Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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A golden cage is still a cage.

Circe by Madeline Miller

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Yet another book that I probably would not have read if it hadn’t been recommended and eloquently reviewed by fellow Cannonballers.  I took a Greek and Roman mythology course in college a million years ago and, sadly, very little of it stuck in my brain. I’m sure that a better familiarity with Greek gods, goddesses et al would have enhanced my reading of this, but I don’t think that it’s necessary here. This is a well told, gripping story of an immortal woman whose longing for acceptance, companionship, love and respect are very, very mortal. The first-born child in the […]

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7/25/2018 's CBR10 Review No:38 |

At Least This Novel Reconfirms My Circe Tattoo Decision

Circe by Madeline Miller

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I absolutely loved The Song of Achilles. It was incredibly moving and I was surprised how much it changed my view of a hero I basically considered a tool bag (Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida and Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Firebrand may have helped shape that interpretations).  I think at least part of the power was because I didn’t not expect to be so moved by a character that often could easily be reduced to warrior with a huge ego. Circe, on the other hand, was a much slower burn.  Circe is most famous for her role in The Odyssey, the sorceress […]

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6/20/2018 's CBR10 Review No:115 |

An epic romance sizzles during an Odyssey quest to save the realms

Breath of Fire (The Kingmaker Chronicles Book 2) by Amanda Bouchet

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Breath of Fire is the second book in Amanda Bouchet’s Kingmaker Chronicles series.This novel picks up moments after the end of book one with our heroine, Catalia Fisa, healing from deadly wounds. She has a knack for playing fast and loose with her life, much to the chagrin of her lover Griffin. Cat is the Kingmaker, she can detect lies from anyone. Possession of her is quite handy for anyone in power.  Cat’s mother, Alpha Fisa, would rather manipulate her powers to maintain her iron fist upon the realm. She is basically magical Mommie Dearest. But Cat can steal magic even from […]

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6/8/2018 's CBR10 Review No:10 |

This book only gets better the more I think about it.

Circe by Madeline Miller

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This was so good, it made me cry. I’m still crying right now as I type this! Bawling like a little baby. And not because I’m sad! Just because it was perfect and I have all these feelings and they are leaking out of me without my permission. (Okay, some of those feelings are sadness.) I need to buy this book, and I need to buy it in hardcover (the endpapers are so pretty, and the deckled edges make me happy), and I need to take it out every couple of years like I do my Austen and my Tolkien […]

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5/30/2018 's CBR10 Review No:65 |

Is Rick Riordan Finally Wearing Out?

The Burning Maze (Trials of Apollo 3) by Rick Riodran

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I’ve been having some doubts about the Trials of Apollo series. It doesn’t have a terribly interesting heroic character or group, it seems to rely too much on the popularity of previous series’ characters and events, and the plot’s been dragging for two books so far. I was ready to give up after this one. I’m still not sure, so maybe that’s in favor of The Burning Maze? Apollo, Meg, and Grover are still searching for oracles to free and evil emperors to defeat. They’ve already encountered and survived two, but not really defeated Nero and Commodus. The third emperor […]

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5/19/2018 's CBR10 Review No:29 |

Riordan, I’m probably going to quit you.

The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo, #2) by Rick Riordan

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There was a distinct moment about a third of the way through this book when I thought, I don’t think I’m going to read any more of Rick Riordan’s books; I don’t think they are for me anymore. After this series is over, I’m out. This was a sad thought to have. For the most part, I have really enjoyed reading Riordan’s demigods and monsters saga(s) since I picked up the first Percy Jackson book in 2009. But I am starting to feel exhausted by them, and no longer find them quite so charming. I retained this thought until halfway through […]

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9/18/2017 's CBR9 Review No:82 |

How would blemmyae react to cussing?

The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

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I’m not sure what to make of the Trials of Apollo series. I’ve really liked Rick Riordan’s other series Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase, and while there are plenty of shared features and characters, this series just doesn’t have quite the same fun factor. The Blemmyae are probably the best villain assistants since the Minions, made especially entertaining by the fact that Riordan presents them as stereotypes of Midwestern nice/Stepford wives. Since I’m originally from Minnesota, I find it funnier than maybe I should the image of shapeshifting monsters obsessed with politeness and who call you ‘dearie’ while insisting that […]

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6/24/2017 's CBR9 Review No:43 |

This is not the myth I was looking for

The Fall of Icarus by Ovid

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I feel like I’ve known the story of the fall of Icarus forever, but as far as I can remember I’ve never actually read it (how I’ve come across it then is beyond me), and so when I saw this going for a quid as part of the Penguin Little Black Classics range, I couldn’t resist. What I got wasn’t exactly what I expected. Instead of telling the story of Daedalus and Icarus, this was a jumbled hotch-potch of a few different tales, including mentions of Daedalus building the labyrinth that imprisoned the minotaur and how it was bested by […]

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3/27/2017 's CBR9 Review No:20 |


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