Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

As It Says on the Tin . . .

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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OK, let’s start off with Rebecca, but then go off on The Yellow Wallpaper and now cross it with Lovecraft/Eldritch horror (sans tentacles, fortunately).  Sound like fun? Yes, it was, and especially because of the heroine.  Very much mid-century modern, wealthy Mexican socialite Noemi Taboada has grown quite bored with her social scene.  A budding interest in anthropology aside, her life seems to be one party after another, one fatuous twit after another. So when her father receives a plea for help from her cousin […]

Waiting for the Barbarians

Waiting for the Barbarians by JM Coetzee

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Third reading. As I’ve previously mentioned, the word barbarian comes up dozens of times in this novel. The implication as we watch the commandant slowly becoming more and more disillusioned with his position, with his empire, and with himself, is that he is becoming more and more a barbarian. This is not to say that he’s becoming more savage, but that he is becoming less and less an insider and more and more an outsider. It’s important to remember that barbarian is a word assigned […]

“The things your parents say and the things your husband doesn’t say become a mirror, don’t they? You see yourself as they see you, and no matter how far you come, you bring that mirror with you.”

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

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In one word: Dogged This was precisely the book I needed to read while in the clutches of a chilly and downright RUDE Midwestern spring. Spring is my least favorite of the seasons, and this year it’s earning its rank at the bottom of the list. It is April, and it is STILL cold, and I STILL have to wear a jacket, and I STILL can’t lounge in my hammock, but, real talk, these are only inconveniences.  The weather isn’t to my liking?! Oh heavens, […]

“He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.”

Songs of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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This is the love story of Achilles, the fighting demigod, and Patroclus, the exiled, his confidant, lover, and closest companion. Patroclus is our narrator, and through his eyes, we see Achilles grow from a smirking boy to the greatest warrior the Greeks have ever seen. It’s equal parts classic mythology with a Romeo and Juliet twist as we watch these star-crossed lovers march to the beat of destiny. Taking on the Iliad is a bold move, and Miller really gives it her all. This one […]

“Open this to learn all that will amaze you.”

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

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Everyone loves Cloud Cuckoo Land, and if you enjoy reading there’s quite a good chance you’ll enjoy this book, too. I think it’s about 7% overestimated, but the majority of book readers like this book for very good reasons – it’s really well written, the characters are engaging, the story is intricate and interwoven without ever feeling like you’ve totally lost the plot, and there’s a decent sense of mystery / coming to understand the purpose of a foreshadowed event or two. Do I think […]

How to Become Tsarina of All the Russias

The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten

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It is nighttime, and Elizabeth Romanov stands in the nursery of her infant cousin the Tsar of All the Russias, contemplating her next move and all the events that brought her here. Though the prequel Tsarina is on my TBR, this is my first taste of Alpsten’s work. Luckily the work stands alone. And it was a fascinating read. I knew very little of the early Romanovs beyond that one of them picked his wife in what was basically a marriage cattle fair, which is probably not […]



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