Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Zahra and I were complete; we were the sun and the wind, the sky and the earth, life and death, above the world and untouchable.”

The Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

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I was a big fan of Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, so when I stumbled on this novella, I was thrilled! In the sprawling Green Bone Saga, Lee crafted a dynasty in which 10s of key actors loved and hated and fought and died over several countries and thousands of pages. In The Untethered Sky, Lee narrows the scope to a single girl and her bird – well, never her bird, but the bird that she tends. I didn’t read the blurb on this book, […]

A Blast from the Past

The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories by H. P. Lovecraft

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I first read Lovecraft as a teen and was instantly smitten.  The Rats in the Wall?  OMG!  So creepy!  So it’s fun, lo these many years later, to read Lovecraft again, seeing a little more behind the curtain, as it were. But I was amused to find the setting of most of these sinister tales in this collection were in obscure bits of the mid-Atlantic states (not the standard setting of gothic tales of horror) such as upstate New York.  OK, I’ll give you Rip […]

A Whimsical Cozy Fantasy

Pippi's Inn for Wandering Spirits by Erin Ritch

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Pippi has been able to see ghosts her entire life, and upon her Aunt Hazel’s death, she is bequeathed her aunt’s inn. It’s an inn that caters to spirits who are between life and the afterlife, making it reminiscent at times of Under the Whispering Door, though this book never starts to feel like a copy cat, and it stands on its own merits. The inn itself is sentient and takes care of most of Pippi’s and the guests’ needs. Pippi’s main job is to take care […]

The WOW factor 2

In My Dreams by Effie Lada

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The only real thing that makes In My Dreams a rating of 4.6 and not a true 5 is the physical size of the actual book. It is a bit too large for my personal comfort. However, the illustrations makeup for that. They are amazing! The colors punch you in the nose! They are minimal so their impact is beyond strong. The story itself is poetic (not poetry in the “stereotypical thought”) and a bit weighty. Take your time and read multiple times. Effie Lada […]

The WOW factor

The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley

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OMG! Times Ten!  That is how I felt after I read The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley and illustrated by Lin Wang. Though available, I read via an online reader copy and I plan on finding a finished copy as you need to hold this book, I think, to get the entire picture. The story is dense and deep. We find Manley adapted the Crane Girl/Wife story to fit their needed goals. Still, it feels as if this was a true interpretation of the legend. […]

Four buddies and lots of good times

Sky &  Ty volume 1: Howdy, Partner! by Steve Breen

Surprise! The Adventures of Penguin and Panda volume one by Brenda Maier

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Picture books are fun but once I have read some, I need a little more. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love (and always will love) my picture books. But when that happens and I need that little more, (mostly because I need a different looking format) I need an early reader. The two I found recently were Sky &  Ty volume 1: Howdy, Partner! by Steve Breen and Surprise! The Adventures of Penguin and Panda volume one by Brenda Maier and illustrated by Fanni […]



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