Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Mia’s Hot Fake-Married Summer in Paris

Sweet Filthy Boy (Wild Seasons Book 1) by Christina Lauren

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We’re married for the summer. Summer marriages don’t get dragged down in heavy stuff. ― Christina Lauren, Sweet Filthy Boy “Which was your favorite? Living room, or bed, or floor, or bed, or wall, or mirror, or bar, or floor?” “Shhh,” I whisper, lifting my cup to take another, more careful sip of coffee. I smile into my mug. “You’re weird.” “I think I need a cast for my penis.” ― Christina Lauren, Sweet Filthy Boy Mia is not impulsive. She follows the path, checks […]

I was in a terrible confusion. Sometimes I thought, but this is your life. Stop fighting it.

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

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And I realized that such childishness was fantastic at my age and the happiness out of which it sprang yet more so; for that moment I really loved Giovanni, who had never seemed more beautiful than he was that afternoon. And, watching his face, I realized that it meant much to me that I could make his face so bright. I saw that I might be willing to give a great deal not to lose that power. And I felt myself flow toward him, as […]

Come for the setup. Stay for the yearning.

Eight Weeks in Paris by S.R. Lane

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Note: It’s a lot of yearning. In writing this review, I tried to categorize the main characters’ relationship as enemies-to-friends-to-lovers or grumpy/sunshine, but neither one fits. I expected a sweet and charming romance set among the landmarks of Paris, but I got a very serious, surprisingly deep take on celebrity, fame, and integrity. Nicholas Madden is the brooding, short-fused, paparazzi-hating serious actor. After campaigning for and being cast as Frederick, the main character in The Throne, a queer romance period piece set in Belle Époque […]

Dance Dance Dance….

Emma & Capucine, Volume 1 by Jérôme Hamon and Lena Sayaphoum

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While I enjoyed reading the two parts that are inclined in  Emma & Capucine, Volume 1 by Jérôme Hamon and Lena Sayaphoum, I was not able to be WOWed by it. There is nothing new to the events or thoughts happening. However, it is still a nice coming of age story Part One. We deal with growing apart from an older sibling, dealing with a dream not happening, finding new dreams, parents learning to support rather than push for themselves, and jealousy. There are at […]

L’état C’est Lost

The Black Tower by Louis Bayard

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I greatly enjoyed Louis Bayard’s The Pale Blue Eye and was excited to pick this one up as well given how effectively he wrote his other historical mystery. And though I liked it a hair less, it did not disappoint. There has always been a curiosity amongst conspiracy theorists wondering what if some historical figures survived death. Hitler in the bunker. The princes in the Tower. And Louis-Charles, the dauphin of France and rightful heir to the throne of his father, Louis XVI. Sadly for him, he […]

Ultimately Comforting and Hopeful

All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny

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This is the 16th Inspector Gamache mystery, and I’m honestly impressed with how consistent these books are. There’s been a couple that I didn’t care for much or had trouble getting into, but on the whole these books always work for me. All the Devils are Here was no different–in fact, I think it was one of my favorites thus far. Armand Gamache, his wife Reine-Marie, and his godfather Stephen are in Paris visiting Armand and Reine-Marie’s children and their families–including Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Armand’s former second in […]



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