Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A kind, gentle book with gentle characters who practice empathy

Whistler by Ann Patchett

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I’m not sure this was Patchett’s point, but I left this book thinking a rather unpopular opinion: that perhaps divorce, and being a parent who leaves a marriage where you are unsatisfied (as opposed to actively being hurt, either physically or mentally), harms children? Which is to say–as someone who does not have children, does not want children, but has done a lot of reading on lots of these topics to ensure that clause two is a true statement–we usually assume that a parent in […]

Goddamn magicians and cats! (Cat photos included)

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

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CBR18 BINGO: Refuge, because Agnes runs a private cat shelter, which is the best kind of refuge Whoever designed the cover of Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter deserves a medal. I’m not entirely sure what the crossover is between fantasy lovers and cat lovers, but it must be substantial, and I don’t see how anyone who falls in that space could look at that cover and not pick it up. All those cats, doing cat things, sitting in nooks, stretching, sleeping–it’s irresistible! I’m happy to […]

Oh No, We Won

Everybody Wants to Rule the Word Except Me by Django Wexler

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We did it, Team! Our Davi is now Dark Lord Davi Morrigan Skulltaker, First of Her Name, Ruler of Wilders, Slayer of Beasts! Unfortunately, the win comes with the mandate to “kill all humans,” which is a problem because Davi is not a genocidal maniac. In this second book of the Dark Lord Davi series, Davi and her friends try to keep those wilders who are genocidal from succeeding in their maniacal goals. This means working with the humans she gave up on in the […]

Edgar Allen Poe: The MUU-SIC-CAL! (jazz hands)

Edgar Allan Poe: A Tale of Mystery and Intervention by Norm Konyu

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I laughed. I laughed some more. I laughed until tears almost ran down my leg.  Oh sorry, TMI. Yeah, Edgar Allan Poe: A Tale of Mystery and Intervention by Norm Konyu is an A-M-A-ZING! tale. All of Poe flashes before your eyes (or at least the highlights of his written career) in a funny, rhyming poem that outlines the wails and woes of our beloved author. Things are delightfully somber, lively, with bold images colorfully dancing across the pages to illustrate the Glory Be of […]

Me and Kaeti Vandorn

Friends in the Dark (I Like to Read Comics) by Kaeti Vandorn

Wiggler's Big Joke (I Like to Read Comics) by Kaeti Vandorn

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When you read as much as I do, things can start to look and feel similar; especially with children’s books. Usually I just think, “That reminds me of something” but try not to dwell too much on it, otherwise I’ll be as nutty as people think I am!  And when I tried two online reader copies recently they seemed familiar but honestly didn’t raise any alarms (mostly because the familiar was more the age levels and less the look or story). Only when I was […]

Frankenstein: But with cats. And funny

Frankenstein: A Graphic Novel by Mary Shelley, Lorenzo Coltellacci, Mary Shelley, Lorenzo Coltellacci and Federica De Cotis

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Frankenstein: A Graphic Novel by Mary Shelley, Lorenzo Coltellacci (Adapter), Michele Botton (Adapter), Federica De Cotis (Illustrator)   Due October 2026 read via an online reader copy. When the book started, it’s set in an arctic landscape. My brain said, “Isn’t this how Dracula opens? A ship? Ice?” My brain said, “Yes ship;  ice no.” And then, “But wasn’t there a scene in the film adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Men that looked like this?” My brain said, “Yes, I think we are remembering […]



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