Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Pale Fire and Invitation to a Beheading

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov

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Pale Fire Pale Fire remains one of the funniest and most impressive books I’ve ever read, and for me is Nabokov’s absolute masterpiece, especially in English. The book begins with a brief introduction from one of our two narrators, Charles Kinbote. Charles Kinbote is a professor and in this book will be editing the long poem of his colleague John Shade. John Shade, also a professor, has recently died and left a poem in intricately ordered index cards. We come to understand that Kinbote has […]

Thanksgiving Week Glut

The Odyssey by Homer; Emily Wilson

A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

Nine Princes of Amber by Roger Zelazny

To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer

Free Lance Pallbearers by Ishmael Reed

Dragons of Highlord Skies by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

Revolutionary Characters by Gordon Wood

Glory by Vladimir Nabokov

Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas

South of the Border West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

Books of Blood by Clive Barker

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

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The Odyssey – 5/5 Stars So my review is specific to the newer Emily Wilson translation, which I find particularly good and readable. She writes a long introduction that serves as a solid guide to the epic, to the writing, the historical context, and other important keys. This is long, but worthwhile, especially if you’re new to the story or it’s been a long time or you’re a little rough in your epic-reading. From there, there’s a very good translator’s note of some length explaining […]

cbr12bingo – white whale (and BLACKOUT!!!! now I if only I could blackout and forget that this book exists!)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

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Lolita is absolutely vile, and I cannot be convinced otherwise. Yes, Humbert Humbert is the worst, and yes, we are supposed to know that he is a monster, but good lord this book is venerated from here to kingdom come as if it is the be all-end all of twentieth century literature. The edition that I picked up, which was published in 1997 as a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the original pressing- and is still the one in current re-prints and mass circulation, STILL […]

There’s a lovely saying: abroad, even the stars are tinny.

Think, Write, Speak: Uncollected Nonfiction by Vladimir Nabokov

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This is an odds and ends collection of Nabokov uncollected nonfiction published recently. It spans about 50 years or so of the writer’s life and is a bit hit or miss, but when it hits, it’s very good. You have to like Nabokov both as a writer and as a crank I think to really enjoy, and I will provide some highlights. It begins with early reviews and literary assessments. It’s important to remember that while he was absolutely brilliant and well-read, he’s not trained […]

No you can’t take a pistol and plug a girl you don’t even know simply because she attracts you.

Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov

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This is another early Russian novel by Nabokov. It was originally published with the name Camera Obscura, a title that I think better captures the spirit of the novel, but given Nabokov’s own involvement in this translation, he’s made his choice. In the novel we are thrust into the German film industry of the 1920s (that has some crossover with Hollywood, but is it’s own thing primarily). Albinus is a respected middle-aged filmmaker who meets a young would-be ingenue named Margot. He thinks he’s found the […]

Like if Blade Runner 2049 Sent You

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

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I love it when a piece of art is so great that I don’t fully understand what it is, but I know it’s really good and really cool. The movie Blade Runner 2049 was like that for me. Director Denis Villeneuve always impresses and entertains, and his take on the Blade Runner world was great. I can’t wait to see what he does with Dune. While trying to learn more about Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, I learned that Nabokov’s Pale Fire was included overtly and subtle […]



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