Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Nibble of Hope can make you hungry for more

The Root of Magic by Kathleen Benner Dubb

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The Root of Magic is one of those books that the adult me has issues with (the mom “forgets” about her oldest child due to the illness of the younger one; her relationship with her ex-husband is stereotypical and the daughter takes on a “mother role” due to the fact it is all about her brother). The kid in me however thinks this is an awesome book. I started out with the negatives because, while I totally understand where Kathleen Benner Dubb is coming from […]

Fantastic Fantasy Fights

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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In my previous reviews, I’ve mentioned trying to branch out into new genres this year. Besides expanding your mind, one great bonus about exploring new sections of the bookstore is that all of the genre’s classics are new to you. That’s how I felt about about reading The Final Empire, the first book in Sanderson’s much-lauded Mistborn trilogy. The book is nearly fifteen years old, but hot off the presses for me. After finishing the first book, I’m looking forward to spending more time in this […]

The telepathic dog is still the best part.

Hexed (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #2) by Kevin Hearne

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I bought the first six books of this series several years ago in paperback, but I wish I hadn’t. I think if I read this by audio instead of hard copy, I would have enjoyed it more. (I really enjoyed my audio re-read of the first book a couple of months ago. Luke Daniels is one of my favorite narrators.) But I feel like it would be wasting all that money I spent, so I’m committed to do hard copies at least through book six. […]

Once there was a mermaid

The Magic Threeof Solatia by Jane Yolen

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Jane Yolen has been called America’s Hans Christian Anderson. It is an apt comparison. Most of her work is either for children or young adults, yet the work has that quality that can also attract adults. There is much going on there. Magic Three of Solatia functions in part as a reply to Andersen’s Little Mermaid. Not the Disney version with its happy ending but the dark original tale. In that one, the prince is, perhaps, not truly deserving of the mermaid’s love. Yolen looks […]

Honey don’t

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer

The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

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Seveneves was a lot in many ways, and I came out of it just wanting something easy and entertaining; the Artemis Fowl trailer dropped over the holidays, so it was a natural pick. I remembered enjoying the story when I read the first book a very long time ago, and I figured I’d give it another go round to see how it had held up. Sometimes after a lot of broccoli, you just want a handful of popcorn. The series by Eoin Colfer follows the […]

Days of Future Past

A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers by Victor LaValle

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  FYI, the cover of this in person is so cool. You eventually can see the word “history” hidden behind “future”. Wow. What a great collection. I didn’t give any story less than four stars. Some stories resonated with me very much because some of them read as things that could totally happen in a year or less with the ways things are going on in the United States right now. Other stories had a very strong fantasy element (which I liked) but didn’t seem […]



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