonna need to talk spoilers to get my full thoughts out, but they’ll be marked. But first, non-spoilery thoughts. Obviously you know from the title that this is a book about maps, and people who make, study, and collect maps. It’s also about family, secrets, magic, and murder. Our main character is Nell, whose mother died in a fire when she was a small child, and whose father […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Suspense Tagged With: mystery, narfna, Peng Shepherd, speculative, Suspense, the cartographers, thriller

narfna's CBR14 Review No:164 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Suspense · Tags: mystery, narfna, Peng Shepherd, speculative, Suspense, the cartographers, thriller ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
the cartographers book cover

You Are Here

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

May 20, 2022 by MG Dietzel Leave a Comment

Did you love Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore? Do you love maps? Ok, you will very likely love The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd. Bear in mind though that it won’t *always* be the most logical book, so if you are the kind of person that is driven crazy by magically induced plotholes then it might not be for you. One of my favorite things about this book is that it was inspired by a true historical story about phantom settlements and how cartographers used them […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: cartography, Fiction, maps, Peng Shepherd

MG Dietzel's CBR14 Review No:6 · Genres: Fiction, Speculative Fiction · Tags: cartography, Fiction, maps, Peng Shepherd ·
· 0 Comments

Engaging story with a couple of leaps

August 6, 2018 by lowercasesee Leave a Comment

The book summary said something about Station Eleven (which I love) so I definitely spent the first half thinking this was the author of Station Eleven and fair warning, it’s not. However, Peng Shepherd is a worth successor and I do recommend this book, just be prepared for a few leaps of logic along the way. The plot of The Book of M centers on a major what if – what if our shadows held all our memories? And what if those shadows could be lost? In a […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: cbr10bingo, Peng Shepherd

lowercasesee's CBR10 Review No:89 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: cbr10bingo, Peng Shepherd ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments


Recent Comments

  • 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.
See More Recent Comments »

Support Our Mission

  • Support Our Mission: Donate Today!
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo

The reviews and comments posted on this site reflect the opinions of individual posters and do not reflect the views of Cannonball Read.

© 2025 Cannonball Read Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) | Log in