Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Short story review dump (Part II)

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Little Man by Michael Cunningham

Escape from New York by Zadie Smith

Alan Bean Plus Four by Tom Hanks

Miss Marple Tells a Story by Agatha Christie

Accident by Agatha Christie

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The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (5 stars) Published in 1892, The Yellow Wallpaper tells the story of a woman, the narrator, suffering from depression. The treatment imposed on her by her husband is bed rest, and she is largely confined to a room with Yellow Wallpaper. Instead of easing her turmoil, deeper psychological issues manifest, and she is eventually driven mad by the confinement. This is an utterly haunting depiction of mental illness compounded by a deeply patriarchal society that sought to protect […]

The End is Near-ish

Blood of Elves: A Novel of the Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski

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This third book in the Witcher series is the first Witcher novel, and its focus, now that Geralt has owned up to his destiny, is on a prophecy about the end of the world. This prophecy involves war among the peoples of earth (human, elven, and other) and the unleashing of some type of very powerful magic. There is the occasional bit of monster fighting, but mostly this story deals in geo-political maneuvering and espionage as Geralt and Yennefer try to keep Ciri safe while […]

A nice story and a message all in one

Freddie and the Fairy by Julia Donaldson

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Two things I do when I am at work: doodle on the purchase order I am calling in when left on hold too long and look at customer special orders when I am processing them. I was looking at a special order the other day when I saw a small picture book called Freddie and the Fairy.  I did not recognize the name Karen George but seem to know their illustrations. I did know that Julia Donaldson has several books that can be all over […]

When the city’s fate rests in the hands of enemies

The Nameless City (Book One) by Faith Erin Hicks

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I am going to save my dislikes of this book for after I finish the series; as there are a few plot points/plot holes I think could be explained when the story is completed. Therefore, I am going to say that The Nameless City (Book One) is an interesting start to The Nameless City series. It is a fantasy realistically presented as (so far) there are no magics, aliens or other fantastical images or people. While the city itself is a diverse group of people, […]

Something missing in Lundy and her Market

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire

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The biggest thing for me here was I had trouble really feeling the motivation. Lundy’s attachment to the Goblin Market is clearly based a little in her friends but one of them is hardly mentioned except that they died (?) and the other one and Lundy don’t really seem to have any kind of emotional attachment. But then again maybe that’s the point? Lundy’s character from her childhood is presented as a rather detached bookworm who doesn’t seem to mind that she doesn’t have a […]

The Not so Environmental Planeteers for the 21st Century

The Dysasters: The Graphic Novel by P.C. Cast

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When you mix two modern teens with modern attitudes and who have powers to control elements; then learn that there are others like them you get the less-than-politically correct Planeteers for the 21st century. The Dysasters: The Graphic Novel by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast is the adaption of their novel series. Foster Stewart and Tate “Nighthawk” Taylor could not be more different. Foster is the foster (or adopted, it changes depending on who is talking/what page you’re on) daughter of a man who experimented […]



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