Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Illearth War – book 2 of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

The Illearth War by Stephen R Donaldson

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Donaldson really seems to find himself in this, the second book of the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Covenant is still the weakest part of the book, along with the time spent in our world, but everything else is so vibrant. What I loved is how he took characters from the first book that were already interesting and provided even more background and context to them to make them fully 3 dimensional. Mhoram is a wonderful example of this. He played a key role in the […]

The Obelisk Gate: Things get worse before they get better (I hope)

The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin

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Possible spoilers for The Fifth Season – Proceed with awareness. The Obelisk Gate is the second book in the Broken Earth Trilogy. In this installment, we follow two main stories – Essun and Nassun after each has arrived at a new, but separate, comm and the years that follow. Nassun is Essun’s daughter. Nassun had been taken by her father, Jija, after he murdered her little brother, Uche. We heard of them in the first book, but we officially meet them as they travel south […]

Be careful what you wish for

Ghoul by Kasey Iris

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After finishing my online reader copy of Ghoul by Kasey Iris (sent to me via an email from the publisher; due May 2026) I was not sure if I liked it or not. I know I didn’t dislike it, but I’m not sure how much I liked it. And, in this case, that is not a bad thing. This is a thoughtful and interesting story on grief, family and pain. Each character is dealing with secrets, heartache, and lack of understanding. The characters are seemingly […]

Look out! Here comes Spider-man and friends!

Spidey and His Amazing Friends: Teamwork Saves the Day!: My First Comic Reader! (Spidey and His Amazing Friends, My First Comic Reader!, Level 3) by Steve Behling, Giovanni Rigano, Antonello Dalena, Cristina Giorgilli, Cristina Stella, Dario Calabria, Lucio de Guiseppe and Marvel Press Book Group

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Working in a bookstore has some major perks. One is free books (for various reasons). And recently I found Spidey and His Amazing Friends: Teamwork Saves the Day!: My First Comic Reader! (Spidey and His Amazing Friends, My First Comic Reader!, Level 3) by Steve Behling, Giovanni Rigano, Antonello Dalena, Cristina Giorgilli, Cristina Stella, Dario Calabria, Lucio de Guiseppe and Marvel Press Book Group. I thought it would be a fun, quick read for me and something I could share with my oldest nephew.  It […]

“Whatever comes of it, I’ll learn more than I know now.” “Unless,” I pointed out, “you die.” He shrugged. “Well. We all have to stop learning sometime.”

A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry

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I feared this was the best of times; I hoped it could not get any worse. Let’s synopsize: Sydney Carton was stolen as a child and forced to serve the Faery Realm. Charles Darnay is his changeling; Lucie Manette is the changeling of Ivy, Sydney’s childhood friend. Sydney wants revenge on the fae and Darnay for how his life has turned out. The French Revolution happens. This is a homage to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Spoiler Alert: I discuss plot points of […]

Don’t bug out!

Insectopolis: A Natural History by Peter Kuper

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Insectopolis: A Natural History by Peter Kuper is a crazy, wild, odd, neat, and informative read. I have read books on insects (mostly picture books and graphic novels for children to teens), but I think this might be my favorite read yet. Kuper mixes fiction, fantasy, speculative and non-fiction as the impact of these creatures unfolds.  We start with a brother and sister off in New York City, going to an exhibit at “some library.” The sister is a scientist, her brother a “dude” but […]



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