Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Number Go Up

Number Go Up by Zeke Faux

The Bitcoin Whitepaper by Satoshi Nakamoto

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Number Go Up brought me to a terrible realization, but one I sadly agree with: Bitcoin may never go all the way away. Zeke covers this at the end of his in-depth investigation of the crypto world, pointing out that for the Bitcoin maximalist true believers, everything that happens is taken as evidence that Bitcoin will only become stronger. It’s something I’ve observed online, it’s a cult, and you can’t argue factfully with someone who believes something on faith. Bleh. There is exactly one Bitcoin […]

The perfect mix of war and noir

Five Decembers by James Kestrel

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Five Decembers by James Kestrel won the 2022 Edgar Award for best novel. It is a solid murder mystery that involves a classic noir detective story paired with international intrigue and  the Pacific Theater in WWII. Main character Joe McGrady is army brat who went to college and later served in the army before settling in Hawaii and becoming a detective in the Honolulu Police Department. His boss, Capt. Beamer, is a chain-smoking benzedrine-inhaling hard nose who hates Joe and makes it clear that he […]

As They Say, When in Rome. . . No, Wait, Actually Don’t

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

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cbr15 bingo Sex cbr15 passport Rome   You know what would have really helped me make sense of all this would have been a family tree.  This was worse than Russian novels, where everyone has at least four names and a nickname.  But these guys changed names whenever they felt like it, used a limited set to choose from (Nero?  Oh, not THAT Nero), divorced and hooked up depending on the politics of the moment, and let’s not even get into the suicides, forced and […]

“In her spare time, she looked to books or the stars for company”

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Caseopea Tun is basically treated as a servant by her grandfather, cousin, and extended family because her mother ran away and made an ill-advised marriage. Caseopea suffers the indignities mainly because her tyrannical grandfather has promised to leave her some money once he dies. However, during another turbulent row with her spoiled cousin Martín, he reveals that their grandfather has no intention of leaving anything to Caseopea. She feels furious and rebellious, which leads to her opening the forbidden chest at the bottom of her […]

Adventures in Bedtime Reading

How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

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My quest for a book that appeals to both my six year old son and me continues, with the latest attempt being the first in the How To Train Your Dragon series. You may think you know this story if you’ve seen the Dreamworks movie and sequels, but I can assure you: you don’t! The novel strikes an entirely different tone and the story told within the  differs in many respects. Yes, our narrator and central character is Hiccup, future heir to the viking clan […]

Magical Mystery Ride

A Girl Called Echo Omnibus (Combined Volume) by Katherena Vermette

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A while back, I read the first volume in A Girl Called Echo series. And recently I was given a finished copy of the Omnibus. I like the word omnibus. I picture a large bus that has wings or something magical about it. And it carries a lot of things inside of it.  And that fits this story by Katherena Vermette as they created a story that has elements of the here and now, and time travel. Or a bit of magic. I have not […]



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