Cannonball Read 9

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

Miss Marple is in this one from the beginning!

They Do it With Mirrors (Miss Marple, #6) by Agatha Christie

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I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I prefer Poirot books to Marple ones, but this one started off really well! One of the reasons I usually like Poirot better is that he’s usually more involved in the narrative. Miss Marple usually sidles in at the last moment and mostly does her work off page. But here, she was present from page one. Unfortunately, I just lost my motivation about halfway through as the mystery itself didn’t really hold my attention. Miss Marple’s childhood friend Ruth Van Rydock has recently visited her sister Carrie Louise at her Victorian estate, […]

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9/12/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:76 |

Second time through, the characters make this just as good.

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1) by Robert Galbraith

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The thing about entirely plot-based books is that they don’t usually make for good re-reads, and I am a TOTAL book re-reader. “Do I want to re-read this someday?” is genuinely a question I ask before I will elevate a book to the four star level. If the answer is no, then there better be some damn fine extenuating circumstances as to why not (for instance a book that’s really good, but so traumatizing and upsetting that you can’t read it more than once). Mysteries sometimes can’t be re-read, because you already know what happened (unless you forgot, in which case, congratulations, […]

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8/22/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:56 |

This is book eight; time to stop wanting this series to be something it’s not.

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd (Flavia de Luce, #8) by Alan Bradley

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This was back on form after the disappointment of the last one. This series still isn’t perfect for me, but I find it really comforting and enjoyable anyway. I think I just need to let this series be itself and stop wanting it to be what it’s not. The mysteries and plot twists are always going to be predictable. Flavia is always going to pursue random avenues of inquiry that somehow magically lead her to answers. There is probably always going to be a misbalance between the mystery plot and the character plot. And Bradley’s sense of narrative is always going to be […]

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7/20/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:47 |

Triple Cannonballing with Tana French

The Trespasser (Dublin Murder Squad, #5) by Tana French

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It’s almost ridiculous how easy she makes it look, writing a book this good. I don’t even know what to say anymore about her books. They are all just so, so good. And the way she jumps from character to character each book gives her room to play around with different structures and themes, and yet still stay within the framework of a murder mystery novel. I love murder mystery novels, but I don’t love these books because of the mysteries (although I don’t think her style would work as well in any other genre). I love them for the […]

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12/28/2016 | 's CBR8 Review No:156 |

A good, warm Poirot to listen to on a cold, wintery day.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

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So I’m going to confess up front that I did a very bad thing. When I got about halfway through this, I decided it would be a great idea to spoil myself completely on the ending. I don’t know why I do this. It’s like once a mystery’s got me, I can’t even wait five minutes to find out how it turns out. Wikipedia and the Internet are terrible enablers in this habit of mine. And yes, I’ve done it before, though never to a Christie. Usually I spoil myself because I’m stressed out, but here, I have no excuse. […]

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12/21/2016 | 's CBR8 Review No:151 |

If your second best series is better than everyone else’s first, you’re doing something right.

The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, and Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

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JK Rowling’s writing has improved noticeably from the first Harry Potter books. I haven’t read The Casual Vacancy yet, both because the story doesn’t appeal to me and it’s received a generally lukewarm reception, so it came as a bit of a shock to see her writing about sex and characters who use foul language. It’s almost like hearing my mother use those words. But, once you get passed that (assuming that, like me, that’s something you even have to get passed), this is a fairly engaging series with characters that are both memorable and likable. That they are mysteries […]

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8/3/2016 | 's CBR8 Review No:65 |

I’d hang out with Bigfoot around a campfire. He seems like a cool dude.

Working for Bigfoot (The Dresden Files, #15.5) by Jim Butcher

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This is a fun little novella/short story collection set in the Dresdenverse. Three linked short stories are included here, taking place at varying times throughout Harry’s history. “B is for Bigfoot” takes place after Fool Moon, “I Was a Teenage Bigfoot” occurs after Dead Beat, and “Bigfoot on Campus” is sandwiched between Turn Coat and Changes, so the Harry in this collection is the Harry from Before, still working as a wizard PI. All in all, I found this book to be a fun, light read. I’m not normally a fan of short stories because my favorite part of reading […]

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5/10/2016 | 's CBR8 Review No:74 |

My least favorite in the series.

Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, #2) by Jim Butcher

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The continuing adventures of Ashley/narfna re-reading The Dresden Files in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . PARTY. I’m not sure exactly why I thought this book was better than the first one when I read it seven (seven! gross, that’s so many) years ago, but if you care to read my initial review, which I have included in the parentheses following this sentence, you’ll see that was indeed the case. (Original review from August 2009: “Better than the first one. I’m hanging in there. (More detailed thoughts to come after I finish #3.)) You can also see that […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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5/10/2016 | 's CBR8 Review No:72 |

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