Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Like watching a documentary with your eyes closed

Harry Potter: A History of Magic by The British Library, JK Rowling

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I listened to the Natalie Dormer narrated audiobook of A History of Magic and it was both the perfect way to enjoy the expansive magical world as well as the most frustrating way. The British Library should really film this for an HBO or History Channel documentary series. Natalie Dormer was a fantastic narrator; her role was primarily as the host of the book who introduced sections read by contributors and interviewees. It was a fantastic way to delve into the wonderful world of Harry Potter again, as well as real world examples of Magic, but there were a lot of references […]

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4/19/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:30 |

“I’m worth twelve of you, Malfoy.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling

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How the hell am I supposed to review Harry freaking Potter? Just the fifth best-selling book in any language of all time, nbd. I’m sure I have some original thoughts on it. I read this 12ish years ago but I was a different human then. I’ve started and finished a bachelor’s degree, gotten married, had a child, gained an astronomical amount of context, perspective, and life experience since then. I’ve also had a memory-wiping coma. One of my few resolutions this year was to reread the series, although it doesn’t really feel like rereading – I remember next to nothing […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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4/13/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:10 |

Fun but ultimately unfulfilling

Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide by J.K. Rowling

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As a huge Harry Potter fan, there was no way I was skipping this book, which is essentially a collection of information from Pottermore, the official website dedicated to all things Harry Potter. I’ve read other supplemental texts affiliated with the series, but this feels like the least substantial of them all. The story is a small guide to Hogwarts – how to get there, fun facts about the school and its inhabitants – presented both as general information, and then commented on by Rowling herself as a creator. It provides very little that serious fans don’t already know. More […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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1/4/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:3 |

Strike Re-read Completed, Bring on Book Four

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling pseudonym), Robert Glenister (narrator)

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Because my brain doesn’t seem to hold onto the details of mystery books the story is often new to me again. This time I didn’t have that experience though, I had already binged the BBC adaptation of the books, but I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with the characters. Once again Career of Evil is Rowling writing an intricate, but not unsolvable, mystery where the clues are right there in front of you, and even if you don’t catch the signs along the way, the resolution make sense after the big reveal.  This story dials down its setting and pace […]

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12/4/2018 's CBR10 Review No:59 |

I was drugged up when I wrote this.

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike, #4) by Robert Galbraith

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NB: I received a gratis copy of this book, but that has not affected the content of my review. This is a fact which you will quickly believe once you read the review. Thanks for my free copy, publishers!!!! I’ve been trying to write this review for a little while now, just staring at the blank screen, but I’m on some drugs right now that are making me diiiizzy*, so I apologize in advance if this review doesn’t come out as coherent as I’m thinking it is. *Yesterday while waiting for the results of a CT scan which I was […]

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11/28/2018 's CBR10 Review No:141 |

Funny when you have to remind yourself about things that, not long ago, consumed your every thought.

Brass; Lethal White; The Friend; Black Powder War; And Still I Rise; Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now; Pedagogy of the Oppressed; The Ruin; How to be Creature; The Italian Girl: The Cost of Living by Xhenet Aliu; "Robert Galbraith"; Sigrid Nunez; Naomi Novik; Paulo Freire; Maya Angelou; Sy Montgomery; Dervla McTeirnan; Iris Murdoch; Deborah Levy

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Brass – 3/5 Stars So on the one hand this book falls a little into the generic kind of circa 1990s second generation immigrant American novel that was big for a good while. I recently read Charming Billy by Alice McDermott, which does this very thing. And then on the other hand, this book is a solidly written novel. Or rather, it is a novel, but it a challenging kind of narrative. For one, the story is good and interesting, but also a little typical and banal, if that’s possible to be both. Or maybe it’s banal and typical, but […]

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11/8/2018 's CBR10 Review No:397 |

I came for JK Rowling, but I’m staying for the characters

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

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This is the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series, and if you enjoyed the previous three books, I’m guessing you’ll also like this one. At the end of the day, you probably don’t need me to sell this book to you, but it doesn’t disappoint, given all that came before. Lethal White picks up almost immediately after Career of Evil, which ended with Robin marrying her piece of shit boyfriend, Matthew. So we get to spend a good bit of time seeing how that plays out. Strike’s newfound fame from catching the Shackleford Ripper has brought in a lot […]

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10/21/2018 's CBR10 Review No:42 |

It’s Not You, It’s Me: It Was Good, It Was Intricate But I Just Didn’t Love It

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

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Bingo Square (Round 2): Listicles (The Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2018) I never got into the habit of paying attention to release dates for most novels. Back in the day, I would find out a new novel from a beloved author was being released because I would find it on the “New Releases” display of the local Barnes and Noble – with some notable exceptions for very high profile novels.  With the transition to digital books, it’s been a bit harder for me to pay attention though the pre-order function does make it easy to make sure that once I […]

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10/18/2018 's CBR10 Review No:179 |


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