Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“The stars are people, and you do not fix people.”

The Unbalancing by R. B. Lemberg

by 1 Comment

CBR14Bingo – Bird: The supreme deity in this universe is the goddess Bird and some of her creation lore plays a large part in the book. There is no one else in the world that writes fantasy like R.B. Lemberg: lyrical, heartfelt, and queer, the kind of deeply thoughtful writing that leaves you pondering things long after you’ve finished the book. It’s a magical experience and one I look forward to every time, but one that’s also accessible for a new reader. So while this […]

Delightful book about magic and secret societies and privilege

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

by 8 Comments

This was recommended to me by a friend almost a year ago–we met up after years (like, 5+? 10+?) and realized we both shared a fondness for fantasy novels, which are apparently thin on the ground in Paris–and I ended up hemming and hawing due to some vaguely unsavory tumblr posts from an author I follow. This was around when Shadow and Bone premiered on Netflix, and the gist of it was that Bardugo had some problematic rep in her books, e.g. the tired use of “almond” to […]

I’ve got taste in buds

Pebble and Wren by Chris Hallbeck

by Leave a Comment

Pebble and Wren by Chris Hallbeck is an adorable story of friendship, finding yourself and your talents. And pancakes. Along the way we are educated on some fun science facts (at least one of I am with the dad: I am the adult and HOW did I not know that????) Granted, as an adult reader these science breaks did cut the flow of things, but most kids will not have a problem with this. Because of this, this graphic novel could work well in a classroom […]

And I had such high hopes

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater

by Leave a Comment

When I first heard of Swamp Thing: Twin Branches I figured it was going to be how the human who is to be Swamp thing became ST like the TV show of the 1980’s. (Good camp, bad everything else.) And like many of the DC graphic novels, Maggie Stiefvater was going to have a teen boy come of age and then, turn into part of nature. I thought it was going to be bittersweet but still nice. Afterall, I always thought that this creature was […]

Don’t say, “Bite me” to this family

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

by Leave a Comment

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo is not for everyone. It has an odd theme, with odder imagery (though no illustrations). Yet, while it is interesting nonetheless, it does have several weaknesses. Some plot point holes are one of them, and another (for me) was that the characters are not overly likable. One would assume that werewolves would not be likable, but you would hope that as a family unit you could empathize with them. But I have little empathy for a family that sends a […]

When Fiona woke up on the wrong side of the world

Stung (volume one) by Bethany Wiggins

by Leave a Comment

If you do not like pandemic stories, please stay away from Stung (volume one) by Bethany Wiggins. While this was written before the current events of 2020 to 2022 (when I read) it is almost like what we experienced and/or are experiencing. Except with the crazy beasts roaming outside the gates of the city, honey being used as a form of currency, and politicians getting called out for their actions. We follow a young girl who is trying to hide, partly in plain sight and […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo