Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Take another little piece of my soul now baby

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

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“And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.” Damn, Joanne, how badly did you want to be done writing these? That line can’t NOT be metafiction. All kidding aside, there’s some of Rowling’s best writing in this, and I missed it the first time around in my haste to see how it all played out, and my frustration (less warranted on second read through) about stranding our heroes in the woods for too […]

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4)

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4) by Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling

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Don’t expect any kind of impartial review of this book — I love these characters so much that there’s no chance I’m going to be objective. This review will likely contain spoilers for the first three in the series, so be warned! “Sometimes, acting as though you’re all right, makes you all right. Sometimes you’ve got to slap on a brave face and walk out into the world, and after a while it isn’t an act anymore, it’s who you are.” Lethal White has two […]

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3) by J.K. Rowling

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Oh, wow, so it’s been a month since I read this. Good thing I’ve read it five billion times; my reactions are always fresh and ready to go! And also I took pictures of all the quotes I wanted to talk about. This review is not quite the 10,000 words as requested, but I suppose it will do. (I anticipate my review of Goblet of Fire to be monstrous.) I just needed to get this done before I started the next one on 4/1. Ooh, […]

My favorite potter on reread

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

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I think this was the book in the series I had the hardest time putting down the second time through.  After Harry Potter and the Whiny Depression that was Order of the Phoenix, this felt like a return to form.  We have the adventurous Harry from the earlier books back, with the adult stakes that rise with each series entry. The central mystery – who is the Half Blood Prince – managed to be just as exciting the second time around, even if I remembered […]

Shut up, Shinji

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.k. Rowling

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I know, I know.  Harry has seen some shit. He’s 15.  15 year olds are not exactly known for their emotional subtlety. But even as someone who was the WORST kind of dramatic teenager that You Just Didn’t Understand Because You Laughed At Us Because We Were Different And We Laughed Because You’re All The Same ™, even at the time… UGGGHHHHH STAHP HARRY. I remembered this as my least favorite entry in the series, mostly because Dolores Umbridge presaged an era where the idiots […]

Ugh, the house elves

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

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It’s essentially the first time reading these books since their initial release, and this was the first one I had to wait for (I thought HP was a trilogy when I picked up the first book), so I can say for sure it’s been 19 years since I first read what I remembered as my favorite installment. The story has the perfect blend of actual surprises and familiarity in a world with increasing stakes.  Rowling has been rightly praised for having the series grow with […]



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