Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Love Isn’t Always On Time

Spy Line by Len Deighton

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Similar to a lot of series that have an overarching plot, Len Deighton keeps having to invent new ways to rework the chessboard. Does it always work plot-wise? I’m not sure. Do I enjoy reading it? Hell yeah I do. I’m not sure why I land with the Samson series so closely. I concede that Le Carré writes circles around Deighton in terms of espionage tales. And yet, I just love the characters Deighton creates; the ones who have come back to these tales time-and-time […]

The End and the Beginning

London Match by Len Deighton

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I’m glad I slept on this review. I confess to some disappointment when I finished it…that was the resolution? That was the best Deighton could do after an excellent two-book buildup? I expected a massive conflict and was sort of let down. But then I thought about the final conversation in the book, which I won’t use to spoil the plot but basically talks about the stagnancy of the spy game. You’re never really winning, per se, and you almost don’t know what constitutes winning. Occasionally, you […]

Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart

Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany by Katja Hoyer

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I’ve been searching for interesting books about Soviet bloc countries. Specifically, ones about East Germany. I’ll admit that much of my fascination has to do with my adoration for the TV show “The Americans,” and the somewhat idealistic view us Gen-Xers and Millennials have of growing up in America in the 1980s and 1990s (looking at you Stranger Things). The narrative about life in East Germany was so controlled, especially in news and entertainment, that I knew very little about East Germany other than their […]



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