Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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About crystalclear

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Crystalclear can usually think of something clever to say, except when she can't. She has a giant stack of unread books at home but will always find an excuse to buy/acquire/borrow another one. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: crystalclear's Quick Questions interview.)

crystalclear's Reviews:

Smoke and mirrors are more useful than you think

January 10, 2017 by crystalclear 5 Comments

This was my second anthology by Neil Gaiman, and at first I had to check that this wasn’t the same as the first one.  There are four stories toward the beginning that are also in M is for Magic (“Chivalry,” “The Price,” “Troll Bridge,” and “Don’t Ask Jack”) , so if you would like my opinion on those you can go here.   The first thing that surprised me was that the introductions for the stories were all in the beginning, instead of before each […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories Tagged With: Anthology, fantasy, Fiction, Neil Gaiman, short stories

crystalclear's CBR9 Review No:1 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Short Stories · Tags: Anthology, fantasy, Fiction, Neil Gaiman, short stories ·
Rating:
· 5 Comments

A book so sweet you’ll get cavities

December 13, 2016 by crystalclear 9 Comments

This is a very sweet book about acceptance and friendship.  Twig Fowler is a 12-year-old girl living in Sidwell, Massachusetts who doesn’t have any friends.  That is not by choice, but her mother insists that they not visit other people, because then a reciprocal visit would be expected, and no one is to come to their house. Because they have a secret.  The secret is Twig’s brother, James, who no one else knows exists.  He is a secret because he has been hit with the […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fantasy, Young Adult Tagged With: Children's, children's fiction, fantasy, Fiction, magic, Making Friends

crystalclear's CBR8 Review No:26 · Genres: Children's Books, Fantasy, Young Adult · Tags: Children's, children's fiction, fantasy, Fiction, magic, Making Friends ·
Rating:
· 9 Comments

This girl got all the gifts! Thanks Loubear!

December 8, 2016 by crystalclear 1 Comment

Thank you, Loubear, for my lovely gifts!  (And thank you scootsa1000 for being a helpful mom! Your review made me want to read The Girl With All the Gifts!)  My library doesn’t have The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, so the only way to read it was to get it.  And the bookplates are adorable, so maybe I can safely lend out some books and know they’ll come back home!  Can’t wait to see you in Cannonball Read 9!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Book Exchange, Cannonball Book Exchange, Loubear

crystalclear's CBR8 Review No:0 · Genres: Uncategorized · Tags: Book Exchange, Cannonball Book Exchange, Loubear ·
· 1 Comment

No time to read the book? Well then this is the review for you!

November 30, 2016 by crystalclear 19 Comments

So, I know this book was long.  I was one of the people who voted for it, so I was going to read the whole thing, darn it!  And I’m glad I did.  It was ridiculously long, but also really good.  And I feel like I accomplished something when I finished.  As I read, I realized that things were going to get complicated, and I didn’t want to lose track of what was going on.  So I started writing my review chapter by chapter.  I […]

Filed Under: Book Club, Fiction Tagged With: alexandre dumas, book club, Book Club Reads Classics, classics, longest review ever, Monte Cristo

crystalclear's CBR8 Review No:25 · Genres: Book Club, Fiction · Tags: alexandre dumas, book club, Book Club Reads Classics, classics, longest review ever, Monte Cristo ·
Rating:
· 19 Comments

Is it just me, or it the title never mentioned in the book?

October 25, 2016 by crystalclear 2 Comments

Some rolling thoughts as I went through the book: I have no idea what’s going on. Jessica is a bitch. Was Richard cheating on her?  I think he mentions underwear belonging to someone else… but he doesn’t seem the type…or was this a figment of my imagination… Richard does not deserve that phone.  It makes him appear way cooler than he is. “Richard was not an enthusiastic holder of pigeons, even at the best of times.” I like how they used the special effect for […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: fantasy, Fiction, London, Neil Gaiman, neverwhere

crystalclear's CBR8 Review No:24 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: fantasy, Fiction, London, Neil Gaiman, neverwhere ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

My twelve-year-old self might have loved this book, but we’ll never know

October 19, 2016 by crystalclear 1 Comment

The problem with reading beloved children’s classics as an adult, especially having not read them as a child, is that you tend to find the outdated bits.  Not outdated in the form of technology, which is also apparent, but in character development.  The children seem to do what they are told without questioning here.  Today’s literative children are a lot more inquisitive, and also less trusting.  And the female characters are stronger and more developed.  Fantasy and children’s literature have both evolved since this was […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Young Adult Tagged With: A Wrinkle in Time, Children's, fantasy, Madeline L'Engle

crystalclear's CBR8 Review No:23 · Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult · Tags: A Wrinkle in Time, Children's, fantasy, Madeline L'Engle ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment
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Recent Comments

  • Classic
    on The Witch by Fredia McFadden
    Definitely skipping that one. Never read it.
  • esmemoria
    on The Witch by Fredia McFadden
    It’s called Suicide Med. It’s bonkers.
  • Classic
    on The Witch by Fredia McFadden
    Oh man. What was that? Did I read that and block it out? LOL
  • Kit Moonstar
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    As a birder, there are some silly bird books that I really love: The Birding Dictionary by Rosemary MoscoBirding for...
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    on The Witch by Fredia McFadden
    I went through such a tear of McFadden books a few years ago. I pretty much gave her up when...
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