Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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A Handful of Lanterns Are Probably Enough

The House of a Thousand Lanterns by Victoria Holt

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Jane Leslie never dreamt when she first heard of the House of a Thousand Lanterns that she might one day live there, or that it might end up being the death of her. This is another somewhat lackluster Victoria Holt gothic romance rescued by the quality of her writing and the strong main character. I did enjoy also going out to colonial Hong Kong, though you must take the attitudes of most of the characters with a grain of salt in regards to the custom […]

Strength and kindness of the dragon

Powerful Like a Dragon by Christopher Cheng

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When it comes to history, picture books are a great way to introduce the subject. You are able to present the situation and/or issue and yet, keep it so that it gives the point of view without being “too much” and it allows all ages to be exposed to concepts, ideas and events. With Powerful Like a Dragon by Christopher Cheng and illustrator Jacqueline Tam we turn to 1941 Hong Kong during World War II and the Japanese invasion of the city. The story is […]

Debt of Honour

The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carré

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With the United States in steep (and willing) decline globally, surrendering its power on the world stage, I’ve looked to the works of John Le Carré for inspiration. Le Carré’s greatest gift as an espionage writer was chronicling the decline of Great Britain as a world power and doing so with a combination of wistful attitudes and thrilling writing. Yes there’s a lot of talking, a lot of musing in the books and it can take a while to set the stage. But when it […]

From Canada to Hong Kong, with Love

Uprooted by Ruth Chan

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Ruth has only known life in Canada. But when her Chinese-born father has a job opportunity in Hong Kong, he and his wife excitedly make plans to move back to their home country, uprooting Ruth from the only life she has known. Her older brother is a boarding school student and gets to stay behind, so Ruth, their pets, and her parents set off to start over. At least, it’s starting over for Ruth. She speaks a little Cantonese, as her parents insist on using […]

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”

Lies and Weddings by Kevin Kwan

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This book was meant to be a palate cleanser for me as I needed to put down the heavy non-fiction book I was reading about mental health (While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence). Woof. I’ve begun interacting more in Threads and asked that community for a fun book, and someone mentioned that Kevin Kwan (he of Crazy Rich Asians) had a new one out and I was sold: over-the-top and silly was just what I […]

Special lesson and good food.

The Best Kind of Mooncake by Pearl Auyeung

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There are several books about kindness, and The Best Kind of Mooncake by Pearl Auyeung includes that lesson, plus ones about family, friendship, community, and culture, too. One morning in Hong Kong, a young girl and her siblings are promised a mooncake that was the best of the best. But they will have to wait, and the long day in her family’s spot in the market drags. Soon it is time to eat, but there is an odd thing that happens, making it so the […]



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