Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Halbs's Reviews:

+2 Charisma

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

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This book is a warm blanket; it’s the perfect read before bedtime. Pleasant, hopeful, fun.  Riley is a high school drama kid. In fact, until recently, she was dating the best actor in town. But that has ended. School is starting back up, and now her ex has a new girlfriend. And, to make things worse, Riley is in BIG TROUBLE with her parents. In what is probably the most innocent and cutest reason to get grounded ever, Riley borrowed her mom’s car without permission […]

Semper Iocosus

Grit, Spit, and Never Quit by Rob Riggle

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Before reading this book, Rob Riggle was like the friend of a good friend. I enjoyed my time with him on The Daily Show, Bear Grylls, Angie Tribeca, New Girl, etc. But Riggle wasn’t my friend yet. This book, to continue the metaphor, is the first time Riggle and I have ever hung out without the mutual friend. It’s like our mutual friend had to cancel dinner plans with Riggle and me at the last minute, but we both still showed. And we found out, […]

Fascinating Philosophy and Science in an OK Story

The Quantum Revelations by Stuart Heinrich

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I’m immensely appreciative of Stuart Heinrich for undertaking quite a project – sharing complex and niche scientific ideas such as physical relativism and quantum cosmology with a general audience of sci-fi/speculative fiction readers in novel form. Think The Celestine Prophecy, but for science! Heinrich has previously published non-fiction articles on similar topics, and The Quantum Revelations is his attempt to integrate these areas of study into fiction. The plot is fun. In the near future, climate change rapidly accelerates past the point of no return. […]

“The perfect pass…is the simple part. The living with what it takes…is the mystery.”

American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by Seth Wickersham

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I became a fan of Seth Wickersham’s sports writing after reading his definitive book on the New England Patriots dynasty, It’s Better to Be Feared. My attention span wasn’t the best during the COVID times, but I simply could not put that book down when it came out in 2021. I’ll bet I read all 528 pages in two or three sittings. So, of course, I was excited when Wickersham announced American Kings, an in-depth exploration into the world of the quarterback. The book is the […]

The Best Dick is Mysterious Dick

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

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I’ve read a few PKD novels by now, and now my favorite by far is Ubik. It is a true mindfreak of a novel. It’s got all of the stuff that makes a great science fiction novel – interesting technology and culture, real philosophical questions, and plain old entertainment. I ditched my plans this weekend to read this whole thing in two days. I can’t stop thinking about it. The story starts simply enough. Down-on-his-luck Joe Chip works as an anti-psychic. That may sound exciting, […]

On the Horror of Raising Children in a Messed Up World

When I'm Dead by Hannah Morrissey

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When I’m Dead is the third entry in Hannah Morrissey’s Black Harbor mystery/suspense series. Morrissey calls her genre “Midwestern Noir;” think Scandi Noir, but set in Wisconsin! So far, you can read the Black Harbor books in a standalone fashion. Each story is mostly its own thing, although they all take place in the same city, and occasionally a character will drift from one book into another. Just read them in order, though, don’t be dramatic. This book is about the Winthrop family, and what living […]



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