Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Female friendship

Rebis: Born and Reborn by Irene Marchesini and Carla Roncalli Di Montorio

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Because I have really wanted to read the graphic novel Rebis: Born and Reborn by Irene Marchesini and Carla Roncalli Di Montorio for a year now, I think I had too high hopes for it. The concept was good, but there was some execution of the final results for me. It was an interesting look at the concept of a woman’s place and how she is shunned, blamed, and used as the scapegoat when she does not “obey” the rules. This flows into how a […]

Once upon a time, there was a brave hero named…Grandpa

The Land of Unfinished Dreams by Marco Ventura and Marco Ferraris

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Most of my rating of four is for the fun images of Marco Ferraris in the graphic novel, The Land of Unfinished Dreams. However, the story, by Marco Ventura, had a few bumps, but once I got into things it flowed well. This was because Ferraris created images that help you see the action. The text (I am assuming) is translated which probably accounts for any issues I had to start with. In many ways, the  themes of the story are for teens and adults, […]

The Audacity of Princes

The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone

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Joanna I, Queen of Naples, is best known today for having stood trial for the murder of her husband during the height of the bubonic plague, but she faced many other challenges during her thirty-year-long reign. The whole time I was listening to this audiobook, I kept marveling at the absolute audacity of the royal men of this era, who over the decades launched a number of invasions and plots in an attempt to claim Naples for themselves. A woman on the throne seemed to […]

“The ultimate effect of unceasing propaganda has now been to cancel out the effect of all news alike.”

A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary, 1939-1940 by Iris Origo

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Another random bookstore find, as so many good books in my life are. It’s why I trawl through my favorite sections! A Chill in the Air: An Italian War Diary, 1939-1940 is what the title conveys. Iris Origo was an American born woman married to an Italian man (although she spent most of her life in Italy from childhood) and this is her diary of 1939-1940 as Italy slowly descends into war. Origo was a woman from a highly privileged background — her godfather was the […]

Head Empty, Just Vibes

Sicilian Devil's Prisoner by Caitlin Crews

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After his entire family was murdered, Jovi has become nothing more than a weapon for his mafia boss uncle. But when sent out to assassinate Rux, the daughter of a criminal, he finds himself falling for her instead. This book really is classic Harlequin Presents, full of drama, danger, and glamorous lives and locales, except it leans in fully into the steaminess of the romance. Jovi and Rux are a fun pair to follow. Despite the darkness of the story, Rux’s narration was hilarious, and […]

“You are the queen. You are the queen that Antoinette wanted to be . . .”

Antoinette's Sister by Diana Giovinazzo

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CBR17 Bingo: Black – Behold, the cover. Though her tragic sister Marie Antoinette is better known today, Maria Carolina Charlotte, the queen of Naples, ruled with better success but faced her own share of troubles and tribulations in her years on the throne. The thing with historical fiction is that the story can live or die by the events it’s based on, especially when it follows the life of a historical figure. Luckily, Charlotte is an interesting main character. Though her attitudes toward the monarchy […]



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