Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About G.D. Giant

CBR  9
CBR18 Participant

Tall person, avid reader and avid, but less successful, gardener. I read a lot of sci fi, fantasy and literary fiction with the occasional smattering of mysteries.

G.D. Giant's Reviews:

Magical Historical Fiction

The Antidote by Karen Russel

April 15, 2026 by G.D. Giant 2 Comments

From the afterword/Lost Land Acknowledgement by Dr. James Riding In: “The Antidote uses fantastical conceits to illuminate the holes in people’s private and collective memories, the willful omissions passed down generation to generation, and the myths that have been used by the U.S. government and White settlers to justify crimes against the citizens of Native Nations and the theft of Native lands.” And the author uses those fantastical conceits very well. The Antidote is a beautifully written, sad, interesting, and clever novel. It’s a fantastic […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History Tagged With: American History, anticolonialism, historical fiction, Karen Russel, magical realism, Native Lands, Nebraska, the great depression, The Great Plains, witches

G.D. Giant's CBR18 Review No:6 · Genres: Fiction, History · Tags: American History, anticolonialism, historical fiction, Karen Russel, magical realism, Native Lands, Nebraska, the great depression, The Great Plains, witches ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

Botany, Bears and Beaver Ponds

Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey

March 4, 2026 by G.D. Giant 2 Comments

This is a lovely, sad, beautifully written book. I feel bad for everyone who rated it one star on Goodreads just because it wasn’t a faithful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Because if you read it for what it is, instead of what it isn’t, it’s really quite wonderful. Ivey touches on themes of motherhood, love, personal freedom, mental health and the natural world, all in a dark fairy tale setting. Single mom Birdie does the best that she can for her daughter, Emaleen, […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: Alaska, contemporary, dark fairy tale, Eowyn Ivey, magical realism, Mental Health, Motherhood, nature

G.D. Giant's CBR18 Review No:5 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: Alaska, contemporary, dark fairy tale, Eowyn Ivey, magical realism, Mental Health, Motherhood, nature ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

Depression, But Make it Funny

Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel

February 25, 2026 by G.D. Giant Leave a Comment

Small Admissions, by Amy Peoppel, is a contemporary novel set in New York City and supposedly features a group of friends trying to help one of the group get back on her feet. I say “supposedly” because one friend, Chloe, makes the entire situation about herself. In fact, she’s the only character written in first-person, even though she is not the main character. Angela, the sister of the actual main character, tries to help, but mostly just nags and criticizes. And Vicki/Victoria is a completely […]

Filed Under: Comedy/Humor, Fiction Tagged With: Amy Poeppel, contemporary fiction, family and friendship, Mental Health, NYC

G.D. Giant's CBR18 Review No:4 · Genres: Comedy/Humor, Fiction · Tags: Amy Poeppel, contemporary fiction, family and friendship, Mental Health, NYC ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Woo Pig Sooie

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

February 20, 2026 by G.D. Giant Leave a Comment

Come and Get It, by Kiley Reid takes place over one semester at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Most of the book takes place in the scholarship/transfer student dorm there. And the main cast of characters includes a few RAs and residents of the dorm, as well as a visiting professor/writer from the north. I know this book won’t be for everyone, but aside from a couple of issues, it was very much for me. One, I found much of the book to be […]

Filed Under: Book Club, Comedy/Humor, Fiction Tagged With: dark humor, dry humor, Fiction, friendship, Kiley Reid, LGTBQ, Mental Health, Social Themes

G.D. Giant's CBR18 Review No:3 · Genres: Book Club, Comedy/Humor, Fiction · Tags: dark humor, dry humor, Fiction, friendship, Kiley Reid, LGTBQ, Mental Health, Social Themes ·
· 0 Comments
The Siren

Ignore This Siren’s Song

The Siren by Katherine St. John

February 5, 2026 by G.D. Giant Leave a Comment

In “The Siren,” the handsome, famous, wealthy, charismatic, sexy Cole Powers is shooting a film on a small Caribbean island. The writer-director is Cole’s estranged son, Jackson. And the movie also stars Cole’s ex-wife, the actress Stella Rivers. Along for the ride is producer Taylor Wasserman (also estranged from her father), influencer Madison Kasabian, and Stella’s assistant, the very realistically named Felicity Fox. And half of them want to kill one of the others. I chose this book because although I usually prefer sci-fi and […]

Filed Under: Featured, Fiction, Romance Tagged With: chick lit, contemporary fiction, Hollywood, Katherine St. John, murder, mystery

G.D. Giant's CBR18 Review No:2 · Genres: Featured, Fiction, Romance · Tags: chick lit, contemporary fiction, Hollywood, Katherine St. John, murder, mystery ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Mean Sabine

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

January 13, 2026 by G.D. Giant Leave a Comment

This book is about three lesbian vampires. One is Scottish, one is English, and the other one is mean as hell. The Scottish vampire, Alice, is the newest vampire, and for me, the least interesting. I think that’s why her character arc surprised me the most. Sis went from high anxiety to a high body count (in the murder-y way) real fast. The English vampire is Charlotte. She is the second oldest and the most sympathetic, in my opinion. Girlie just wanted to be with […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: LGBQT+, queer, supernatural, v.e. schwab, vampires

G.D. Giant's CBR18 Review No:1 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: LGBQT+, queer, supernatural, v.e. schwab, vampires ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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