Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

That’s Anne with an E

Anne's School Days: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables by Kallie George

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Anne’s School Days: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables by Kallie George and Abigail Halpin is a sweet snapshot in the life of Anne Shirley of Green Gables. We follow Anne (Anne with an E) and her friends as the new boy comes to school. The teasing, the teachers bias against Anne, and the fiery temper of our gal is all there, even the rescue of our gal when she gets in over her head. If you know the longer novel format of Anne of […]

Semi Genre-bending Horror

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno

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  This was a wild ride. At many points while reading I was sort of reminded of House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski – although this was not nearly as physical a book as that one. It was genuinely creepy throughout. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to this one in the late fall, as it has excellent horror-vibes. It’s also a really fascinating depiction of grief, nailing the surrealism of mourning a loved one. The story begins with Vera’s funeral, so it’s not a […]

Babies, You Have to Be Kind

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut

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I feel dumber with each review I write. I loved Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. It has one of my favorite literary passages of all time: “Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies—God damn it you’ve got to be kind.” But my brain won’t analyze it. It just loves […]

Sometimes you can’t bank a fire when it starts with such a strong spark

A Duke by Default: Reluctant Royals by Alyssa Cole

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A Duke by Default is the second volume in Alyssa Cole’s “Reluctant Royals” series.  I read this series out of order by accidentally starting with the third book, A Prince on Paper, then reading the beginning, A Princess in Theory, and now have read the middle book!  Each book in the series follows a different couple and this is Portia Hobbs and Tavish (Tav) McKenzie’s time to shine. Portia is a New York socialite that has a history of drinking to find courage or drown […]

Elvis in Edinburgh

The Black Book by Ian Rankin

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Inspector John Rebus is having a tough time. His girlfriend, with whom he has recently moved in, has thrown him out, leaving him stranded in his own flat which is now full of students as well as his brother, who has recently been released from prison. To make matters worse, his underling is found in an alley behind an Elvis-themed eatery with a headwound and no idea how he got there. Rebus investigates but is soon thwarted both by his superiors and by a devious […]

Home is where you are

The Mouse Who Carried a House on His Back by Jonathan Stutzman

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The message to The Mouse Who Carried a House on His Back by Jonathan Stutzman might be slightly above many picture book readers/listeners (or to booksellers who were dead-stinking-tired because they had not slept in a few days). In other words, know your reader. The concept is simple: Vincent travels wherever they must go. They are a mouse with boots on their feet, had on head and the house on his back. The spot on a grassy hill calls him. He puts the house down, […]



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