Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Bland Stories, Hack Work, Bad Opinions — 60s Sci-Fi Strikes Again

Shards of Space by Robert Sheckley

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I know there is good 60s SF out there, but the good thing about working through my backlog of old SF I’ve been lugging around is the relief that I can throw this out and never read it again. Shards of Space is a short story collection by Robert Sheckley with some bad stories, some hack work, two decent stories, and a bunch of terrible opinions about eugenics and women. I should probably only give it one star, but there are two okay stories in […]

“Why should those of whom one is fondest have to suffer the most, and why is it that one can never do anything for them?”

Independent People by Halldór Laxness

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Bjartur of Summerhouses is obsessed with being independent. A sheep farmer in early 20th century Iceland, he lives a life of hardship and deprivation, dogged by the spectres of legends, encumbered by his family, which he forces into his lifestyle as well, only uplifted by the poetry he creates, and the feeling of not owing anything to anyone. Independence is the most important thing of all in life. I say for my part that a man lives in vain, until he is independent. People who […]

I’ve got taste in buds

Pebble and Wren by Chris Hallbeck

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Pebble and Wren by Chris Hallbeck is an adorable story of friendship, finding yourself and your talents. And pancakes. Along the way we are educated on some fun science facts (at least one of I am with the dad: I am the adult and HOW did I not know that????) Granted, as an adult reader these science breaks did cut the flow of things, but most kids will not have a problem with this. Because of this, this graphic novel could work well in a classroom […]

Writing by Numbers

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

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Thirty-six year old Mariana works as a group therapist in London as she mourns the loss of her beloved husband Sebastian, who drowned off the coast of the Greek island of Naxos a year earlier. When her niece Zoë calls her and tells her that her best friend has been found dead, Mariana seizes the chance and travels to Cambridge to offer comfort. But she soon finds herself in the middle of the investigation, and as other girls turn up dead she looks toward a […]

I Hate Sara Linton, Part Infinity

Genesis by Karin Slaughter

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On a dark, quiet night in the Georgian countryside, just outside of Atlanta, an older couple drives in silence, both lost in thought, when suddenly a nude woman runs into their car. Her injuries are horrific and can’t be explained by the car crash alone. But what is she doing alone in the forest at night? And why isn’t she wearing any clothes?  Genesis is the third book in Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series. It’s also where she re-introduces characters from her Grant County series […]

And I had such high hopes

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater

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When I first heard of Swamp Thing: Twin Branches I figured it was going to be how the human who is to be Swamp thing became ST like the TV show of the 1980’s. (Good camp, bad everything else.) And like many of the DC graphic novels, Maggie Stiefvater was going to have a teen boy come of age and then, turn into part of nature. I thought it was going to be bittersweet but still nice. Afterall, I always thought that this creature was […]



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