Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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She thought that maybe, just maybe, if she was beautiful, things would get better

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara

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I’d heard for years that I should watch Paris is Burning, the groundbreaking documentary about the New York’s drag ball scene in the 1980’s, but I never quite got around to it for one reason or another. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when a friend told me just how much that movie influenced Rupaul’s Drag Race, that I finally forced myself to sit down and watch it. Needless to say, it’s brilliant and unforgettable, and shame on me for not watching it sooner. So when I heard that Joseph Cassara’s novel, The House of Impossible Beauties, was based […]

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1/16/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:2 |

I came to this book both too early and too late

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

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Well, this book ages really, really poorly. Some spoilers below. It reads exactly like the time it was written (1989): “progressive” enough to include, at least superficially, a cast of characters including a same-sex couple and people of color in mixed-race relationships, as well as treatment of the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse that leans more sympathetic than condemning. However, it’s not exactly “woke” enough to avoid stumbling into some major Don’t Do That’s. Weetzie, pixie bohemian darling protagonist, is signified as being creative and unique in part thanks to her habit of incorporating Native American flourishes into her fashion. […]

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11/24/2018 's CBR10 Review No:46 |

The Truth About Cats and Werewolves

The Wolfen by Whitley Strieber

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I’ve been in the mood for classic horror paperbacks lately. I recently read Whitley Strieber’s Hunger trilogy and liked the first book, so thought I’d try two more of his earlier works. His first book. The Wolfen, was written in 1978. It follows two New York City police officers, Rebecca Neff and George Wilson, who try to solve a seemingly unsolvable case — the brutal attack of two fellow officers. All the signs seem to point to an animal attack, but not just any ordinary animal. The book is fast-paced, and for the most part a great read. Strieber tries to […]

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9/17/2018 's CBR10 Review No:18 |

A Book Series from Hunger

The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

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Whitley Strieber wrote The Hunger in 1981. It was his second novel and featured Miriam Blaylock, a glamorous female vampire, her current companion John. A third side to the triangle is a brilliant young doctor, Sarah Roberts, whose research may provide an answer to Miriam’s immortality and what it might mean to the human race. The book was memorably made into a sexy, campy feature film by Tony Scott in 1983 with Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon as the trio. What makes The Hunger different from other vampire novels is how Strieber presents a scientific approach to vampirism […]

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9/17/2018 's CBR10 Review No:16 |

She squeezes his fingers and he can feel her love travelling all the way down from her heart to his

My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal

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CBR10Bingo: Snubbed I first saw Kit de Waal’s name earlier this year on a couple lists of highly-anticipated new books for 2018. Since I rarely buy hardcover books and knew I’d have to wait a bit for The Trick to Time, I added her previous novel, My Name is Leon, to my wishlist and purchased it a few months later having finally found it in an English bookstore in Stockholm, of all places. After reading it, I can understand why people were excited for her new book. Beginning on the day his baby brother Jake is born in hospital, the […]

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8/13/2018 's CBR10 Review No:44 |

Not for me.

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara

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The definition of meh for me. I should have known better, and I feel like my not enjoying this book is my fault. I am usually not into lit-fic, except on rare occasions. But this was recommended to me by one of those Book Riot quizzes where it was like, if you like this and this and this, then you should pick up ______. I read the synopsis and said, hmmm, that does sound like I would enjoy it! I was lured in with the promise of an exploration of NY in the 1980s, drag and ball culture, and explorations […]

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7/9/2018 's CBR10 Review No:82 |

Or just read “Girl on the Train” instead

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

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I was a little late to the game on Flynn’s “Gone Girl,” but like many, I’m a huuuuge fan. I enjoy a good psychological thriller and was excited to dive in to this one. Luckily, a pal of mine said that in her opinion, this was her least favorite of Flynn’s books. This tempered my expectations and I am glad it did because I did not love this book. This is a story of rural America in the 1980s, a failing farm, a slain family, and a sole survivor stumbling through her life as an adult in present day. It […]

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5/15/2018 's CBR10 Review No:20 |

More space than fantasy is not as much my thing

Armada by Ernest Cline

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I loved Ready Player One, so when I saw another book by Ernest Cline, I grabbed it. Armada is very similar, but not quite as great. It’s got the fun mix of characters, a good geeky premise, and adventure, but it just doesn’t quite have the sparkle that the other story does. I wonder if maybe I didn’t love Armada as much because I was comparing it to its predecessor, and the significant parallels between the books make that really easy to do. Both books star flawed heroes with rough childhoods who are nearing the end of their high school […]

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7/23/2017 's CBR9 Review No:50 |


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