Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“You have to be realistic about these things…”

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

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I originally purchased the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie(consisting of The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and The Last Argument of Kings) sometime around 2009. I’ve somehow went 15 years without reading them, so figured it was finally time to do so… The books are mostly set in a country called the “Union”, and explore the inner politics of the nation, along with a series of conflicts with both the “North” (essentially a loosely organized collection of barbarians), and the “Gurkish” (an expansionist […]

“Maybe I was right. We’re not normal people. We are monsters. But if we’re monsters, we’ll thrive in the dark. Together.”

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

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The first book in the Ruinous Love Trilogy came to my attention thanks to my fellow Cannonballers. I feel like I went from knowing absolutely nothing about this book or its author to being flooded with information about it and somehow still managing to go into the reading experience with extraordinarily little spoiled for me (something I hope to accomplish with my own review). Malin’s review from March was the linchpin as I don’t traditionally go in for dark romance but if Malin gave it her […]

Lady pirate called out of retirement for, “One last job”.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

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I was introduced to Shannon Chakraborty writing under the name S.A. Chakraborty through her book The City of Brass, first book in the Daevabad trilogy.  There was a lot I liked about it; excellent Middle Eastern inspired fantasy world building, an engaging story, and a great female main protagonist.  Yet, I disliked how pretty much the only female character was the main one. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi also has excellent Middle Eastern inspired fantasy world building.  This time it’s set on the Indian Ocean during the […]

Fun & Delightful Black Sapphic Romance

A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins

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I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book forever, so as soon as I got approved for an arc I had to immediately jump in. And I am so glad I did! I’ve loved Chencia’s books since I read Wolves of West Texas, and seeing her story-telling grow and develop is just amazing. A Little Kissing Between Friends is such a delight of a book and had me laughing constantly. The friendship between Jucee and Cyn is so wonderful, and I also love how […]

Books within books

The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence

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I suspect that a lot of Cannonballers would, like me, immediately pick this book up based on a quick read of the back cover. Evar has lived his whole life trapped in an incomprehensibly enormous library. While Livira, a nobody from a dust town, finds herself inextricably linked to his – and the library’s – fate. Enormous library? Sign me up! I’m not sure if I had a clear idea of my expectations from this book – perhaps a big adventure, or star crossed lovers, […]

Jackson Brodie strikes again

Big Sky by Kate Atkinson

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I saved this book up for a recent hospital stay, knowing that if it was anything like the previous Jackson Brodie novels, it would keep the boredom entirely at bay. This is the fifth in Kate Atkinson’s series, which follows Jackson – an ex police and ex army officer, and now private detective – as he finds himself again embroiled in a series of unfortunate events, and navigates relationships with his exes, children and random strangers. As I re-read this, I realise that it sounds […]



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