Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I wish I would have known Chloe was based on Paris Geller and Kat Stratford before I read this.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston

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As nearly always happens with me upon reading a book that generates such strong opinions in both directions, I am puzzled by the negative reactions here. I’ve seen so many people saying they hate Chloe as a main character, and I’m like, why? She’s just a teenaged girl. Granted, one that is inspired by, among others, Paris Geller and Kat Stratford, so she’s a bit more intense and difficult than your average teenager, but she’s still just a kid, and kids make dumb choices. I […]

“And to that end, welcome comfort, for without it, you cannot stay strong.” Bingo #4

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

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CBR14Bingo: “Dough” – There is no money in Panga.  Instead there is an exchange system of ‘pebs’ (digital pebbles) to “acknowledge someone’s labor and thank them for what they bring to the community”. They were running up against a wall, and it didn’t matter whether they understood where the wall had come from, or what it was made of.  The only way to get through it was to stop trying, for a while.  …  They would focus on Mosscap and let the remainder wait. … […]

A cozy escape room of a book

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

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BINGO – Cozy Avery Kylie Grambs has been named as essentially the sole inheritor of a massive fortune (think billions and billions). That would complicate life for any high school student, but, in Avery’s case, she’s never even met her surprise benefactor, the late Tobias Hawthorne. Mr. Hawthorne’s two daughters are left reeling at the reading of the will, but his four grandsons suspect that a game is afoot. Their grandfather loved puzzles, and they suspect that this is one too. Avery is just caught […]

Not velvet, more like scratchy polyester

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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  Having really enjoyed Moreno-Garcia’s novel, Mexican Gothic, I ordered Velvet Was the Night excitedly, hopeful for another arresting story that was gripping from the start. Unfortunately, that was not what I got from this book. It took me much longer to get into it, and I may have set myself up for disappointment since I was holding it up to Mexican Gothic. It took me several days to finish this book, which isn’t the case with a book I am actively enjoying, I can […]

another entry in the Reidverse that’s A+

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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I think I’d had a string of so-so books and was very much waiting for this one to come out. If there’s one thing you can be certain of, it’s that Reid puts out solid books that you’ll enjoy—and true to form, that’s what she does here as well. A sidebar that it’s not only comic books that come with built in universes. There’s also a Reidverse! Carrie is the tennis star that had an affair with the husband of Nina Riva (of Malibu Rising). Carrie […]

sometimes I feel guilty and read non-fantasy/scifi fiction and that’s not the right mindset

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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CW: gun violence/shooter Honestly? I might have rounded this up because I felt a bit guilty for constantly reading fantasy/sci-fi books. The conditioning is strong, my friends, that tells you what is and isn’t considered “literature.” I’m sure the same sort of view is there for people who do/don’t find gaming a “real skill” or “worthwhile hobby.” I see a number of reviews which tie interest in this novel to your interest in gaming as an industry or a pastime. I’m not sure I necessarily […]



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