Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Chris

CBR11 participant
CBR18 Participant

Hi, it's me. Really, I hate these bio things. I like to read.

Chris's Reviews:

Do you remember when . . . .

Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe by Serhii Plokhy

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I vaguely remember the Chernobyl disaster. I remember hearing about it on the news and being scared. That’s about it. Plokhy’s history rectifies that. The book opens with the Swedish discovery of the disaster and includes a detailed account of the disaster itself. Not only the events leading up to it but the human cost of those who fought the faire without knowing fully the risk they were taking. The first tragedy is what happens to the firefighters. But the book isn’t just a detailed […]

Once there was a mermaid

The Magic Threeof Solatia by Jane Yolen

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Jane Yolen has been called America’s Hans Christian Anderson. It is an apt comparison. Most of her work is either for children or young adults, yet the work has that quality that can also attract adults. There is much going on there. Magic Three of Solatia functions in part as a reply to Andersen’s Little Mermaid. Not the Disney version with its happy ending but the dark original tale. In that one, the prince is, perhaps, not truly deserving of the mermaid’s love. Yolen looks […]

Looking for something to read after Cap. Marvel?

Women Warriors: An Unexpected History by Pamela D. Toler

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Disclaimer: I won a copy via a giveaway on Librarything. My brother reads quite a bit of John Keegan. I’m not entirely sure if he has read every book Keegan wrote, but it must be close. Every so often I think I should read Keegan, but then I read something and go, “yeah, he might be a brilliant dude, but he sounds like a bit of a dick”. Years ago, it was his comments during the case Irving brought against Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin books. […]

The Hairy Ears Return

On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 Years Old by Hendrik Groen

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Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher. The second installment of the later life of Hendrik Groen finds everyone’s favorite Dutch hairy-eared Dutch pensioner returning to his diary after taking some time off. He is now 85. The Old But Not Dead club is still going strong, even after the closing events of the first book. In fact, a new member Leonie, fits right in. She even makes Evert blush. The residents of the home are still a bit of odd bunch. There is […]

Let’s burn London!

Boudicca by Neal Romanek

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A graphic novel retelling of the story of Boudicca you ask. Sign me up, I say. Neal Romanek and crew do an excellent job of bringing the story to life. First, the artwork is stunning. I mean, look at the cover. The lack of coloring in the novel works. The use of black and white only makes the already powerful story even more powerful. There is wonderful detailing in some of the characters, and the scenes where nudity is involved are not those “let’s make […]

Wuthering Heights – the song that is

The Lamp of the Wicked by Phil Rickman

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In this installment of Merrily Watkins, Rickman makes use of the real-life murders committed by Fred and Rosemary West. The couple raped and murdered several young women. There is a two-part mini-series called Appropriate Adult that details the case against the couple. There are several books about them as well. Part of what Rickman is addressing is the always questioning of more – were all the bodies found. (If you are an American, a recent example would be the Grim Sleeper). But to say this […]



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