Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“The greatest happiness…is to sneeze when you want to.”

The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery

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Rebellion flared up in her soul as the dark hours passed by — not because she had no future but because she had no past. Valancy has spent all her life following the expectations of her judgmental family: suppressing all negative opinions and emotions, avoiding any “improper” activities or pursuits, and putting up with endless teasing about her “old maid” status. Her only reprieve is the “Blue Castle” she visits in her daydreams. When she gets the news that she has a terminal heart condition […]

Two engaging but not perfect romances

Four weekends and a funeral by Ellie Palmer

In a Jam by Kate Canterbary

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I read these two romances back in March, and for both, I enjoyed them while also not loving them. It mostly felt like nitpicky character reason that did make sense in context but also maybe just went a bit further than needed? 4 weekends and a funeral Alison and Sam dated briefly but ended things on good terms shortly before he died in an accident. At the funeral, Alison discovers that Sam’s parents think she is still the girlfriend and goes along with it at […]

“Burn it down, baby. Be my hero.”

All Superheroes Need PR by Elizabeth Stephens

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“Hinges? I don’t know her” – Elizabeth Stephens, probably. All Superheroes Need PR is so delightfully unhinged. Don’t mistake unhinged for thoughtless, because Elizabeth Stephens knows her craft. The characters and plot may lack hinges, but they are well structured. Vanessa owns and runs a PR company, but she resists being the face of the company because she has anxiety and PTSD. She wins a contract for her company to provide PR for the newest superhero, Roland, an alien who landed on Earth as a […]

Careening over the cliff, crashing into the ocean, and exploding on impact.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

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They didn’t simply want us to be lovers. They wanted us to be so in love, we’d burn the whole world down to be together. ― Layne fargo, The Favorites I have a backlog of reviews to write, but it took a truly bonkers story to yank me out of my holding pattern, tear open my window, and scream into the void. The Favorites is that story. This book has everything. Buckets of blood? Check. Violently gory injuries with ice skates? Check. Skating partners who […]

Lots of climatic battles

The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne

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I finished this one back in February, shortly after reading the second novel in the series, so my memory is a bit lighter on details. This final novel follows the same five POVs as the previous novel (two were added in the second novel) and thus shows all sides of the pending battle. Elvar is in the middle of some of more interesting and far reaching plot points from a political perspective even if Orka remains the best character. Gudvarr remains that villain you love […]

Book people are the best people!

The Door-To-Door Bookstore: A Novel by Carsten Henn

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This charming novel was a local bookstore’s pick for its monthly book club. The bookstore, which I have mentioned in previous reviews, is the Cincinnati Book Bus, which is a non-profit bookstore. They raise money to get books into schools and young readers’ hands, and during the summer months, they have a book bus that takes its wares on the road. The Door-To-Door Bookstore is a perfect choice for their book club, as it is a German novel (translation by Melody Shaw) about an old […]



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