Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Death becomes her

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

by 2 Comments

Casiopea Tun is a poor relative. She and her mother were taken in by her grandfather when her father died, and since then she has been treated appallingly, more like a lowly servant than a family member. In Mexico in the 1920s, her options are limited but she dreams of escaping her relatives and the small town she’s living in and live The Life: cars, dances, fancy dresses and swims in the ocean. One day, when she’s alone in the house, she opens a chest […]

What unspeakable truth is being covered up by stories of ghosts?

The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley

by Leave a Comment

CBRBingo: Fauna – moths and Katsu, who somehow survived. In her sequel to The Watchmaker of Filligree Street Natash Pulley takes the story to Japan.  Thaniel has been sent by the Foreign Office to investigate stories of ghosts at the British legation.  His boss Fanshaw thinks that someone at the legation might be abusing their power over the local staff and an outsider who speaks the language and knows something of the culture might be able to get to the bottom of what’s really going on.  And […]

Dogs (and tigers and sheep and iguanas and jackalope and goldfish and krill and crocodiles and dinosaurs and unicorns…….) in Space!

Star Beasts by Stephanie Young

by Leave a Comment

Star Beasts is a fun story that Stephanie Young has created. However, due to a lot of characters you will meet (some even for a short moment), sometimes that can make things a smidgen confusing. However, this story has great potential for being the new “IT graphic novel” for ages 8 to 12. The story is if Star Trek, Firefly, and Andromeda hooked up with all the science-fi spoof and most of the animal stories, you might get something like this. And plot? All I […]

I really liked reading “Lord of the Flies”

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

by Leave a Comment

I’m not sure what I expected when I started reading this novel, but I was actually very surprised by my reading experience. Pleasantly so.  Lord of the Flies is such a cultural touchstone, and I thought I knew what I was in for: wild boys, a conch shell, something about Piggy and Ralph, etc. But I was amazed at how much more nuanced and interesting this book is than I anticipated. I think we all know the story to some extent. Several young boys survive […]

“So, I mean, it’s awesome that, uh, you’re a city? Congratulations! I want to be accepting of this new stage in your identity formation.”

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

by 2 Comments

I want to try something new with my reviews. Yeah, I could start again with OH WOW. HOW DID I GET SO BEHIND. AGAIN. But snooze, amiright? Instead, I want to use the system that my local library book club does. We always go around the room and give a rating (check, already part of Cannonball and Goodreads) and then sum up our feelings on the book in one word. I’m going to let you know now, I’m a bit of a cheat and I […]

I might have wanted to go to this camp if I known there would be cool kids like Willow and her friends

Secrets of Camp Whatever Volume One by Chris Grine

by Leave a Comment

An adorable coming of age with lots of humor story is the best way to describe Secrets of Camp Whatever Volume One. Monsters, adventures, and snacks come together when a handful of children go to a bit of a creepy, but cool, summer camp. Adventure awaits! Just watch out for fog leeches. Chris Grine created characters that are relatable, diverse, and are full of surprises. Willow, our main character, and her friends are sent to a summer camp for a few weeks. Willow does not […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo