Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times

A Far Better Thing by H. G. Parry

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My reading experience for H. G. Parry’s A Far Better Thing was somewhat non-standard (at least for me). I first picked the book up back in June of last year. I read a couple of chapters, but the story wasn’t really gripping me, so I set it aside. I’ve really enjoyed other books by the author, so a few weeks ago I decided to give it a second chance, and I’m glad I did. This is a retelling of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two […]

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

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I am going to buy a permanent copy of this book for my collection. I loved this. I don’t even know what else to say. You want a horror filled The Little Mermaid with a plague doctor? Well this is your book. I loved the first half that shows the aftermath of what was done to the kingdom that captured a mermaid and then the beginning of how the mermaid and the doctor first met and began to feel…well something. I don’t have anything to say except […]

It’s Questin’ Time!

Through Gates Of Garnet And Gold by Seanan McGuire

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See you later Eleanor, Nancy’s back and we’re all going on a quest! It’ll be great. After all, how dangerous could the Halls of the Dead be for a gang of living teens? That’s right kids, Nancy’s back! Nancy’s been perfecting her standing stillness as a living statue in the Halls of the Dead since her Door reappeared way back in book three. She is still very sure that she’s where she’s meant to be. However the unquiet dead are suddenly on the rampage and […]

A challenging start to a wonderful series

Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R Donaldson

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I had something pop up in my Google feed that referenced the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, a series that had a huge impact on me as a teenager, and decided to re-read the entire series (including the Last Chronicles, which I have never read), starting with the first book in the series Lord Foul’s Bane. The first book in a series is often the weakest, as it takes time to set up the characters, the motivation and to build the world. This is no exception. […]

A Heist with Heart (and a Few Souls)

The Frame-up by Gwenda Bond

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This chocolate-and-peanut butter book is either a romance with a heist in it, or a heist with a romance wrapped around it. I’m leaning towards the latter, for pedantic reasons, but regardless of your perspective, if you like romance and/or heists, you’ll find this very charming, literally AND figuratively, because this is a magical heist. “Stealing Francesco’s Tears [Gorgeous Clown Take]” by Marc-Anthony Macon is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 . Dani grew up as part of a magical family of thieves, run by her mother, […]

Brutally beautiful historical fantasy

A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang

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I was immediately drawn to this book, but struggled with eyeball reading, so I was so glad when I got an advance listening copy as well, especially so I wouldn’t be butchering the Chinese words and intonations. This is really intense and deals with a lot of really difficult topics, and it’s hard to say any of the characters (though especially Ba) were likable, but the ending left me with a feeling of hope and healing. Told through three (four?) perspectives, A Beast Slinks Towards […]



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