Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

At least the cover is pretty

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

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Damn … this book is going to be one of those The Last Jedi situations for me, I can already tell. In other words, I was disappointed with the novel/didn’t love it for my own story reasons but a lot of the people leaving negative reviews are doing it for ridiculous conservative reasons. It’s like, “I didn’t have an issue with those things, you book-banning transphobes, I just wanted a more engaging main character/overall story.” It starts off strong, following the main character and narrator, […]

The Magic Of Libraries

What you are looking for is in the library by Michiko Aoyama

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My first review of this year is a book I actually read towards the end of last year – Michiko Aoyama’s ‘What you are looking for is in the library’. This was a birthday present from my sister as she knows I love Japanese arts and culture and when I got round to reading it I really appreciated her choice. The book is part of a trend I’ve seen – cosy ‘mystical realism’ books featuring a place such as a cafe or store where visitors […]

T. Kingfisher Author Discussion- Spoilers Allowed

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It would be pretty hard to not have heard of T Kingfisher. With her March release of Wolf Worm, she has been everywhere lately, including a wonderful interview in the NY Times. She is a prolific writer, in recent years releasing three adult titles a year. Kingfisher is an alias for the multitalented Ursula Vernon, who pens middle grade graphic novels. She claims somebody told her when looking for a penname always choice a bird, thus T Kingfisher was born. Let me start by talking […]

Dog Days Are Over, Bitches

For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn

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For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn is a romantasy that began life as a TikTok skit. Proving the old adage that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, it is also a meditation on grief, loss, love, friendship, family, allyship, and what it means to really live. Throw in some spicy scenes, an unusual presentation of what the afterlife could be, and a great deal of sass, and you have brewed my own personal cup of tea.  When we first meet Lily, […]

Kills Well With Others: Deadly Old Broads Part 2

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

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At this point I’m a bit fuzzy on the finer points because I finished this book about a month ago. We pick up with our protagonists about a year or so since we left them. They have gone their separate ways again for the time being, and they’re still struggling to get their retirement from the Museum sorted out. Naomi – the new or interim new head of the Museum approaches them with an off-the-books job tidying up a mess that a mole in the […]

“…your ambitions are a feast, Amina Al-Sirafi…”

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

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I’ve seen Shannon Chakraborty’s The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi on a lot of book lists as an entertaining fantasy novel not to miss, and it has been given good reviews here on CBR, too. I enjoyed it immensely and was excited to see that a sequel, The Tapestry of Fate, is coming out on May 12. Based on The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, I would imagine that several more novels will be forthcoming. If they are as imaginative and well written as this one, I […]



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