Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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About Melina

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I have failed every Cannonball Read that I've ever participated in, except my very first one. I am consistent, I'll give myself that much.

Melina's Reviews:

I Would Not Survive in 1855…And I Wouldn’t Want To

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

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We meet bright, but cold Natalie Heller as she goes off to Harvard. Instead of experiencing the world, making friends and learning, the experience shows her that what she knows is “right” and that the world is wicked. She meets a man, a man who’s family is wealthy and heavily connected to politics and she sees in him someone she can mold and make the perfect husband. They quickly marry and things immediately go downhill. Natalie loathes her husband. He has no ambition, he wants […]

On a Highway to Hell

Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson

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  This book was WOW…so good. It’s a book about grief, trauma, revenge…and vampires!! Taking place in the late 70’s as a backdrop, we meet Duane, a Vietnam Vet and bartender, who’s just trying to stay sober and help his wife raise their niece while her mother spends the rest of her life in prison. Life has taken it’s toll on the whole family–life above the bar that her parents own (instead of chasing her dream of writing and witnessing the man you love return […]

Lake Life Lovers

Lucky Break by Jaclyn Westlake

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When Eliza’s extensive life plans fall through it seems like a little bit of luck is right around the corner.  Sure, her seemingly perfect life imploded when she and her totally perfect for her fiancé called off their wedding, but then she gets offered a chance to start over, in Michigan!  The place is a planned community called Juneberry Lake. As she tries to make nice with all her neighbors who live around the lake with her, it seems like maybe Midwest nice was just […]

Come Out, Come Out…Wherever You Are!

Hide by Kiersten White

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14 down on their luck strangers get chosen to participate in a reality show where all they have to do is play hide and seek for 7 days. They are “minnows” who must hide from the “sharks” during the day in an abandoned amusement park. At night, they can return to the camp, wash up, eat and rest. Each day, two contestants will be eliminated–however, the terms of elimination are a little vague. But no matter, the prize is $50,000 and each of the contestants […]

Playing Darkly

Darkly by Marisha Pessl

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I am a big fan of Marisha Pessl’s writing, Special Topics in Calamity Physics was a book that reminded me of The Secret History except a lot more fun. Night Film felt like a noir detective novel but more.  Now with Darkly, it is yet another mystery novel and yet so much more. Right off the bat we are introduced to Arcadia “Dia” Collins who basically runs her mother’s antique shop (as her mother and the old doddering couple seem to just bumble around adorably). Her world gets […]

Morel Dilemma: He Just Couldn’t Resist the Cap

The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley

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Hey friends! Guess what? This is my first Cannonball Read review of the year…I’m a little behind. Hahaha…have no fear, I’ve read a lot of books and I’m almost done with teaching for the year so my own Cannonball challenge will be, can I catch up with the review part?!?! Stay tuned! This book though…this book brought me out of review hibernation because I kept trying to think of cool titles for my review.  Some of the discarded ones were: I’m a Fungi: Tales of […]



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