Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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About lafocareta

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Reader, writer, reviewer, library worker, amateur musician, cat mom. First time to this particular rodeo, and happy to be here.

lafocareta's Reviews:

Children of the (pop)Corn

Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova

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This is a literary horror novel for film buffs. If any of those words turned you off, I’d ask that you reconsider. Children of Paradise wasn’t my favorite book of the month, but it was certainly the most interesting. “Storie di Cinema” by blevefrancesco is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 .   Our heroine, who calls herself Holly, has just arrived in the city and needs a job. A ramshackle indie movie theater has a Help Wanted sign in the window, so Holly steps inside. After a […]

Fake It ‘Til You Make It, Then Keep Faking It

Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham

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When your mayor declares a state of emergency, and you get a rare snow day, it’s time for an old-school reading aesthetic. Hot tea? Check. Cozy blanket? Check. Minor classic that’s been sitting on your TBR for the past three years? Check. “Stage Door Theatre Breaks in London” by AndyRobertsPhotos is licensed under CC BY 2.0 . I wasn’t terribly interested in Maugham until I read a fictionalized version of him in Tang Twan Eng’s The House of Doors, which had me idly googling to learn […]

Shine On, You Crafty Diamond

Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief by Doris Payne, with Zelda Lockhart

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When I say I love true crime, I don’t mean “they found her in pieces in the basement” true crime.  Heists, cons, grifts, and capers are more my speed, which is what drew me to the story of Doris Payne, an international jewel thief who got away with robbing some of the world’s best jewelers for over sixty years. “Diamonds” by qthomasbower is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Payne was born in West Virginia, lived in Cleveland, and made her first big score in […]

Bacon, It’s Been Good to Read You

The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon

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The genius of a good microhistory is that it makes you care. The Gales of November is a very, very good microhistory. “Edmund Fitzgerald in MacArthur Lock” by Detroit District is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . If you’re already steeped in the lore of the Edmund Fitzgerald because of where and when you grow up, this book will only deepen your affection. And if you somehow missed this particular historical event? Buckle up for some time travel. Bacon frames the central narrative with a lot of important […]

Conflicted About the Trainwreck

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk

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To be honest, I’m not sure whether 6:40 to Montreal is a bad book, or if I’m just deeply annoyed with the ending. Multiple things can be true at the same time, of course, but I like to go into a review with a clear head and pure motives. Writing fiction is hard, and I myself can’t do it. Trust me, I’ve tried. There will be no snarking here for the sake of scoring points or looking clever. Just sound advice on whether or not you […]

Keeping It Weird

Letters to My Weird Sisters: On Autism and Feminism by Joanne Limburg

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Dear Ms. Limburg, Thank you for your book. Since my own late autism diagnosis, I’ve been reading everything by and about autistic women I can get my hands on. Your “Letter to the Reader” included a great list of books, some of which I had already read, or heard about, but many I had not. Books that teach me things are my favorite kind, and even before the letters proper started, you taught me many things. “Bayfield Hall Sculpture Trail, ‘Three Weird Sisters’ by Meg […]



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