Cannonball Read 11

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The Scene Ends Badly, as You Might Imagine

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

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I’ve been a huge fan of the Mountain Goats for going on ten years now. It’s hard for me to articulate exactly why they became my favorite band because it feels so emotional and personal, but it is in large part due to John Darnielle’s incredible lyrics and his ability to tell powerful stories in just a few minutes. I’ve had his books on my TBR list for awhile, but I didn’t feel very compelled to read them. I’m not usually (or ever) a fan of literary fiction, so as much as I love his music I wasn’t incredibly interested […]

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3/16/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:9 |

“There are new monsters now”

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle

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This novel sneaks up on you. You’re lulled into comfort with descriptions of old video rental places, suburban living rooms, and the polite peace of the Midwest before being startled awake by sudden glances of violence and fear. These shocks originate from movies. Movies within movies. Were they intended for you to see? Why are they here? Who spliced an almost still image of heavy breathing and a woman with a bag over her head into She’s All That? Uncertainty creeps around every corner- breeding fear, confusion, and an overwhelming urge to know more. The young people of Universal Harvester are driven by […]

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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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1/20/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:3 |

Episode 1-44: Overstuffed

Universal Harvester, The Labyrinth Index, The Three Secret Cities, Dark Sacred Night, Fooling Houdini, Target: Alex Cross, The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers, The Beast of Barcroft, Northwoods, Bill the Galactic Hero by John Darnielle, Charles Stross, Matthew Reilly, Michael Connelly, Alex Stone, James Patterson, Thomas Mullen, Bill Schweigart, Harry Harrison

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Episode 1-44: Overstuffed Wherein I review: 161. Universal Harvester by John Darnielle 162, The Labyrinth Index (Library Files #9) by Charles Stross 163. The Three Secret Cities (Jack West Jr. #5) by Matthew Reilly 164. Dark Sacred Night (Harry Bosch #21, Renee Ballard #2) by Michael Connelly 165. Fooling Houdini by Alex Stone 166. Target: Alex Cross (Alex Cross #26) by James Patterson 167. The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen 168. The Beast of Barcroft (Fatal Folklore Trilogy #1) by Bill Schweigart 169. Northwoods (Fatal Folklore Trilogy #2) by Bill Schweigart 170. Bill, the Galactic Hero […]

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11/29/2018 's CBR10 Review No:170 |

Episode 1-43: You Are Standing At A Crossroads In The Forest

Wolf in White Van, Past Tense by John Darnielle, Lee Child

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Episode 1-43: You Are Standing At A Crossroads In The Forest Wherein I review: 159. Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle 160. Past Tense (Jack Reacher #23) by Lee Child The Mountain Goats and Text-Based RPGs.  What the hell is there not to like?  And choosing your own adventure has become the modus operandi of the Jack Reacher series, and I’m still all in. Also, I’ve fallen hopeless behind in my damn reviews.  Tis the season!

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11/22/2018 's CBR10 Review No:160 |

Someone tell me what they think the title means because I need to talk about it.

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle

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Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat did I just read and why did I like it?  And why is it called Universal Harvester?  I need this to be a book club book so someone can tell me what they thought was happening and we can hash out the whys. Darnielle’s writing is breathtaking.  I mean this literally.  There is a sentence with a pronoun shift that made me gasp and I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.  One pronoun scared me.  A PRONOUN.  He has a powerful gift.  There are songs on The Mountain Goats album The Sunset Tree that I cannot listen to because the […]

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3/9/2017 's CBR9 Review No:11 |

Nowhere that any reasonable person might fix the blame

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle

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So if you read Wolf in White Van the strange dreamlike narration that this novel closes with will not be a surprise. Throughout most of the book, we have a third person narrator who is more or less omniscient in perspective, but as the “mystery” at the center closes in the focus tightens, and we close with a first person narration that circles around more knowingly. See what I did there? I kind of said a lot knowing what I meant, but not really explaining to you the information you needed to fully make sense of it. That’s kind of what […]

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2/16/2017 's CBR9 Review No:54 |

Tom Petty Got it Wrong, Choosing is the Hardest Part

Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

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  When I picked up Wolf in White Van at the library, I didn’t even read what it was about. I judged it by its title…and the title scared me a little. It was ominous, it was predatory and I? I was curious.  I honestly don’t know how to write this review and I don’t know how or who I’d recommend this book to because I flew through the book, I had certain expectations that were met but at the same time, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.  It never did and therefore it was a better, […]

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4/10/2015 's CBR7 Review No:26 |


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