Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Classic of Classics: The Hobbit

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

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Mr. Lux and I both have clear, fond memories of our introduction to this book: discovering an old copy sitting on a picnic table in a Texas playground, and starting to read with no idea what was about to happen (him) and of nightly out-loud reading after everyone was showered and in bed (me.) We have had this lovely illustrated version for several years, waiting for our eldest, now 9 years old, to pick it up and discover it. We got impatient, so I told […]

Politically topical and relevant but did it stray from what the first novel set up?

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

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I feel like I am the odd one out because I didn’t like this one as much as the previous one. Not sure if I had certain expectations for this novel and the fact that Bennett took a different approach colored my reaction or if it was something else entirely. It’s also why it’s taken me 2 months to even want to try to tackle this review. I wonder how much this is the novel he had originally intended to write when he started his […]

What is the meaning of death?

Martyr! A Novel by Kaveh Akbar

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The main character of Martyr! is Cyrus Shams, a thirty year old Iranian American living in a small university town in Indiana. Cyrus is an alcoholic, a drug abuser, and a poet, and he is obsessed with martyrdom. More precisely, he wants to know how to have a good death, a death that means something. This quest is rooted in his past and his family tragedies, but his search for enlightenment will propel him foreword into startling territory.  Cyrus Shams was born in Iran in […]

A Cozy Book for Cat Lovers

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida

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This book is so clearly an ode to cats. From the way the author describes how the cats look, move, and sound, it’s evident that she is someone who has spent plenty of time not just observing cats but appreciating them: “As she pressed her round foot against the floor, a crease formed above her ankle, resembling the chubby wrist of a baby.” “. . . she nuzzled Shuta’s leg with surprising strength.” “Bee sat quietly as Shuta stroked her around the cheeks. The moment […]

Vampires and Demons and Fae, Oh My!

Sparrowhawk by Delilah S. Dawson, Rebecca Nalty (Primary Contributor), Matias Basla (Illustrator)

A Vampire in the Bathhouse by Niko Izuki

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Sparrowhawk by Delilah S. Dawson, Rebecca Nalty (Primary Contributor), Matias Basla (Illustrator) – 3 stars The illegitimate daughter of a naval captain, Artemisia has always been out of place in her family and English high society alike. But when she’s yanked through a mirror into a dark realm, she will have to fight for a way back home if she means to save everyone. With the explosion of fae in popular literature in the last decade or so, I feel like they’ve generally lost their […]

Gettin’ some lovin’

Young Men in Love: New Romance by Various

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Young Men in Love: New Romance by Anthony Oliveira, Joe Glass, Matt Miner (these two are highlighted as they are the ones in the email that included an online reader link), Luciano Vecchio, Bradley Clayton, Ilias Kyriazis, David Brame, Josh Cornillon and various others, came to me via an email from A Wave Blue World and Diamond Book Distributors. The email itself (which I assume was sent via a mailing list) was from Jesse who has sent other emails for the books they rep. And […]



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