Cannonball Read 11

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History and travel: bingo two for two in a series (#History/Schmistory & Travel)

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik

Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2) by Naomi Novik

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I’m pretty behind on Bingo, so trying to catch up before it ends! Some quick reviews of two entries in a series I’ve been reading this year, both on audiobook: Temeraire (AKA His Majesty’s Dragon) and Throne of Jade, by Naomi Novik. Temeraire fits the History/Schmistory square, since it’s set in an alternate history, and Throne of Jade satisfies the requirements for Travel. This was the series Novik was known for before she delved into folklore fantasy with Uprooted and Spinning Silver. They’re difficult to compare, as they are stylistically very different. Objectively, I prefer her newer fare. But these books are […]

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10/19/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 8 |

I finally tackle the Temeraire series (four months ago). #CBRBingo – And So It Begins

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1) by Naomi Novik

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This is why I never DNF books. Well, that and the OCD (legit, not just using it facetiously). I had a hard time getting into this (I’ve had a hard time getting into several books the last couple of months–my brain is not wanting to cooperate with me). It took me what felt like weeks to get past the first thirty pages. And it’s not like what was there was bad, I just couldn’t engage myself in it for some reason. Novik styles the book as if it were really written by someone living in 1804, and the diction and […]

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

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9/30/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 75 |

Silver to Gold

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

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I don’t know what to say about this awesome book. Novik does a great job of developing three characters (Miryem, Wanda, and Irinushka). The setting of the story is great and we have a fire demon, a race of people called the Staryk who live in a wintery world that is adjacent to the Russia the story takes place in. I loved all three of these characters equally (which almost never happens). I wanted a follow-up story though about what happens to Miryem. The ending left me unsatisfied since I wanted to just keep reading more and more (a sign […]

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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8/31/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 206 |

“The fairy silver brought you a monster of fire for a husband, and me a monster of ice.” (Bingo)

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

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#CBR11 Bingo: Listicle (on a bunch of best of 2018 lists, including NPR, Bustle and Bookbub). Would also work for “Award Winner”, as it’s won a Locus Award, and ALA Award and an Audie, or “Remix”, as it’s a fairy tale retelling. Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of Jewish moneylenders, but her father is a dreadful one, who doesn’t have the heart to actually claim back the debts that the villagers owe, even when his daughter is starving and the long, cold winters are making his wife sicker and sicker. Miryem refuses to see her mother die due to her father’s weakness, hardens her […]

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8/7/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 63 |

Silver in more ways than one

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

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Bingo Review 6 (Remix) I am loving this Bingo thing; it’s forcing me to pick up things I’ve been wanting to read but have hesitated to start for various reasons. Spinning Silver is one of these books. I really loved Naomi Novik’s Uprooted fairy tale retelling, and Spinning Silver does a lot of the same things. The biggest change though is also my biggest complaint. Verdict: Spinning Silver is a distant silver to Uprooted‘s gold. Spinning Silver is a mix between a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and  general European fairy tale tropes. The story is set in quasi medieval Slovakia (I […]

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7/27/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 55 |

Cannonballer Says….. thanks to everyone who reviewed this last year

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

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It’s my CBR11Bingo Cannonballer Says Square, thanks to: narfna, velveeter, Aquillia, Jenny S, alwaysanswerb! Before I was a CBR participant I was a CBR lurker. I am always looking for something new to read and this book- and author- got such strong reviews that I’ve had it on my ‘ok I’m finally going to get to this’ reading list for months. Miryem is the daughter of a money-lender in a small town. Her father is too soft-hearted to be any good at his chosen profession, which leaves his family cold and hungry in the winter and his wife getting progressively […]

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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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7/13/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 35 |

Everything happens for a reason, but that doesn’t mean there’s a point.

C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

This is Really Happening by Erin Chack

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

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C is for Corpse – 3/5 Stars The third Kinsey Milhone mystery, and probably the first one that I thought was pretty good. The other two were fine, and only fine, but what was hard to discern about those was who is this narrator and what does she do, want, feel etc. This one has more personality to it and I am beginning to better understand more about her. It begins with a workout partner/guy at the gym hiring her to investigate a devastating carwreck he was in months prior that left his best friend dead and his own brain […]

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

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6/8/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 334 |

“My expectations for a husband had lowered.”

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

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Trying to summarize this is hard, because there are a lot of different storylines and viewpoints.  We have Miryem, the daughter of a not-very-good moneylender. Oh, he’s a good man, too good to be a moneylender in fact, in that he’s not the best at collecting his money back.  Miryem eventually decides to take up the slack and collect the debts herself. Responsibility takes a toll on people, especially when you have to take that burden from someone else.  She idly makes a comment that she can turn to silver to gold, and that comment is heard by the wrong […]

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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2/20/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 15 |


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