Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village

Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village by Maureen Johnson

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I laughed so hard reading this. The illustrations and mini quizzes are top notch. And honestly, you would think after watching Vera, Midsomer Murders, etc. I would be less likely to traipse into a quaint English village, but nope, still want to. I love how this book broke things up into things such as village (church, graveyard, pub, etc.) the villagers (the vicar) and locations like the antique shop which is never open. Also the vicar is apparently the most murderous of the villagers, so […]

“I love you, I think, and you are my home”

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

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CBR14 Bingo: Mind (Bee, as well as Ms. Hazelwood herself, is a neuroscientist and there’s a whole lot of brain science happening in the book) Bee Köningswasser, a young pink-haired neuroscientist, is offered pretty much her dream job on a NASA project and accepts joyfully. Her excitement is cut short when she realises that while she’s the lead on the neuroscience part, her nemesis from grad school, Levi Ward, is the engineering lead on the same project. Nevertheless, Bee can feel herself wasting away in […]

Heartfelt and Important Middle Grade

Frizzy by Claribel A Ortega, Rose Bousamra

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Oh my gosh, my heart! I’ve been looking forward to this graphic novel since Claribel A Ortega first announced they were writing this story, and I’m so glad I was able to receive an early copy. Marlene hates going to the salon and straightening her hair every Sunday, but has been taught it’s necessary for her to be presentable and accepted, both by her peers and her family. Seeing her Tía Ruby with her natural curls at her cousin’s quiñce and seeing her favorite character […]

They do not see it.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

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CBR14 Bingo: New square (BINGO! Minds to New) (New book: published 2022. New author: debut novel) When my son was young, we visited friends in Seattle and went to the aquarium when we were there. It was the first and only time that I have seen a Giant Pacific Octopus. Swimming around in its own little glass tank, I remember thinking how strange it was that such a small space could encompass such a strange creature. The movement of its tentacles was like an alien dance. Shortly […]

There is nothing Shakespeare didn’t anticipate.

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

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CBR14 BINGO: Gaslight Square (BINGO! Bodies to Gaslight BINGO! Snake to Gaslight) (For the literal: Takes place in the mid-19th century when gaslight was used. Figuratively: everyone gaslights each other in this one. Full of manipulative spouses, parents, siblings, neighbors, friends, and politicians.) Decades ago I was well into an American Civil War historical fiction rabbit hole. I read a lot of it. In that pile of reading, there was quite a bit about John Wilkes Booth whether he was the main character or part of a subplot. All […]

But if you find the strength in your friends, and you nurture it, then you will always be surrounded by giants.

In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan

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CBR14 BINGO: Shadow Square (Had another book in mind for this square and then this called to me from the library’s new bookshelf. Shadow in the title. Shadowy figures. Shadow government. Lots of living in your own shadow or someone else’s.) I like fantasy novels. I have certainly read my share of fairy shenanigans. But, I think that I tend to limit my fantasy selections based, not just to fairy-heavy plots, but to the book cover. For me, there is a certain type of cover that […]



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