Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

For fans of Rick Riordan

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

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  Aru Shah and the End of Time is the first in a ‘Rick Riordan Presents’ and follows the plot beats of Riordan’s own series pretty faithfully. For fans of Percy Jackson, Jason Grace, Magnus Chase, Carter Kane, and Lester Pappadopoulos (my personal favorite) this book will feel very familiar. Aru is a seemingly normal 12-year old, being raised by a single mom. Like Riordan’s characters, Aru has no real knowledge of her missing parent until the book begins to unfold. Aru’s mother is an […]

How to Vampire Properly

Deadly Assessments by Drew Hayes

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The Fred the Vampire Accountant series was practically my introduction to Drew Hayes, one of my current favorites. It’s also one of the very few series in which I actually enjoy first-person narration. Deadly Assessments is installment number five, and while many things remain the same, there are some distinct differences. The novel is still structured as a series of closely related short stories, and short stories are not my favorite genre, but these I like. In this case, the adventures pick up right where […]

“I’m tired of people dying because of arguments between their leaders.”

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, Book 2) by Brandon Sanderson

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A few months ago I reviewed the first book in the Mistborn trilogy. I mentioned in that review how good the fights were, and how much I enjoyed Sanderson’s world building. He sketches out a complex continent full of history, classes, and intrigue and puts his RPG party of thieves, smooth talkers, and warriors to work. It’s fun! In The Well of Ascension, Sanderson benefits from all of that book one groundwork while also enriching the world’s lore and political machinations. As a political scientist, I […]

Everything happens for a reason, but that doesn’t mean there’s a point.

C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

This is Really Happening by Erin Chack

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik

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C is for Corpse – 3/5 Stars The third Kinsey Milhone mystery, and probably the first one that I thought was pretty good. The other two were fine, and only fine, but what was hard to discern about those was who is this narrator and what does she do, want, feel etc. This one has more personality to it and I am beginning to better understand more about her. It begins with a workout partner/guy at the gym hiring her to investigate a devastating carwreck […]

Wonderful Merge of YA, Fantasy, & Horror

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

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I don’t even know what to say. This book will break your heart, make you shudder in fright, and have you widening your eyes over how Connolly changes up some of our favorite fairy tales and myths. I thought this book was great from beginning to end and I worried throughout about would happen to David (our young protagonist). The book’s writing and flow were exceptional though in the end I wanted more. It felt like the book ended too soon. “The Book of Lost […]

Strangers in a strange land

The Parade by Dave Eggers

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My goal this year was to read authors and genres I do not usually read. I started out strong but fell back to my comfort zone quickly. Therefore, on a whim, I picked up a damaged copy of Dave Eggers’ The Parade. At first, I did not see any damage. At least, not outwards. Opening it up, I learned the book was printed upside down. Still readable but should have been my first clue to the nature of the book. I can understand why some […]



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