Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Summer Road Trips: Listening to Carl Hiaasen books because he’s the only author my husband and I agree on

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen

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A brief introduction that you can absolutely skip, the review will follow: This summer as I criss and crossed my home province and the neighbouring one- dodging wildfires, construction, tourists, pack of elk or goats standing in the middle of the highway playing chicken with Alberta truckers, it was the not-so-sultry-but-very-sarcastic tones of a Carl Hiaasen novel that filled my car. I like Carl Hiaasen, don’t get me wrong, but at the beginning of the summer I had read three of his books in my […]

I seldom find what I’m looking for in romance novels, but I keep trying them anyway

Just A Heartbeat Away by Cara Bastone

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My wife first read Cara Bastone three years ago, and convinced me to give Call Me Maybe a shot. I loved it. We then downloaded this book from Audible and started listening to the audiobook on a trip we took. I got into it, but she didn’t. So we turned the book off, and I never really went back to it. Well, I just wrapped up a pretty heavy book last week, and took a vacation in Georgia this week, so I needed something to […]

Willpower alone won’t guarantee survival.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

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Shelley Parker-Chan and Natalie Naudus (narrator) kicked my head in with She Who Became the Sun. It took a bit to get into the book, listening for 20 minutes here and there, but by the time I hit the 3 hour mark I had a hard time stopping so that I could sleep, and even then I dreamed about Zhu Chongba, General Ouyang, and Ma Xiuying (I am reliant on Wikipedia for spellings because I don’t have the text). The unnamed girl who takes over […]

Great Book—But Still Not Pleased With The Outcome.

The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Determine Who Owns Your DNA by Jorge L. Contreras

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I love a good turn of narrative non-fiction. Back in the early years of my PhD—which was in genetics—the topic of gene ownership and gene patents was a huge deal. If you were working in the field, there was no way you could have avoided getting dragged into the discussion; whether you were hearing about it from a medical perspective, an agricultural perspective or a ‘shit, I was broke doing my degree all those years ago so you’ll never guess what I did*’ perspective, you […]

Younger is always dumber and wising up takes blood…and time.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

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I tend to think prequels are unnecessary. I don’t know that Bookshops & Bonedust is necessary from a story telling perspective. From a soul perspective, yes, it is necessary. Legends & Lattes was about coffee, baked goods and friendships. Bookshops & Bonedust is about books, baked goods, and friendships. The book was read by the author, Travis Baldree, who is also a voice actor. I enjoyed his narration so much I may get his narration of the Legends & Lattes audiobook. (Who am I kidding, […]

Can You Detect a Lie?

Tremors in the Blood by Amit Katwala

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Best for: People who enjoy a mixture of history, true crime, and ethical discussions. In a nutshell: Author Katwala explores the creation and first two decades of the ‘lie detector’ (polygraph). Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I like books like this usually – it feels like a subject Patrick Radden Keefe might have taken on. What it left me feeling: Educated. Review: In this book, author Katwala looks at the creator of the Polygraph, John Larson, who was a medical student interested in […]



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