Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


“…we never stopped longing for time to pass, to release us back into our families – or what remained of them.”

Rosie: Scenes from a Vanished Life by Rose Tremain

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This is a very good but very sad memoir about Rose Tremain's emotionally neglectful childhood growing up in post-war England. After her mother and father get divorced, she is sent off at age ten to a boarding school, compounding the neglect she had already faced. Her mother Jane also went through a … [Read more]

's CBR14 Review No:120 · Genres: Biography/Memoir · Tags: , , , , ·

Two Memoirs of Growing Up During The Troubles

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Seamas O'Reilly

The Troubles With Us by Alix O'Neill

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These two memoirs tread a lot of the same ground (Northern Ireland during The Troubles, family drama/grief, all told humorously), but I honestly liked Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? better than The Troubles With Us simply because Séamas O'Reilly is a better writer and I really enjoy his voice. His memoir … [Read more]

's CBR14 Review No:119 · Genres: Biography/Memoir · Tags: , , , , , , , ·

Riddle Master

Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia McKillip

Heir of Sea and Air by Patricia McKillip

Harpist in the Wind by Patricia McKillip

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The Riddle-Master of Hed Re-reading this since the first time I looked at it a few years ago, I am stuck by how much more I enjoyed it the second time around. I read first about ten years ago in the full collection with all three books, and finished this first volume, and never went back. We … [Read more]

's CBR14 Review No:603 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: ·

Dan Simmons Short(er) fiction

Looking for Kelly Dahl by Dan Simmons

Ninth of Av by Dan Simmons

On K2 with Kanakaredes by Dan Simmons

The End of Gravity by Dan Simmons

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Worlds Enough and Time - Novellas This collection of novellas came out in 2002 and represents recent writing for Simmons. I think I first heard of Dan Simmons with the publication of The Terror, but it's also possible that I read The Terror because I really like Ilium. I just don't recall which I … [Read more]

's CBR14 Review No:600 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: ·

Maigret Roundup

Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon

The Misty Harbour by Georges Simenon

The Liberty Bar by Georges Simenon

Maigret by Georges Simenon

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These  are all short mystery novels by Georges Simenon with the character Maigret solving a crime, usually in some non-local capacity. Maigret is part of the "flying squad" which means that he travels around the country as a travelling detective and solving crimes that are too big for local … [Read more]

's CBR14 Review No:596 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: ·

Musashi

The Way of the Samurai by Eiji Yoshikawa

The Art of War by Eiji Yoshikawa

The Way of the Sword by Eiji Yoshikawa

The Bushido Code by Eiji Yoshikawa

The Way of Life and Death by Eiji Yoshikawa

The Book of the Five Rings by Miyamoto Musahsi

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So this historical novel came out in the 1930s, and the introduction here unfortunately calls it the "Gone with the Wind" of Japan, which might be true in terms of the epic scope and readability, but given that I am quite sour on "Gone with the Wind" I hope that is the full connection. Then there's … [Read more]

's CBR14 Review No:592 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: , ·


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