Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“I suppose one has to have lived in the U.S.S.R. to know what a priceless treasure security is.”

Liberation — Russian Style by Ada Halpern

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My mom suggested I read this and I’m glad she did (she knows me well and this is the sort of book that’s right up my alley). Liberation — Russian Style is short at only 106 pages, but it packs a big emotional punch and really drives home the inhumanity of the forced civilian deportations by the Soviet government during WWII. This is one of those overlooked historical events in the American understanding of the US, I think, but millions of people were forcibly deported, […]

The Relentless Tragedy of Empress Alexandra

Alexandra: The Last Tsarine by Carolly Erickson

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This is a solid and very readable biography of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, who was the last Tsarina of Russia. I had never read a biography specifically of her, although I did know a lot about her life through my obsession with Edward VII. Alexandra was his niece, and his sister (Alexandra’s mother) Alice’s tragic death through diphtheria has always stuck with me as particularly sad. I did learn some new facts from this book, which is always a plus for me. It also lives up […]

A Russia I Never Knew

The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

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I believe there is a certain amount of fate and luck when it comes to reading. Picking up the right book at the right time is crucial for a mood reader and there have been many times when I found a book I wanted to read but just couldn’t slide into for whatever reason. Sometimes I’m able to set it aside and come back, sometimes they never get their time to shine. Luckily, this book and I finally clicked on the third attempt and I’m […]

Just Okay

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie

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Series: The Romanovs. This is a cheat as I don’t feel like these books truly form a series, but according to Goodreads they are. I read Nicholas and Alexandra (per Goodreads, #3 in this series) in 2018 (review here). Catherine the Great is considered #2 in the series. What I remembered about this series prior to reading this book: A lot, because I loved Nicholas and Alexandra. I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ever since. Why I stopped reading the series: I mean, […]

By the time you receive this, we’ll be gone.

The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport

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For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, I’ve long been fascinated by the last Tsar of Russia and his family. A few years ago I read Nicholas and Alexandra, which is considered sort of the gold standard of histories about them, and I definitely enjoyed reading it. Historically, the four daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra were much less important than their little brother Alexei, whose hemophilia changed the course of history. In Nicholas and Alexandra, as in real life, the four girls […]

In which I rant about the heroine

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

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I was about the day I finished The Girl in the Tower-years old when I realized two things: one, this series is YA darkish fantasy romance; and two, I don’t especially care for YA darkish fantasy romance. The problem is that there are a few characters I do want to see what happens to and the setting is interesting, with its mix of Russian folklore and history. I also do like the conflict from the first novel, not so much present here, between the old […]



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