Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Some things, Vera knew, were made to die.”

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

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If you enjoy seasonal reading, I’d put this on the list for October – it has nice spooky bones and a strong creepy vibe (as you can pretty plainly tell from the cover art). Whenever you’re ready, the Crowder House will be waiting for you. Vera Crowder’s dad built the home that she grew up in – the home that she would leave at 16, and the home where she would return to witness the death of her mother.  The Crowder’s are a complicated family, […]

Lady Codebreakers

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

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CBR Passport- New Author I decided to get back into reading more historical fiction this year. My kid loves history, and he’s been reading a lot of World War II books lately so I picked this up at my local library. They have a deal where you can check out more recent e-books without a hold if you keep them from a shorter amount of time. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn tells the story of three women at Bletchley Park. Oslo is a debutante, […]

A violin to screech and music to our ears

When Rubin Plays by Gracey Zhang

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CBR15Passport  Books recommended by friends When Rubin Plays by Gracey Zhang is due in March 2023. I read it via a reader copy via Edelweiss but learned of it when the staff review email list came out (we get a list of what has been reviewed by staff for our web site). And my coworker in our sister store, Isabel had reviewed When Rubin Plays. I knew this would work for my “recommended by a friend” box (though it was indirectly recommended, and I have technically not meet […]

Diana Gabaldon (3-6)

Virgins by Diana Gabaldon

A Fugitive Green by Diana Gabaldon

Lord John and the Hell Fire Club by Diana Gabaldon

Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon

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Virgins “Ian Murray knew the moment he saw his best friend’s face something terrible had happened.” This is a reread for me, but when I read it last time, the plot of the first novel and, worse, the characters were not fresh on my mind. In addition, I think this novella, like a lot of the novellas are probably meant to fill in backstory more than to be read first, as happens with a lot of similar books and stories I’ve come across, especially in […]

Family dysfunction at its worst

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

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This was a quick, fulfilling read and based on it, it makes me want to read Catriona Ward’s other novels. The House on Needless Street is her most recent, published in 2021. It’s one of those books that you’re better off going into blind, which kinda makes for a tough review, but I’ll do my best. Suffice to say, there’s a murder and the story revolves around it. It’s a story told from multiple viewpoints, including a cat’s. And I have to tell you, when […]

The good ass-kicking shepherd

The Wee Free Men: A Tiffany Aching Adventure by Terry Pratchett

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In a discussion somewhere back in CBR14, someone mentioned Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series, which sounded fun, and I wish I could remember who brought it up (Narfna? EDIT: Yes! it was Narfna, just found it!) because I’d like to say thanks. This was a delightful read, as Pratchett stories tend to be. I love this one because the protagonist is a nine-year-old girl, a witch in the making, who is smart, practical and no-nonsense but still a child with much to learn. As usual, […]



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