Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The Prison Healer Books One – Three

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni

The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni

Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni

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I am really, REALLY looking forward to The Best Niece in Australia being old enough to read these.  Actually, looking at my notes, by the time I’d gotten to book three I’d talked myself in to handing them over, even though they’re too old for her. What a great series, jam packed with cool mythology and fun characters (and, you know, heartbreak and scary bits and romance and betrayal). *Note* – this review will cover all three books, please look away now if you’re planning […]

How many husbands might be too many?

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017) by Taylor Jenkins Reid is our most recent choice for book club. I have to admit, I wasn’t super excited by the title, cover, or blurb. I’m only a little bit interested in goings-on of Hollywood, and the novel looked a little soap opera-y to me. Fortunately, it was better than I expected! I found Evelyn to be an interesting character who had no qualms in going after whatever she wanted. The story kept me reading, and her husbands […]

I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would

Cold Storage by David Koepp

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“From the screenwriter of Jurassic Park!” screams the cover.  Which Jurassic Park?  Original Flavour or New Generation?  No idea.  This is another Mum recommendation, but much more successful than the previous effort.  We actually picked her up a Bargain Box of Books for Christmas 2021, $100 for 30ish crime fiction novels that she’s spend the year reading. I enjoyed it much, much more than expected.  There were a few moments that actually had me laughing out loud. So, and bear with me here because it’s […]

A triumph of love, loss and redemption

Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin

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This book is remarkable. What a pleasure to read such a book at the end of the year, as we prepare to say goodbye to the old year and start again. A novel that is about death is really about new beginnings. This book is about starting again, and grieving, and forgiveness, and … I’m getting ahead of myself. Violette Trenet, married name Toussaint, is a caretaker in a cemetery in Bourgogne, France. The novel, translated with such eloquence by Hildgard Serle, uses the most […]

Fact: Dolly Parton is an International Treasure

Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton & James Patterson

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Nobody is disputing that Dolly is a most awesome person, in every possible way.   My mother has a weakness for country music; I am positive I was born knowing the words to Jolene. And this book is for-sure compelling – the suspense-lit version of a catchy song. But… there were issues.  The character development for Ethan felt tacked on for depth late in the process.  It felt awkward; never flowed in the same way as the rest of the book. And the trafficking was a […]

This book rubbed me the wrong way

Anthem by Noah Hawley

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I’m going to try and explain why I was so irritated with this, but I freely admit that it might just have been me.  I’ve had some issues and frustrations this year with mansplainers… which may have contributed to just how much Hawley’s holier-than-thou, pompous tone resonated and irked me. I was looking forward to this one, because I loved Before the Fall and Hawley’s TV work.  But I was so frustrated and disappointed.  There’s a glimmer of a great story here – but it […]



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