Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Tony, informed, said: They love funerals.

The New York Stories of Elizabeth Hardwick by Elizabeth Hardwick

We Live In Water by Jess Walter

Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton

Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman

Elementals by AS Byatt

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New York Stories – 4/5 Stars I read Elizabeth Hardwick’s collected essays earlier this year. I also read her novel Sleepless Nights last year. This is a collection of stories that encompasses about 45-50 years worth of short stories edited and selected by Darryl Pinckney, another novelist and critic who also famously worked with and was friends with Hardwick. I read these stories in a variety of orders, and since they are not part of an intentional collection this blending and mixing up of the stories led to a relatively satisfying reading experience. Because I have read her essays, which […]

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12/31/2018 's CBR10 Review No:491 |

The One I’ve Been Waiting For

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

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For most of CBR10, I’ve been in a real reading rut. While I’ve read plenty of books I liked, there have been only a few that met my criteria for The Kind of Book I Love to Read: The story is engrossing: I have to feel like I can’t put it down. It’s not just engrossing, but also evokes specific emotions: I love a book that makes me feel happy or excited, or that awakens my curiosity or makes me want to learn something new. Books that make me feel depressed or grossed out may still be good, but I […]

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10/21/2018 's CBR10 Review No:41 |

I want a daemon!

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Volume 1) by Philip Pullman

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I loved His Dark Materials trilogy so I was very excited when I realized that Philip Pullman had a new novel out.  I was a little bit less sure if I necessarily wanted a new novel in the same universe but was definitely willing to give it a shot. As much as I love Harry Potter,  I would at this point prefer to get another murder mystery from J.K. Rowling than another tie in to Hogwarts and that universe.  As a result, I wasn’t sure I really needed another story involving Lyra even if I wanted more from Pullman.  Fortunately, […]

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1/15/2018 's CBR10 Review No:8 |

The Golden Compass and joys of explaining “original sin”

The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials Trilogy vol. 1 by Philip Pullman

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This is probably my fourth reading of The Golden Compass and this time I read it aloud to my nine year old daughter over the course of several months at bedtime.  She’s already read The Chronicles of Narnia, started the Prydain Chronicles, and is three volumes into Harry Potter so now seemed like a good time to introduce her to the His Dark Materials trilogy.  I love introducing books to my daughter and watching her devour them the way I have.  Reading this book aloud make me wish I was better at British accents as often colloquial phrases didn’t sound right […]

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5/25/2017 's CBR9 Review No:12 |

Talking warrior polar bear FTW

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

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The Golden Compass is a fast-paced, action packed fantasy story that I feel like everyone in the world has read before me. If you’re one of the last to read it as I am, here’s what you need to know: Lyra is an orphan living at Jordan college who has a penchant for mischief and lying her way out of,,, well, everything. One day she decides to sneak into the chambers of the college’s council, only men allowed. She just meant to see the room, but gets trapped in there and is forced to hide in an armoire. From there, […]

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3/13/2016 's CBR8 Review No:15 |

Disappointed with Pullman

Sally Lockhart Mysteries, Book 1 and Book 2 by Philip Pullman

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After very much enjoying several of Philip Pullman’s other books (His Dark Materials and companion books, The Firework Maker’s Daughter and The Scarecrow and His Servant), I had high hopes for the Sally Lockhart Mysteries. In the first book, The Ruby in the Smoke, we meet Sally who, at age 16, has been recently orphaned.  She is curious to know more about the circumstances of her father’s death after receiving some ambiguous information.  Sally has had a very nontraditional upbringing in 1872 Victorian London, so feels comfortable in asserting her independence to have the freedom she needs to investigate. In […]

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4/12/2015 's CBR7 Review No:3 |

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman

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“We are all subject to the fates. But we must act as if we are not, or die of despair.” I have heard SO MUCH about this book and its two sequels that initially I was disappointed when I started it because it didn’t really live up to my expectations right away. It takes a while to get going. By halfway through, however, I was hooked on Lyra and Iorek, an armored bear. Here’s a hint: if your story features armored bears, introduce them ASAP. Iorek was my favorite part. The Golden Compass is about an orphan named Lyra who […]

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3/21/2014 's CBR6 Review No:23 |


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