Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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About esmemoria

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In my walking around life, I miss my old, blind pug (the Ancient Mariner), help amazing college students become teachers, and tie an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: esmemoria's Quick Questions interview.)

esmemoria's Reviews:

Feloniously, Willfully, and [with] Malice Afterthought

The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told by Tom McCarthy

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CBR Bingo – Free! I was happy to receive my first free book through NetGalley. The review that follows was not influenced by any obligation to them. The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told, edited by Tom McCarthy, is an easy-to-read compilation of true crime stories, some dating back as far as the 1800s. I’ve read a lot of true crime, so some of the stories were familiar, but there were others that were new to me. Each chapter is written by a different author. […]

As They Say, a Rollicking Adventure

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

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CBR Bingo – Old Series The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch is the first book in the Gentleman Bastards series, first written in 2006. I did not find it an easy read at first. Not because it isn’t well written. Lynch writes with great detail and imagination. Initially the book covers the escapades of the thieving Gentleman Bastards, rather than character studies or relationships. The shenanigans are great fun and cleverly crafted, but the characterization was a bit thin. The first half of […]

“I know the story is broken”

Judas by Jeff Loveness and Jakub Rebelka

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Judas is a graphic novel by Jeff Loveness and Jakob Rebelka about Judas Iscariot. This book is so deep I don’t want to give too much away. It needs to be experienced. The story follows Judas from the early loss of his faithful mother, his betrayal of Jesus, his death, and his experience in hell. Judas is a thoughtful, pained man who hears voices deep within himself. First it is the voice of Jesus, whom he begins to follow. Later he hears a different voice […]

“Never say you know the last word about any human heart”

Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales by P.D. James

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CBR Bingo 13 – Libations The version of P.D. James’s Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales I read has chocolates in tidy rows on the cover. Needless too say, they are used to murderous effect. Years ago, a colleague of mine told me he had met P.D. James at a reading. He said she was very regal and went into detail about how she comported herself. This came to mind as I read Sleep No More. She sounded like a character in one of her […]

“Just Getting Along Shouldn’t Be an Ambition”

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

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CBR 13 Bingo: UnCannon Sometimes I read a book that is so deep it’s hard to put it into words for other people to understand. The only response is a directive: “You should read this.” This is how I feel about Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric. Rankine’s book is about not just her experience as a Black woman—although it is that as well—but what it’s like to be Black in a racist world, though that is a reductive summary that doesn’t do justice to […]

This is Not a Review

American Predator by Maureen Callahan

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For most of my life, I’ve been interested in true crime. I’ve read many books and watched many shows about crime. I probably own hundreds of videos on Amazon about criminal cases. My exposure to crime happened very early in my life. I could read at a very young age, which meant I would sometimes read things I didn’t or couldn’t understand. I remember being terrified of someone shooting me or my family out of the blue. I realized years later it was because I […]



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