Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Do you have sadness in your heart for the world that can never be & sensible shoes? You’ve got weltschmerz.” *

Roxy by Neal Shusterman, Jarrod Shusterman

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I don’t think I’ve ever positively reviewed a book I haven’t finished, but this here’s going to be the first. Because I’m the kind of person who can’t rewatch the Scott’s Tots episode of The Office, and who cringes just thinking about that one scene in On His Way to the Wedding (by Julia Quinn: Spoiler for a Bridgerton book ahead) when Gregory professes his love in front of all of London, and … it does not go well.  I just sometimes get to a point […]

“Reagan already felt hard enough. She didn’t need any accessories. She didn’t need to telegraph it out to the world.”

If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell

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A few weeks ago, I saw an announcement on Rainbow Rowell’s Instagram that she was releasing a holiday short story this year and I rejoiced. I like Rowell’s short form work as much as I like her novel length ones. I’ve read Kindred Spirits, her 2016 take on fandom and waiting in line for Star Wars. Rowell also has holiday themed ones: Almost Midnight, 2017’s collection that includes both Kindred Spirits and Midnights. Midnights tracks a pair across several years’ worth of New Year’s Eves […]

East Versus West

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré

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Alec Leamas is Britain’s chief intelligence officer in Berlin, but when his best German spy is blown and killed while trying to defect, Leamas quickly starts a remarkable downfall.  Reassigned to a desk job at the Circus (le Carré’s fictional branch of British intelligence) Leamas starts drinking heavily and racking up debts. When he is caught stealing funds from the office coffers, he is fired without much of a pension. With his reputation sullied he is reduced to working in a small library and living […]

OMGs!

Oh My Gods! Volume 1 by Stephanie Cooke and Insha Fitzpatrick

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Did you think Percy Jackson was a bit stiff? No sense of humor? Too focused on Greek Gods and Goddesses as old fuddy duddies? Then you need Oh My Gods! Volume 1. Stephanie Cooke and Insha Fitzpatrick created a graphic novel that has a little fun while, actually giving you a little about the Greek Gods and Goddesses of mythology. Only, this time they are real, and most are going to school on Mt. Olympus. When Karen’s mother has an opportunity to have her dream […]

Badda$$ princess part She-Ra, part Barbie Princess and part Hermione Granger.

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale

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Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld had several of my favorite things for a cover: the color of purple (amethyst), fun looking characters and it looked like it would be a light read. But most importantly, it was by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. And you really cannot go wrong with them. However, this growing up story has several missing chunks of the learning to be a better person part of the story. We see the Princess Amaya of the Amethyst kingdom going from extremely powerful with […]



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