Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About GentleRain

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Your jack of all trades eccentric. Knows a little about a lot and a lot about a little. Tends to mainly read non-fiction (history, true crime, old gossip, etc), SF/F, horror, graphic novels, "genre" books. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: GentleRain's Quick Questions interview.)

GentleRain's Reviews:

“When I have taken a sleeping pill (Mogadon) and woken at 3.30 or 5.30 a.m., peed, taken two paracetamols to boost the pill, and slept for two or three hours more, the dreams on which I then wake are a complex jumble of phenomena, often brightly coloured and, briefly, memorable. The person most often present in them is my mother.”

Ruling Passions by Tom Driberg

February 8, 2026 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I think that I got this due to seeing it quoted in a book about Guy Burgess, but I honestly don’t remember — Tom Driberg overlapped with so many people I’m interested in (Harold Nicolson and Chips Channon among them) that there are a variety of ways I could have stumbled across this. The forward informs us that this was not completed before Driberg died, although it does cover a lot of his life. I do think it shows at points throughout that this was […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir Tagged With: Tom Driberg

GentleRain's CBR18 Review No:53 · Genres: Biography/Memoir · Tags: Tom Driberg ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
Blue Period

Really World Class Manga About the Power of Art

Blue Period (Volumes 1-6) by Tsubasa Yamaguchi

February 4, 2026 by GentleRain 6 Comments

I’d been circling this series for a long time, flipping through the first volume occasionally at the bookstore, and then getting intimidated by the length and also my concern that it seemed emotionally stressful, but I wanted to read it enough that I asked for the first six volume box set for Christmas. Well, I’m really glad that I did that, because what a treat! Blue Period is about a teenage boy, Yatora Yaguchi, who is seen by his parents and peers as a successful and […]

Filed Under: Featured, Graphic Novels/Comic Books Tagged With: power of art, power of friendship, Tsubasa Yamaguchi

GentleRain's CBR18 Review No:52 · Genres: Featured, Graphic Novels/Comic Books · Tags: power of art, power of friendship, Tsubasa Yamaguchi ·
Rating:
· 6 Comments

Very Strong Comics Anthology About Space Exploration

Ex.Mag: 100 Billion Stars (Volume 6) by Assorted

February 4, 2026 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Ex.Mag is a comics anthology series from Peow2, a great indie comics publisher operating out of Sweden but with a strong US presence at the small cons I go to. They put a lot of effort into their books, making them look really nice, and it shows here. Each volume of Ex.Mag has a different theme, and the theme for Volume 6 is “Space Exploration,” which if you have cast an eye over my reviews, is something that is right up my alley given my […]

Filed Under: Graphic Novels/Comic Books Tagged With: Anthology, Assorted

GentleRain's CBR18 Review No:51 · Genres: Graphic Novels/Comic Books · Tags: Anthology, Assorted ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“But I can’t do everything. I can’t save people from themselves.” — Fun, Spooky, Tense Campground Horror

How to Survive Camping: The Thing With No Shadow by Bonnie Quinn

February 4, 2026 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I picked this up at random at the bookstore as I meandered around the horror section, trying to find something to read that hit the right note. I was most drawn by the size of the edition and the nice touches they did — I’m a sucker for French flaps — and I was happy to find a mass market paperback sized book that can fit nicely in my backpack, versus the way most paperbacks are done in trade size nowadays, which makes them heavy. […]

Filed Under: Horror Tagged With: Bonnie Quinn

GentleRain's CBR18 Review No:50 · Genres: Horror · Tags: Bonnie Quinn ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Urasawa’s The Best For A Reason — Master Keaton Showcases His Strengths

Master Keaton (Volume 7) by Naoki Urasawa

February 3, 2026 by GentleRain 2 Comments

One of my all time favorite series from one of my all time favorite authors — Master Keaton seems like it’s overlooked in favor of Urasawa’s other masterpieces, Monster and 20th Century Boys, but I think it offers a ton of thrills and heartfelt moments as well, and I’m excited to finally finish the series (five volumes to go!). Every moment spent looking at Urasawa’s cartooning is a delight and a privilege. Taichi Hiraga Keaton is a former SAS man now working as an insurance investigator, and […]

Filed Under: Graphic Novels/Comic Books Tagged With: Action and adventure comics, manga, Naoki Urasawa

GentleRain's CBR18 Review No:49 · Genres: Graphic Novels/Comic Books · Tags: Action and adventure comics, manga, Naoki Urasawa ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

“Even when you have it rough, never forget to be good to others. Because that kindness comes back around again.”

The Love We Share by Hina Ten

February 3, 2026 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Machi is a young man looking after a sweet two-year-old, Kokoa, by himself. With no job other than survival sex work, he is homeless, couch surfing, and ill when he faints in the street and is helped by Mihiro. Mihiro remembers him from high school and offers to let Machi and Kokoa stay with him until Machi is back on his feet. Machi has had a hard life and is leery of the offer, assuming that Mihiro only wants him to stay so that he […]

Filed Under: Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Romance Tagged With: gay romance, Hina Ten, manga

GentleRain's CBR18 Review No:48 · Genres: Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Romance · Tags: gay romance, Hina Ten, manga ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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Recent Comments

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    on What an absolute waste of a great book cover.
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