Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

An Intense, Important Middle Grade

Lion of the Sky by Ritu Hemnani

by Leave a Comment

I was immediately intrigued by the cover of Lion of the Sky with the two boys flying kites, and when I read the synopsis I knew I wanted to read it. For some reason I’ve been coming across more books, and middle grade ones at that, talking about the Indian Partition and the experiences of those who survived. This was my first story which focused on a Hindu family migrating from Pakistan, and the similarities and differences of the experiences are striking, and utterly heartbreaking. […]

Resounding Meh.

Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier

by Leave a Comment

After the death of her mother, twenty three year old Mary Yellan has little choice but to sell off her family’s farm and move in with her sole living relative, Aunt Patience. Mary hasn’t seen her aunt in years and thus has no idea what to expect when she travels to the remote Jamaica Inn, buried deep in the Cornwall Countryside. The coach driver who takes her there tells her the Inn has a bad reputation, but won’t say much more, though Mary soon understands […]

My First Manga… Ever

My Special One, Volume 1 by Momoko Koda

by Leave a Comment

The Read Harder Challenge is living up to its name this year for me… pushing me out of my comfort zones and into areas I have not read in a long time or in the case of My Special One at all. My sister read manga when we were growing up and I just never saw the allure (it probably had a lot to do with my lack of reading comics, something she also did). The task was specifically to read a manga or manhwa […]

Changing the Narrative

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

by 1 Comment

To start with, I want to acknowledge that this novel is attempting something noble. Taking the Ted Bundy case for inspiration, author Jessica Knoll seeks to de-sensationalize the serial killer narrative we are all so familiar with. For one thing, her main protagonist, Pamela Schumacher, refuses to use Bundy’s name, instead referring to him solely as “The Defendant.” Through Pamela, Knoll also tries to counteract the narrative that was constructed around him, that he was a handsome, charming, intelligent man who preyed on gullible women. […]

Matchmaking for the Romance Averse

Calm the Storm by Penny Fairbanks

by Leave a Comment

Felicity doesn’t want to get married after a lifetime of being neglected by her parents, but when a mysterious matchmaker throws her together with the visiting Atticus, they end up changing each other’s lives. This is the second book in the Society of Swans series, which revolves around a group of friends who receive letters from an anonymous matchmaker called Lady Swan. I haven’t read the first book, but this works well as a standalone. I wanted to read this book because I was intrigued […]

Portrait of the Artists

Just Kids by Patti Smith

by Leave a Comment

Let’s start with an embarrassing confession: Yes, I only read this book because Taylor Swift mentioned Patti Smith in the title track of her new album, The Tortured Poets Department. Essentially, the Swiftian shoutout made me realize that Patti Smith has been a cultural blindspot for me. I never had the phase where I got really into ’70s punk and bought a CBGB’s t-shirt. I wasn’t cool enough. Just Kids is not primarily focused on Smith’s rock-and-roll career, though. It is mainly about her early […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo