Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Perhaps nothing is certain in this world, but at least we can believe in something.

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami

Elevation by Stephen King

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Killing Commendatore (4 stars) There were parts of this book that brought me back to my favorite parts of 1Q84, but this book doesn’t equal that one in terms of quality, spirit, or impact. Which doesn’t make this a bad book – by any measure – but I don’t think it’s amongst Murakami’s greatest works. The protagonist of this book is unnamed. He’s an artist who’s fallen into portrait painting to make a living. His wife abruptly tells him that she wants a divorce, and […]

“Not a wind, not even a high, exactly, but an elevation. A sense that you had gone beyond yourself and could go farther still.”

Elevation by Stephen King

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The latest “book” from Uncle Stevie leaves me a little confused, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Elevation is a short book, shorter than many of the “short stories” that King has famously published over the years — definitely shorter than The Mist, or Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, or The Running Man. I’m not quite sure why this was released as a stand-alone novel. I think it would be better suited as the featured story in a new collection. But I’m not […]

It’s unsurprising that I struggled to reach the minimum length for this review, given this is all short stories. Also, unrelated: Cannonball!

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My reviewing (and reading) has really taken a nose-dive this year due to work, life, and time management changes. And, with the disruption caused by Hurricane Florence, there’s been a commensurate dip in time spent working on the Cannonball Read database. But – thanks to the indomitable support of MsWas – I’ve been able to make massive strides in this latter project, at least. So this review is cheating, a bit. All of these stories were in Stephen King’s Everything’s Eventual collection of stories, but I […]

Episode 1-47: The Castle Rock Diet Plan

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https://killingmykindle.com/2018/12/19/episode-1-47-the-castle-rock-diet-plan/ Wherein I review: 179. Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King 180. Bill, the Galactic Hero On The Planet of Tasteless Pleasure (Bill the Galactic Hero #4) by Harry Harrison 181. The Mortal Word (Invisible Library #5) by Genevieve Cogman 182. Bill, the Galactic Hero On The Planet of Zombie Vampires (Bill the Galactic Hero #5) by Harry Harrison Stephen King’s novellas set in Castle Rock seem to all involve strange weight loss.  Two more Bill the Galactic Heroes – for you to refine your […]

Episode 1-46: If Someone Calls You Fat, Eat Them

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https://killingmykindle.com/2018/12/18/episode-1-46-if-someone-calls-you-fat-eat-them/ Wherein I review: 145. Private Princess (Private #14) by James Patterson 146. Bill the Galactic Hero On The Planet of Bottled Brains (Bill the Galactic Hero #3) by Harry Harrison 147. Elevation by Stephen King 148. The Surgeon’s Mate (Aubrey & Maturin #7) by Patrick O’Brian London Private is my least favorite of the private parts.  Bill the Galactic Hero keeps punning horribly like an issue of Cracked before they became actual internet journalists.  Stephen King keeps on busting out Castle Rock novellas, and […]

He was having a seizure of projectile vomiting. This was not considered a sign of good health in medical circles

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The Tommyknockers – 3/5 Stars This book has some significant issues, but it’s also very good at a few things. The biggest issue is that it’s a little too on the nose with so much of the characterization and subplots. It’s a little too convenient that, for example, so many of the characters in the book are immune through slightly ridiculous ways to the central supernatural element of the book. So the book itself involves a writer living in a small town in upstate Maine […]



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