Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Shirley Jackson this is not

Mrs March by Virginia Feito

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This has all the hallmarks of a book I should love: an unreliable narrator, an unhappy housewife, comparisons to Shirley Jackson, a movie version in the making with Elisabeth Moss as the main character, and teasers about a final reveal/twist. But while it was an enjoyable read, it didn’t live up to those (arguably sky-high) expectations. Mrs March lives a comfortable life as the wife of George March, a successful author. But after someone points out to Mrs March that the pitiable protagonist of George’s […]

Affectionate Glares All Around

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

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The Queer Principles of Kit Webb is Sebastian’s trade paperback debut and I’m excited for the people who get to discover her work with this outing. There were times during The Queer Principles of Kit Webb that I was reminded of the first Cat Sebastian I ever read (her debut) The Soldier’s Scoundrel. There’s a class difference, one character making their living on the wrong side of the law, and a major injury. Plus, I really, really liked it. Sebastian writes steamy, upbeat historical romances […]

I roam around around around around around….

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

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For the first third of Wanderers, it seems like this is a fairly straight forward mystery: what is making seemingly healthy, random people rise from their beds and sleepwalk in a group across America? They have no uniting characteristics and no history of sleepwalking. They cannot be stopped or else they heat up and literally explode (it’s as gross as you imagine). They do not eat, defecate, speak, or even blink. Syringes cannot pierce their skin. They move in tandem silently, like a school of […]

Kelly Kelly Kelly

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey

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Peter Carey’s Booker Prize-winner, True History of the Kelly Gang, is presented as a collection of the writings of the famed Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. Largely uneducated, Kelly’s grasp of punctuation leaves a lot to be desired, but he tells his story with wit and verve. The style actually enhances the effect, as the reader often will have to re-read a passage to figure out where to insert the commas and periods in order to discern the meaning. Carey’s Kelly tells his tale from the […]

One sweater and 26 alligators

Soomi’s Sweater by Susie Oh

Doris' Dear Delinquents by Emma Ward

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The two books that were silver winners of the 2020 Colors Award was Soomi’s Sweater and Doris’ Dear Delinquents. These two Clavis Publishing titles I enjoyed more than the winner. Even though I understand the win, I decided that I was looking for something lighter, that was more fun and yet, still has a strong story and “pop” to it. Soomi’s Sweater by Susie Oh  I adore the illustrations! They are sweet, simple (not simplistic) and colorful. The blue/green and yellows pop off the page. […]

Two days that changed it all.

The Way I Say I by Nancy Tandon

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The Way I Say It is an old school feeling story with a modern take. The entire time I was reading I was thinking, “This is so 1980s!” I felt that while the issues being discussed in this book by Nancy Tandon, they were terribly tame by today’s standards. It almost felt like I had read this book back when I was between the ages of 8 and 12. Yet, dealing with a speech issue, brain injury and friendship woes is timeless at the same […]



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