Cannonball Read 15

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

> FAQ Home
> Tag: literary > Page 6

Tana French is an evil sorceress. Her words are her magical weapons.

Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #3) by Tana French

by 6 Comments

It’s not entirely hyperbole when I say that Tana French is magic. When I’m reading her books, more than with any other author I’ve ever read, I feel ensorcelled. Like, I’m being pulled in to the book with ropes that have been tied around my emotions, and it’s entirely not in my control how much I’m allowed to be inside the story. Her books are wrenching. So much humanity in there. Joy and suffering and pain and longing and regret. All at the same time. Plus […]

“I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.”

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

by 5 Comments

Straight up, this is a classic even among classics, and so I’m giving myself permission right up front for this review not to be important or add anything to the conversation at all. I don’t actually think I’m capable of saying anything that hasn’t already been said by people who said it better than I ever could. I feel like the only way this book can be reviewed now is either by looking at it through the context of today’s societal lens, or by relating […]

Why didn’t I read this sooner!?

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

by 16 Comments

This is straight up going to be one of those reviews where I don’t do the book justice, in this case it’s mostly because I feel kind of overwhelmed by what I just read. I wish I had time to sit down and re-read it, pen in hand, and then attend a series of lecture classes with likeminded people where we totally dissect it and wallow around in its lovely nuance. Maybe I just miss grad school. (The people and the atmosphere and the stimulating discussion, […]

“What I mean to say is, the more you remember, the more you’ve lost.”

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

by 9 Comments

First, some things you should know about me, for like, context and stuff: 1. I usually avoid apocalypse books like the plague (or more apropos, the Georgia Flu). Most of the time, even thinking about apocalyptic situations makes me panic. 2. I am a Shakespeare nerd. 3. I am a Star Trek nerd. 4. I cannot explain why I loved this book so much, because most of my reaction was completely sub-conscious. I have gotten gradually more stingy with my five star reviews since I […]

Two former lovers of Molly Lane.

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan

by 1 Comment

Honestly, if this book was written by any other author than Ian McEwan, it would have gotten two stars from me. But it was written by Ian McEwan, and there’s just something about the way he strings his words together that enchants me, regardless of how interesting I find whatever else is going on in his books at the time. Amsterdam is thankfully a concise book (with relatively large typeface and small pages), so no great investment of time on my part. The catalyst to the […]

“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.”

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

by Leave a Comment

Welp. That was different. And very unlike the Wilde I have previously known and loved. I enjoyed the story of this book, but I think what I loved most about it were all the underhanded (and not so underhanded) things Wilde had to say about art and artists. I’m pretty sure all of you already know the basic premise, even if you haven’t read the thing. The beautiful and amoral Dorian Gray, who doesn’t age, has a secret portrait that bears all signs of corruption […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo