Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About MarkAbaddon

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Somehow I have turned into a real life Ross Geller, having now been married 3 times. Otherwise, just your normal Jewish geek living in MN. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: MarkAbaddon's Quick Questions interview.)

MarkAbaddon's Reviews:

The Devil’s Dictionary – sarcasm so biting it should come with a warning label

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce

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Ambrose Bierce is one of the most underappreciated writers in history. Although a peer of Mark Twain’s, his works have not received the same level of scrutiny and appreciation as Mr. Clemens, which is a shame. Obviously, being a pseudo-dictionary, there really is not a plot or story to summarize within The Devil’s Dictionary. What is there is insight, cultural commentary and a wit so biting it could cleave armor. The edition that I have also includes illustrations by the brilliant Ralph Steadman who takes […]

Dune – A Father’s Perspective

Dune by Frank Hebert

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Dune is one of the fundamental texts of speculative fiction and I have probably read it a half dozen times over the years. Why re-read it now? I saw the trailer for the movie coming out later this year (and if you haven’t seen it, find it online, it is fantastic) and realized I had not read it since my kids were very little. I thought I might have a different perspective now that my youngest is a teenager and that was certainly true. When […]

The Chain – Just the book I needed

The Chain by Adrian McKinty

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This year has been a difficult one for me, as it has been for most people. Often when I find myself troubled, I start diving into my books. For whatever reason, I have found it so tough to concentrate during this pandemic and economic meltdown that reading juts isn’t an option. I heard about The Chain on a website (possibly pajiba.com, but I cannot be sure) and thought it sounded interesting. The book arrived and I devoured it in a day. Was this the greatest […]

The Book Thief – an absolutely beautiful story

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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I am late to the party, I admit it. This book has been out for a long time, won many awards, and even been turned into a film (which I plan on watching this weekend). Yet I had not read it until very recently. That is my loss, because this novel is fabulous. Usually, one can categorize a book pretty clearly, but not in this case. Yes, Death is the narrator here and there are descriptions of souls but does that make it fantasy? Nah. […]

A Disappointing Story but one with interesting ideas

Unsouled by Will Wight

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I hate writing reviews on books I did not like, but it is necessary. I go to a lot of websites and on one of them, cannot remember which one, this series was suggested as a different take on fantasy. And it is. Unfortunately, it also does not apply a consistent set of rules to the world that is described and has a main character that is unlikable. The story is a basic Campbell-esque hero saga one where a young man, who has a difficulty […]

New treasures from Octavia Butler

Unexpected Stories by Octavia Butler

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Some days, the gods just smile on you. I was walking into Dreamhaven Bookstore in Minneapolis (and if you are in the area, check it out, one of the best places for Neil Gaiman/anime/science fiction stuff in the upper Midwest) when I saw an entire shelf devoted to the works of Ms. Butler. I had read Lillith’s Brood many years before and loved it but loaned out my copy and it was never returned. So I purchased a number of works and started with Unexpected […]



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