Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

What if the hot crazy guy was right? And now you’re stuck in a Winnebago with him?

You, Me & the Conspiracy by Emma Barry

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Sometimes I imagine the book I’m about to review as a cocktail. For Emma Barry’s You, Me & the Conspiracy there’s clearly a foundational pour of her own experience in academia, some Howard Zinn challenging historical naratives for flavor, and a hearty splash of National Treasure swashbuckling for sparkle. Her love of American history is in there. And then there are shots of “what if the hot guy who was shunned for conspiracy theories was right?” and “what happens when I’m stuck in a Winnebago […]

It’s like Austen meets Wodehouse

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol. 2 by Beth Brower

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Volume 2 of this delightful series covers May through June, 1883. During those two months, Emma is intent on finding ways to supplement her income so as to hold on to Lapis Lazuli House. Simultaneously, she must keep her elder relatives out of her way and help her dear cousin Arabella (and formidable Aunt Eugenia) negotiate the social season and find the right husband. Along the way, Emma has a number of interesting encounters with handsome young men – two who are wealthy, one who […]

This is the one with the “winter of our discontent” speech

Richard III by William Shakespeare

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Cbr18 Bingo – Success: because Richard succeeds at everything, at least at the beginning. This was originally one review but it got surprisingly long for something I wasn’t even going to read. I’d rather watch a play (movie) than read it and there is not a shortage of Richard III to watch. But there is a shortage of adaptations that include Margaret, who I met in Henry VI, Part 3. I looked at a thesaurus trying to find adjectives for that hypocritical sadistic warmongering Grendel’s […]

Death and Life Wrapped Up Together

I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney

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Rating: 3.5 stars In a nutshell: Obituary writer Bud accidentally publishes his own obituary, and subsequently ‘loses’ his job, while trying to figure out what his life means. Best for: Those who want a bit of humor with their existential dread. Those looking for a quick but interesting read. Quote that made me think: “The thing is, though, when you listen too carefully, too closely, day after day, to that pain, to that keening, it can take a toll. Because to really listen is to […]

A Copycat Serial Killer in a 90s Midwestern Noir

Scream City by Hannah Morrissey

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I’ve been a fan of author Hannah Morrissey since the debut of Hello, Transcriber, the first book in her Black Harbor series. She uses the term “Midwestern Noir” to describe her books – kind of like Scandi noir in tone, but set in rusting cities of the American midwest. While Morrissey’s Black Harbor books are cold and grimy, the organic warmth of characters trying to maintain their humanity always comes through. The humanity is what keeps me coming back – some human connection in a […]

William Shakespeare lives up to own reputation

Henry VI, Part 3 by William Shakespeare

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Cbr18 Bingo – Clown: it’s about royal succession. I started Requiem of the Rose King by Aya Kanno, knowing it was inspired by Shakespeare’s histories and knowing I have a bad habit of abandoning books to do background research. Henry VI, Part 3 is the end of the Henry VI trilogy, and it drops you into the storm with a lot of characters giving a lot of exposition, which is that Henry (Lancaster) is the king and Richard (York) thinks he should be king and […]



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