Cannonball Read 14

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Elder LOTR/Holmes fan girl/writer since forever.

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Ramble On . . .

The Open Road by Jean Giono

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The Open Road, written by the French author Jean Giono in 1950, is in many ways a classical “on the road” tale.  The main characters, friends of a sort, are the unnamed narrator and his traveling companion, “the artist”.  The setting is France, between northern Provence and the Alps, and the wandering is done either on foot, or the occasional borrowed truck.  The mountains and villages our two comrades wander through are not only timeless, but apparently unscathed by the war just having ended. The […]

As It Says on the Tin . . .

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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OK, let’s start off with Rebecca, but then go off on The Yellow Wallpaper and now cross it with Lovecraft/Eldritch horror (sans tentacles, fortunately).  Sound like fun? Yes, it was, and especially because of the heroine.  Very much mid-century modern, wealthy Mexican socialite Noemi Taboada has grown quite bored with her social scene.  A budding interest in anthropology aside, her life seems to be one party after another, one fatuous twit after another. So when her father receives a plea for help from her cousin […]

I Like the Cut of this Guy’s Jib

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron

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When I was younger, I adored maps.  (OK, still do.)  At that time, one could check out bound collections of the National Geographic from the local library, and it was the 1920s – 40s collections that enthralled me, because they had maps.  Glorious detailed maps, where there were plenty of empty areas, and the idea that no one knew what was actually there enthralled me.  No one connected with the National Geographic Society, at least.  And one of my favorite such zones was Central Asia.  […]

Fiction or no? Doesn’t matter, SO good!

Storm by George R. Stewart

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Some things about California never change.  Water is the essential element in this state, and there is always either too much or not enough.  And sometimes the difference between these two states can be measured in a matter of hours.  Much like our recent storm, this one sprang up mid-Pacific, got shoved down by frigid air from the Canadian prairie, and ended up in northern California, dumping rain through the mid-state and heavy snow in the Sierras, with some rain heading off to southern California, […]

Island Time

The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama

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I’ve been to Hawaii twice in my life: once in my early 20s, and the other time a family vacation about 5 years ago.  And both times I was fortunately to be able to spend some time in Hilo, on the big island.  It is absolutely my favorite place on the islands – old school, totally laid back, and very few tourists.  I don’t think it changed a whit during the forty-odd years in between my two trips.  And that is probably why I enjoyed […]

Pure-blooded animals for the Aryan to kill? Let’s get right on that.

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

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During the late 1930s, Antonina and Jan Źabiński, along with their young son Ryś, were leading an idyllic life as caretakers of a small zoo, set in a parklike setting on the bank of the Vistula River in the Old Town of Warsaw, Poland.  Antonina had a special gift for dealing with animals in need, and their villa, on the zoo grounds, was full of animals that need a bit of extra help, including Ryś’ pet badger, and was fondly known as “The House Under […]



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