Welcome to January 2021! What a year the last two weeks have been. Four years ago I wrote a post in which seasoned Cannonballers gave advice to new Cannonballers. I hope it helped a few people, and it's all still good stuff. This year we thought we would start off with a chance for new folks … [Read more]
The Turn of The Screw by Henry James
Full disclosure: I was supposed to have read Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw for my AP Language class about 15 years ago, but like many books assigned to me, I forewent the reading and instead drew my knowledge heavily from my studious best friend and Spark Notes. That being said, I am currently … [Read more]
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
While a lot of writing self-help books are about the basic mechanics and rules of good writing, Mr. Bradbury’s Essays on Creativity are more inspirational. He discusses what he has learned in his fifty years of writing and kindly shares it with us. He doesn’t promote so much as show you the path … [Read more]
Handsome Johnny: The Life and Death of Johnny Rosselli: Gentleman Gangster, Hollywood Producer, CIA Assassin by Lee Server
Ever since I read Don Winslow's The Winter of Frankie Machine last year, I've been obsessed with SoCal mobster tales. Martin Scorsese came close to adapting Frankie Machine before he was seduced by Charles Brandt's inferior I Heard You Paint Houses, which he turned into The Irishman. If Scorsese had … [Read more]
The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous
In 1988, 14-year-old Beth is being driven by her aunt to a family willing to take her in. Sure, they're calling her a "companion" for their daughter, which is kind of weird, but her parents are dead and her aunt is too busy to move her in. So this is her best option. And when they pull into the long … [Read more]
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
The Other calls him Piranesi, but he's fairly certain that isn't his name. But he's not sure what else it could be, so he supposes that will do for now. Piranesi is alone (except for the Other) in the House, made up of infinite Halls and Antechambers and Vestibules, populated by only the fish and … [Read more]
