Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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A somewhat problematic murder mystery

The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham

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Last year, I gave up on Cannonball Read in February. I kept reading, but the pressure to review got to be too much, and I ended up too far behind. This year, I’m not going for quantity, but instead am aiming to tackle all the books that I’ve bought over the years that for one reason or another have sat unread on my shelves. The first of these books is The Fashion in Shrouds by Margery Allingham, which I bought several years ago at Hatchard’s because a character in another book (Lola from This Charming Man by Marian Keyes, if anyone’s interested) […]

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2/4/2018 's CBR10 Review No:1 |

Poor Orpheus woke up with a start / all amongst the rotting dead

What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson

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I read this maybe a month ago, and was in the midst of a reading malaise that suppressed not only my interest in what I was reading, but made reviewing almost impossible. I just couldn’t transfer my thoughts into a coherent description of the book. I don’t know. I think I’m still in a reviewing funk, but I’m trying to get them posted before I get too far behind. What Dreams May Come is an epistolary paean to one man’s love for his wife; a wife left shattered by his untimely death. Written as manuscript transcribed through a medium and given […]

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2/24/2017 's CBR9 Review No:9 |

Gangs of Wonderland

Alice by Christina Henry

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First time Cannonballer (LOL, “baller”), long time Pajiban. I decided to take the plunge and do a half Cannonball this year. So, first review is Alice. And I’m going to trigger warning the hell out of this because it’s difficult to even review it without touching on some nasty stuff. Have you ever finished a book and gone full Kurtz? Have you ever wished you could read a story about Discworld’s Ankh-Morpork, but without all that annoying wit, sharply observed satire and compelling characterisation? Have you ever wanted to read a fanfic set in the world of Dishonored, the most depressing PS4 game ever released? Well you […]

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1/23/2016 's CBR8 Review No:1 |

Freedom is Only the Beginning

An Untamed State by Roxane Gay

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Once upon a time, in a far-off land, I was kidnapped by a gang of fearless yet terrified young men with so much impossible hope beating inside their bodies it burned their very skin and strengthened their will right through their bones. They held me captive for thirteen days. They wanted to break me. It was not personal. I was not broken. This is what I tell myself. I know it’s a little early in the year, but I can’t see how An Untamed State won’t make my Best Books of 2016 list. A word of warning-if you open this […]

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1/12/2016 's CBR8 Review No:9 |

“I learned your books. Burned them into my mind. In case the firemen come to town.”

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

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There are few things I enjoy more than a well crafted scary short story. As a kid cutting my teeth on Stephen King I loved his short story collections more than anything. Still do for that matter. My favorite collection of King’s is Skeleton Crew. Horror classics like “The Raft”, “The Jaunt”, and “Survivor Type” haunted me for years after reading them. Still do. In recent years Neil Gaiman’s short stories have filled the void King left for me. The first collection I read, Smoke & Mirrors, included the flat-on-your-ass-brilliant “We Can Get Them For You Wholesale”. An elegant, crisply […]

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4/14/2015 's CBR7 Review No:12 |

Neil Gaiman treats us to another assortment of strange and haunting stories in his third collection.

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

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Neil has produced some of my favourite short story collections over the years. He always has a knack for giving the reader a wide selection of tales that vary in style, genre and mood while still retaining the hallmarks that make Gaiman, well, Gaiman. And this collection is no different. In his introduction, Gaiman claims these shorts are far too random and unconnected to form an effective collection – but I’d beg to disagree. Several small connections hide beneath the surface, as little threads spider about linking seemingly disparate stories together. More than one story deals with the power of […]

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2/21/2015 's CBR7 Review No:2 |

Never Was One for a Prissy Girl

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman

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 Admittedly, I am not a short story person. Most authors seem to think short stories should always leave the reader wanting more.  I’m of the opinion that if I pay full admission to the museum, I get to see all the things and not be hustled out the door after making it past the lobby.  Short stories should be appetizing little morsels, a blissful snack that may leave you with a ghost of taste long after you finish, but never still famished.  Epiphanies in pastries if you like alliteration.  Gaiman is masterful at it.  You always get a delicious desert […]

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2/4/2015 's CBR7 Review No:9 |


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