Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“In her spare time, she looked to books or the stars for company”

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Caseopea Tun is basically treated as a servant by her grandfather, cousin, and extended family because her mother ran away and made an ill-advised marriage. Caseopea suffers the indignities mainly because her tyrannical grandfather has promised to leave her some money once he dies. However, during another turbulent row with her spoiled cousin Martín, he reveals that their grandfather has no intention of leaving anything to Caseopea. She feels furious and rebellious, which leads to her opening the forbidden chest at the bottom of her […]

Magical Mystery Ride

A Girl Called Echo Omnibus (Combined Volume) by Katherena Vermette

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A while back, I read the first volume in A Girl Called Echo series. And recently I was given a finished copy of the Omnibus. I like the word omnibus. I picture a large bus that has wings or something magical about it. And it carries a lot of things inside of it.  And that fits this story by Katherena Vermette as they created a story that has elements of the here and now, and time travel. Or a bit of magic. I have not […]

And I thought I needed a raise

Vern, Custodian of the Universe by Tyrell Waiters

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I cannot say I am always confused about things that deal with the multiverse, but it can really mix me up. But Vern, Custodian of the Universe was a bit more straightforward, even with some complex ideas about the multiverse. We only touch on a very small handful of possible outcomes to Earth or Earth-like planets, but they range from reptilian to computer to human beings running things. And in each world things are messed up. Tyrell Waiters created the world of Vern, a terribly […]

“To die is different from what anyone supposed, and luckier”

The Gilded Ones (2021) by Namina Forna

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CBR Bingo 15 square Africa, because author Namina Forna was born and raised in Sierra Leone, on the west coast, a former British colony. It was first called Serra Lyoa, or Lion Mountain, because it was first “discovered” by Pedro de Sintra, a Portuguese explorer in the 15th century, who feared lions in the rolling of thunder in the hills around the harbour. I know this because I learned it in school, because when I was little I went to school in said hills, and […]

Kawaii Ghosts

Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda (author(, Polly Barton (translator)

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CBR Bingo- Asia/Oceana- BINGO! Where the Wild Ladies Are is a collection of Japanese folk tales retold with a feminist point of view. The tales all have ghosts in them, but they are mostly cute or beautiful ghosts, and not scary ghosts. The only one I thought was a bit tense was The Peony Lanterns, a story about two traveling saleswomen where things start escalating and then seppuku or ritual suicide is suggested, but not really. If you’ve ever tried to get rid of a […]

You didn’t bring bullets to a magic fight. It bruised our sense of spectacle.

The Last Sun: The Tarot Sequence Book One by K.D. Edwards

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“Do we need to talk about last night?” he asked. “Absolutely. That’s how I always get ready for battle, talking about my feelings” ― K.D. Edwards, The Last Sun “Oh, I get it. You think this is one of them big, fancy rescues. Boy are you about to be embarrassed.” ― K.D. Edwards, The Last Sun “You saved me,” Matthias said to me from behind Brand. I couldn’t quite identify the expression that lit up his face, but it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as plain […]



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