Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I read the first book in this series back in 2012

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner

Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

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CBR13 Bingo: Old Series (the first book in the series came out in 1996. The first book in this review came out in 2010 – it’s taken a long time for Whalen Turner to complete it) A Conspiracy of Kings Rating: 3.5 stars Sophos, the heir to Sounis, is rusticating with his mother and sisters, having been sent away from his uncle’s court for generally being considered a disappointment. He keeps ignoring his tutors and weapons training, which turns out to be a problem when […]

Magical realism at its most wonderful

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

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BINGO – Flora (there’s a small flower at the center of the cover and Orquídea means ‘orchid’ in Spanish) The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina is told with two narratives: one of the past life of Orquídea Divina, matriarch of the Montoya family and the other of the Montoya family in present day. Orquídea is dying and she summons her family to her home to receive their inheritance. The family gathers and soon realize that no one is getting the family cuckoo clock or heirloom jewelry. No, Orquídea […]

If you haven’t already but you are able to do so, please get vaccinated. And get a flu shot.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

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BINGO – Book Club (CBR Book Club selection for 2020) A pandemic has wiped out most of the population of Earth. Very few survive to see the world collapse, but there they are. Some go wild. Some dive head first into fringe religious belief. Some take refuge in music and theater. Everyone, though, in one way or another, is trying to do more than just survive. Told through a multiple timelines, points of view, and narrative styles, Station Eleven tells the story of how people cope with […]

“Everyone had strengths. And weaknesses. The important thing was to recognize them. And not expect something from someone who didn’t have it to give.” (CBR Bingo #11)

All the Devils Are Here (Chief Inspector Gamache #16) by Louise Penny

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Through the first fifteen books in the Inspector Gamache series there is only one book I’ve rated five stars, A Trick of the Light. It’s a doozy of a book, and it dug deep into how characters cope with trauma, addiction, and stress, and any number of other forces that would separate us from our best selves. When I finished All the Devils Are Here, the 16th book in the series, I had my first impulse to rate one of these five stars since the […]

An extremely good book. Understatement. #CBRBINGO – Landscape

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

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😭😭😭😭😭 Above was my reaction upon finishing this book, which worked its dark magics upon me until my emotions did exactly what it wanted me to do at all times. More on this later. This book also has, I think, the best last line in a novel I’ve read all year. Maybe several years. This book is propulsive and hard to put down. I gave myself almost three days to read it and I read it in half a day. S.A. Cosby, of whom I […]

Inoffensive early entry from Liane Moriarty

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty

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Can Liane Moriarty write a bad novel? Of all of hers that I’ve read, this was maybe the weakest and it was still solid. It follows a hypnotherapist, Ellen O’Farrell, as she begins a romance with a single-father widower, Patrick. Patrick discloses that he has a stalker, an ex-girlfriend named Saskia, who isn’t dangerous but does seem to be always there. Although ostensibly a love story (hence the name), the story doesn’t focus as much on the romance between Patrick and Ellen as on the […]



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