Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

My first non-Bingo review with a Batty good time read

Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynolds

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Amara and the Bats by Emma Reynolds has gotten several reviews, promotions and been put in a newsletter for independent stores across the country. Now, I am not one to usually love a book that gets so much hype and praise. And I am also not one who usually agrees with my fellow independent bookstore staff members in my bookstore, let alone across the nation. However, when I found a copy of this picture book in reader copy form, I said, “Give it a shot. […]

But she can’t help it. It’s too much reality for an almost-eight-year-old.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman

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cbr13bingo Book Club I wanted to do a pure Bingo. Unfortunately, I could not get myself to read the book I picked, Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau (a choice of a book group that purchases their books via the bookstore I work at). Therefore, I went hunting for an “easy book club recommend” and found lots of books that just sounded hard. (I am not sure what they considered easy, but one list had several over 300 paged books on it.)  But, as we […]

The ever tricky space colonization genre

Do You Dream of Terra Two? by Temi Oh

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In an alternate Earth, where space travel began before the first World War, a manned trip to another solar system is now possible in the year 2012. Temi Oh uses this conceit to explore what it would be like for us, people of the early 21st century, to explore the solar system and eventually colonize a new planet. It’s a great conceit. We’re introduced in the pre-launch section to a world with a space museum, one that has beautiful traditions dating almost a century at […]

a retelling in conflict with itself

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

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Mild spoilers ahead, though if you’ve read The Great Gatsby…not so much. This was a novel I wanted to like much more than I actually did. The basic premise is a compelling one: what if Jordan Baker, a slight but intriguing character at the margins of The Great Gatsby, was actually an adopted Vietnamese orphan, whose wealth gains her entree into privilege circles without ever fully granting her access to the same privilege that characters like Daisy Buchanan enjoy? Vo constructs a strong narrative voice for Jordan: […]

Nick and Charlie Omnibus :)

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

This Winter by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper vol. 1 by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper vol. 2 by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper vol. 3 by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper vol. 4 by Alice Oseman

Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman

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After falling in love with Alice Oseman’s latest novel Loveless back at the start of the year, I decided to dive into her backlist and start reading everything she ever wrote. This didn’t quite go as planned with her debut Solitaire, but after that I found her graphic novels and now I am in love with Nick and Charlie. So here’s a bulk review of 1 novel, 4 graphic novels and 2 novellas. Solitaire *** Alice Oseman’s debut novel tells the story of Tori Spring, […]

Embrace the Absurd!

The Stranger by Albert Camus

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BINGO – People Meursault learns that his mother has just died. This news has no discernible effect on him other than he requests off from work to attend her funeral and burial. He displays no typically displays of grief and returns promptly to his life; hardly anything has changed. He starts dating an old acquaintance; he helps his friend with some relationship problems; he goes on vacation. Then, Meursault murders a man. All of the recent events and Meursault’s character are discussed and argued over […]



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