Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Paladin’s Grace: An unenthusiastic DNF

Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher

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I didn’t know going into reading Paladin’s Grace that it was a romance. The blurb on Goodreads comes across as a murder-mystery crossed with fantasy. The beginning of the book is very much in keeping with that genre expectation. Until the second main character’s name is given. She doesn’t introduce herself to Stephen – the Paladin, who we meet first – straight away. There’s a meet cute, then they part ways. Then we get her name from her interaction with her friend. That’s when it […]

If you’ve ever read David Sedaris, you know exactly what this is.

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

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How different cultures view intellectuals and their place in society always fascinates me. In France, prime time TV; if such a thing still exists in the streaming age; features high-brow, thoughtful debate. It sounds great to some, but then every speech needs to start with “As Moliere once said…” so it’s not all win-win. The Anglophone world seems to me to view intellectualism, and by that I mean careful, considered thought and subsequent arguments, with a mixture of “Gosh, isn’t that person witty” (Oscar Wilde, […]

Kate Goldbeck Kate Goldbeck

You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

Daddy Issues by Kate Goldbeck

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While waiting for the second installment of Kate Elliott’s Spiritwalker series to become available, I decided to listen to a different Kate – contemporary romance author Kate Goldbeck. First I sped through Daddy Issues, which involves zero daddy play, and I thought it was good, so I downloaded You, Again, which was amazing. I love “unlikable” women – messy, bitchy, angry, depressed, immature, flailing – all of it. Ari (You, Again) and Sam (Daddy Issues) are the messiest and I love them so much. You, […]

Tech Has Only Gotten Worse

Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech by Sara Wachter-Boettcher

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Rating: 4 Stars In a nutshell: Author Wachter-Boettcher explores what is so very wrong with modern technology. Best for: Those interested in how horribly tech has gone wrong, and the problems that persist today. Quote that made me think: “When those values reflect a narrow world view, one defined by privileged white men dead set on disruption at all costs, things fall apart for everyone else.” Why I chose it: This has been on my to read list for years, and the audio book was […]

A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes- Maybe I’ve just read too many books about narcissists?

A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the […]

“To call them the weaker sex is to utter a hideous mockery. They are the stronger sex, the nosier, the more persevering, the most self-assertive sex.”

Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

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The lovely second Lady Audley is most fortunate, having been elevated in the world from governess to peeress by her marriage to the rich and doting Sir Audley. But, as Sir Audley’s nephew Robert will soon learn, she has a dangerous secret which she will go to any lengths to conceal. Lady Audley’s Secret belongs to the genre of  Victorian ‘sensation novels’ be, which ar a precursor to the more openly violent pulp novels which were popular in the 20th century. Previously I’ve read a […]



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