Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Instagram
  3. Follow us on Bluesky
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started in CBR18
    • Rules of Respect
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
    • About Cannonball Read
  • Our Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • Participant Interviews
    • Cannonballer Location Maps
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
    • Star Ratings
    • Featured Review Archive
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • Donate
    • CBR Merchandise
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • 2026 Registration
    • Suggest a Review
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Social Media

Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

About xoxoxoe

CBR 3
CBR 4
CBR 5
CBR 6
CBR 8
CBR  9
CBR10 participant
CBR11 participant
CBR12 participant
CBR13 participant
CBR14 Participant
CBR17 Participant
CBR18 Participant

I am an artist, blogger, and culture critic. I write about movies, books, television, pop culture—old and new—with a feminine/feminist perspective. sometimes I post pictures of the kid, too. Check out my blog, xoxoxo e, for all of my recent interests, exploits, and opinionated opinions. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: xoxoxoe's Quick Questions interview.)

xoxoxoe's Reviews:

The Haunting of Alma Fielding

Poltergeist, circa 1930

The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Summerscale

October 14, 2021 by xoxoxoe Leave a Comment

English woman Alma Fielding has had a hard life. She has had numerous health issues, is in a dull marriage and struggling financially. The world around her is in chaos, too – war with Germany seems imminent. And to add to all of her stress she seems to have attracted an at first mischievous, at times violent spirit – a poltergeist. Alma’s haunting has attracted the local newspaper, and also the attention of Hungarian emigre Nandor Fodor, a journalist turned psychic phenomena investigator. Fodor has created his […]

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Suspense Tagged With: Ghost, ghost hunters, Kate Summerscale, paranormal and supernatural, supernatural, The Haunting of Alma Fielding

xoxoxoe's CBR13 Review No:6 · Genres: Horror, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Suspense · Tags: Ghost, ghost hunters, Kate Summerscale, paranormal and supernatural, supernatural, The Haunting of Alma Fielding ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Classic Swedish Noir

Martin Beck Book Series by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

October 14, 2021 by xoxoxoe 4 Comments

In 1965 writing partners (and partners in real life) Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö embarked on a quest – to write and publish ten novels in ten years featuring Stockholm’s Martin Beck. The novels, police procedurals, were structured as not only mysteries, but reflections and commentary on modern Swedish society. The duo wore alternating chapters – but since I haven’t read any of their individual works I couldn’t;t guess who wrote which chapter in any given novel. The books are cohesive and follow policeman Martin […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense Tagged With: Detective Fiction, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, Martin Beck, police procedural, Scandi-noir, scandinavian crime fiction, Sweden, Swedish fiction

xoxoxoe's CBR13 Review No:5 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense · Tags: Detective Fiction, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, Martin Beck, police procedural, Scandi-noir, scandinavian crime fiction, Sweden, Swedish fiction ·
Rating:
· 4 Comments
A Century of Great Suspense Stories

Some Great, Some Not So, Some Not Even Suspense

A Century of Great Suspense Stories by Stephen King

April 22, 2021 by xoxoxoe Leave a Comment

I got this one to listen to on drives more than thirty minutes. You can basically hear one short story each way. It is a mixed bag, both in quality and presentation. It should be noted that the audible version of this book only includes seventeen stories, the first half of the book. The rest of the book’s nineteen tales are missing. Maybe the second half is also available as a book on tape. Maybe I’ll check. The stories have been gathered by author Jeffrey […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories, Suspense Tagged With: Stephen King

xoxoxoe's CBR13 Review No:9 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories, Suspense · Tags: Stephen King ·
· 0 Comments

Strangers On A Train-Stranger and Strangerer

Strangers On A Train by Patricia Highsmith

April 22, 2021 by xoxoxoe 3 Comments

Every once in a while I get a yen to read the source novel for one of my favorite classic movies. My most recent read (actually listen) is Strangers On A Train, by Patricia Highsmith. I have seen the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, featuring Robert Walker and Farley Granger, many times. There are some indelible, memorable scenes in that movie – the two men crossing legs and crossing lives on the train, the gold lighter which incriminates and absolves, the final deadly and hair-raising sequence […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense Tagged With: 1950s, alfred hitchcock, book-to-film, mystery, Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train, Suspense, The talented Mr. Ripley

xoxoxoe's CBR13 Review No:3 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense · Tags: 1950s, alfred hitchcock, book-to-film, mystery, Patricia Highsmith, Strangers on a Train, Suspense, The talented Mr. Ripley ·
· 3 Comments
Hallowe'en Party

Little Grey Cell Comfort Food

Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly by Agatha Christie

April 22, 2021 by xoxoxoe Leave a Comment

When I can’t think of anything else to read, or just want something comforting and familiar, there is always Agatha Christie. And although I have read (I think) most of her books by now, I am still drawn most frequently to the ones featuring the inimitable Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot. He of the meticulous ways and fantastic mustaches. With his obsession with detail and as Ben Franklin says, “a place for everything, everything in its place,” he has to be a Virgo, like me. And […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Fiction, Mystery, Non-Fiction Tagged With: agatha christie, david suchet, Hercule Poirot, mystery, short stories

xoxoxoe's CBR13 Review No:2 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Fiction, Mystery, Non-Fiction · Tags: agatha christie, david suchet, Hercule Poirot, mystery, short stories ·
· 0 Comments
Once Is Not Enough

Kindle enthusiasm

Once Is Not Enough by Jaqueline Susann

April 22, 2021 by xoxoxoe Leave a Comment

This pandemic has made everything hard, including reading. Something that I love to do, but somehow didn’t want to concentrate that hard to do … until I got a Kindle. This is not an ad. But the times we are living in have encouraged a few bigger-than usual purchases. Since I haven’t been spending my money elsewhere (or anywhere), one of those purchases was a Kindle. It has seemed easier for me to read some titles on this device for a few reasons. First, I […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: 1960s, Hollywood, Jacqueline Susann, Jaqueline Susann, once is not enough, television, the love machine, valley of the dolls

xoxoxoe's CBR13 Review No:1 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: 1960s, Hollywood, Jacqueline Susann, Jaqueline Susann, once is not enough, television, the love machine, valley of the dolls ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 12
  • Next Page »


Recent Comments

  • Classic
    on The Witch by Fredia McFadden
    Oh man. What was that? Did I read that and block it out? LOL
  • Kit Moonstar
    on CBR Diversion – Bingo – “Bird”
    As a birder, there are some silly bird books that I really love: The Birding Dictionary by Rosemary MoscoBirding for...
  • esmemoria
    on The Witch by Fredia McFadden
    I went through such a tear of McFadden books a few years ago. I pretty much gave her up when...
  • Malin
    on What if the hot crazy guy was right? And now you’re stuck in a Winnebago with him?
    I have one more ARC I need to finish before I start on this one. I don't think I love...
  • vega-table
    on CBR Diversion – Bingo – “Bird”
    When I read Une semaine de bonté, I learned about the bird character Loplop, Max Ernst's fursona. I don't think...
See More Recent Comments »

Support Our Mission

  • Support Our Mission, Donate Today!
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo

The reviews and comments posted on this site reflect the opinions of individual posters and do not reflect the views of Cannonball Read.

© 2026 Cannonball Read Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) | Log in