Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About Merryn

CBR12 participant

Read more. Write more.

Merryn's Reviews:

> FAQ Home
> Articles by: Merryn

Vital piece of an important literary legacy

Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks

December 29, 2020 by Merryn Leave a Comment

Iain (M) Banks is one, or should I say two, of my favourite authors.  It’s been a while since I read any of his Culture novels, so I went back to the beginning with Consider Phlebas, the first in a series of standalone novels in this shared setting.  If you are not familiar with Banks, this is a great place to start. The Culture is a galaxy spanning symbiotic civilisation of humans and sentient machines, living decadent post-scarcity lives.  Consider Phlebas is set during their war […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Science Fiction Tagged With: cbr12, Iain M. Banks, sci-fi, space opera

Merryn's CBR12 Review No:26 · Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction · Tags: cbr12, Iain M. Banks, sci-fi, space opera ·
· 0 Comments

Character-driven crime, as seen on TV

Bad Debts (Jack Irish 1) by Peter Temple

Dead Point (Jack Irish 3) by Peter Temple

White Dog (Jack Irish 4) by Peter Temple

December 26, 2020 by Merryn 2 Comments

Yes, I’m reviewing books 1, 3 and 4 of a series, and one that really should be read in order.  But I picked these up in my usual cheapskate way – tempted by some kind of Kindle Deal too good to refuse, and I’d already seen the TV movies, so I wasn’t too fussed that I read them out of order (3, then 4, then 1) and don’t have 2 yet. Jack Irish (played by Guy Pearce on TV) is a former criminal lawyer, still […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: Australian fiction, cbr12, crime, Peter Temple

Merryn's CBR12 Review No:25 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery · Tags: Australian fiction, cbr12, crime, Peter Temple ·
· 2 Comments

Crone power

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

December 25, 2020 by Merryn 3 Comments

My first exposure to Howl’s Moving Castle was the Studio Ghibli film version., which I found utterly charming.  So when the Kindle Daily Deal dangled a bargain before me, I pounced, and am pleased to say that the book is similarly delightful. Howl’s Moving Castle takes place in an unspecified European landscape ruled by a fairytale logic, where Sophie Hatter, as the eldest of three daughters, is resigned to nothing interesting ever happening to her.  It’s always the youngest of three (or seven) that has […]

Filed Under: Children's, Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: #fantasy, cbr12, children's book, Diana Wynne Jones

Merryn's CBR12 Review No:22 · Genres: Children's, Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: #fantasy, cbr12, children's book, Diana Wynne Jones ·
· 3 Comments

Charming and fun

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

December 24, 2020 by Merryn Leave a Comment

Join Lord Henry “Monty” Montague, his bookish sister Felicity and best friend/crush Percy as they embark on a Grand Tour of Europe.  The trip is intended to expose Monty to culture, or at least take his embarassing behaviour out of the sight of his father and anyone else important in England.  When he returns he is expected to pick up the reins and be the dutiful son and heir. The sensible well laid plans of  minder Lockwood have no chance against Monty’s recklessness.  Percy is […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Romance, Young Adult Tagged With: cbr12, historical fiction. romance, mackenzi lee, YA

Merryn's CBR12 Review No:21 · Genres: Fiction, Romance, Young Adult · Tags: cbr12, historical fiction. romance, mackenzi lee, YA ·
· 0 Comments

Interesting enough, but with some glaring blindspots

Talking to Strangers: what we should know about the people we don't know by Malcolm Gladwell

December 23, 2020 by Merryn Leave a Comment

This was an interesting but ultimately frustrating read.  In his engaging style, Gladwell unpacks a set of human psychological traits that lead us to be very bad at assessing the motives of people we don’t know.  But for a book that centres the tragic death of Sandra Bland, there is a huge hole at the centre.  Every interaction with a stranger is shaped by our race, gender and position on a multitude of other social hierarchies that are barely acknowledged to Gladwell’s analysis. After starting […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: Malcolm Gladwell

Merryn's CBR12 Review No:20 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: Malcolm Gladwell ·
· 0 Comments
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