Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“I don’t get nearly enough credit in life for the things I manage not to say”

For Duck's Sake: A Meg Langslow Mystery (#37) by Donna Andrews

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The Meg Langslow series of cozy mysteries is set in the fictional town of Caerphilly, Virginia. Meg Langslow is a blacksmith (mostly decorative fences, planters, benches, andirons and like, with occasional swords) and personal assistant to the Mayor, Randall Shiffley. The Shiffley Clan runs most of Caerphilly, as they range from the mayor to the judge to the construction crew to the owners of the hottest BBQ joint to deputy on the police force (luckily, they use their powers for good, not evil, unlike the […]

Thanksgiving 2024 Leftovers

Remembrance Day by Henry Porter

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman

Killing Castro by Lawrence Block

Deadly Beloved by Max Allan Collins

Spy Hook by Len Deighton

London Rules by Mick Herron

Real Tigers by Mick Herron

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Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. Remembrance Day**** An interesting take on the English-vs-Irish spy novel and while the author telegraphs too many things, he knows how to keep a story moving. Barely clears the 4-star threshold but if I invest time to read something almost 500 pages long, it has to be at least “good” and this was. Dead Lions, Real Tigers, and London Rules**** I had originally meant to do a big long post on my love/grr relationship with Mick Herron’s Slough House […]

Family History and Mysteries

Tangleroot by Kalela Williams

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Gosh, where to start with this book. Tangleroot opens with Noni being forced to give an opening speech to introduce her mother, Radiance, as the new president of Stonepost college, but the speech has been edited because Radiance is pushing to have the college renamed after their ancestor, Cuffee Fortune, who built and opened the college. Noni isn’t able to finish the speech and accidentally hot mics her mom when she reiterates that she didn’t want to the speech. Radiance is a force, and she’s […]

Horror Month 2023: #7

The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman

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This is the kind of horror I was hoping to get into when I started my horror-only commitment this month. While I don’t think it was an especially good book, it did what it needed to do for me and I enjoyed it. I’ve never been a big horror movie fan for several reasons: 1. I’m a scaredy cat, 2. I find most of the blood and gore stuff to be tastelessly pornographic. 3. I prefer verisimilitude in books and movies. Also, jump scares really […]

The Past Is Never Through

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Crosby

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Good better best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best. This was a popular sports chant when I was playing little league baseball. It’s also a great way to describe S.A. Crosby’s career. I have yet to read his first book My Darkest Prayer. I should remedy that soon. At any rate, his first big hit was his sophomore effort Blacktop Wasteland, which I thought was a fun, southern take on the first Fast and Furious movie. His second one Razorblade Tears was a […]

A fantastical twist on the slave narrative

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates turns the slave narrative on its head. With his first fiction novel, Coates deftly melds together historical fiction with sci-fi fantasy. The novel follows the life of Hiram who we meet when he nearly drowns in the local river. Hiram is born a slave on a Virginia plantation, the son of the master. A story that’s all too common in history. His father made Hiram help his brother with his studies. Hiram has to hold his tongue and go […]



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