Cannonball Read 14

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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“Just the same, Caroline, I think you should accept the fact you don’t really know the truth. I wonder if anyone does, or ever will.”

Silversword by Phyllis A. Whitney

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CBR 14 Bingo: Shadow In this book, the past casts long shadows, entangling the main character even in the present. Caroline Kirby, fresh off a divorce, returns to her childhood home in Hawaii, to the mother she had thought long dead and the mystery of her father’s death in a sacred volcano crater. I do like a certain flavor of vintage suspense books, with their gentle pace and their deep dark secrets. Here, the author set us up with a long ago mystery to solve, […]

Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me; the present only toucheth thee

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

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On a windy night, at the foot of a set of stairs in a run-down mansion buried deep in the Scottish highlands, the body of a young woman is found. Her name is Janet; she’s dressed in her mother’s black lace ballgown. Outside, in the stormy skies, a jackdaw flies in search of her. He seems to be the only one who misses her.  I had never heard of this 1991 novel, but I’m so glad I did. It’s a small gem; that rare combination […]

The world is a constant compromise, a greeting of the other and of yourself.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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There is something about Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing that just speaks to me. I haven’t read enough of her books to make definitive statements about her writing, but in the works I have read, it feels like she writes with one middle finger raised. It speaks to me. I don’t delude myself, as a white American whose ancestors definitely fucked around in places they should not have been, I am part of the group she is raising that middle finger at, and I am fine with […]

They Drown Our Daughters

They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe

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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.  Well this was a solid Gothic/horror read. The main reason why I couldn’t give it more than 3 stars though is the last 1/3 of the book dragged, didn’t make a lot of sense, and then I think the ending may tick off some readers. No spoilers, but was very surprised that Katrina Monroe went there. I also got a little lost in the chronology along the way. […]

The Scapegoat

The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier

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This book did my head in, in a good way. The ending was astounding. And I loved how you have to wonder about certain characters/things that happened after the fact. Really well done by du Maurier. The only reason why I gave this 4 stars though is that parts of this book are so freaking slow. It feels at times things are moving underwater and then they pick up again. I get du Maurier is setting the stage so to speak though with John of […]

“You will be safe as long as you stay away from Gallant”

Gallant by V. E. Schwab

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Victoria Schwab: “One of the tricky things about my books is that they’re never written for the same reader.  It’s a choice I made, and I stand by, but it also means that someone is invariably disappointed.  They might love Shades of Magic, but Vicious doesn’t work for them. They might adore Addie LaRue, but feel let down by Gallant.  The found themselves in the center of the reader spot light with one of my books, and then at the edges with another.  Some days […]



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