Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Breezy, Sleazy, Cheesy

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

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Are women (novelists) okay? This is my second novel in a row, following Emma Cline’s The Guest, in which a female novelist seems to revel in writing a completely irredeemable female protagonist. If a man had written a woman so despicable, so gross, so selfish and stupid and cruel, I feel like cancellation wouldn’t even begin to cover it. People would be calling for jail time. The protagonist of Big Swiss is Greta Work, a 45-year-old woman who has just moved to smalltown Hudson, NY […]

Rescue Mission in the Desert

K-9 Security by Nichole Severn

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When Elena’s younger brother is abducted by the cartel that’s been slowly taking over the town, she must turn to Cash and his canine partner Bear in her crusade to get him back. I’m a sucker for a dog on the cover. And Bear is a working dog, which is a novel idea for someone whose own dog lives for sleeping, eating, and sniffing every blade of grass he comes across on his daily walks. This is an action-packed story, where the main characters take […]

Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: a memoir

Sure, I'll Join Your Cult by Maria Bamford

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mood music: Shake It Out – florence and the machine A strikingly sharp, tragicomedy-style memoir about grappling with lifelong mental illness, Bamford delivers a powerful life story through her unique lens. I am unfamiliar with her standup, but did watch a few episodes of Lady Dynamite, so I was familiar with some parts of her comedic work. But this was something that I went into mostly blind, my expectations fairly neutral although several podcasts I listen to recommended the memoir as a must-read. I have […]

Summertime Blues

The Guest by Emma Cline

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Alex is a 22-year-old woman who seems to make her living, such as it is, as an escort of some kind. When we first meet her, she has stumbled into a more lucrative role as the much-younger girlfriend of a middle-aged businessman named Simon. Alex has been summering at Simon’s place in the Hamptons, which is great because her roommates back in the city have finally gotten sick of her owing rent and forced her out of her apartment. There’s also the little matter of […]

Blinded by the Glitter

A Most Efficient Murder by Anthony Slayton

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When the body of a strange young woman is found in the Earl of Unsworth’s garden during a party, his capable secretary Mr. Quayle is tasked with keeping the family from scandal during the investigation – a task only made harder by the secrets everyone is keeping. This is a cozy sort of mystery in 1920s England, with the vibe you’d get if you blend the adventurous plots of Sherlock Holmes and the humorous domestic drama of PG Wodehouse. I liked how the author built […]

“I exist as either a small canid with thick fur, pointed ears, and neat black feet, or a young woman. Neither are safe forms in a world run by men.”

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

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I added The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo to my Libby queue after reading narfna’s Cannonball Read review, because their description of a slow (but not in a boring way), slightly melancholic but heartfelt historical fiction/fantasy novel sounded like catnip (foxnip??) to me. I’ve been in a review rut since…last September…(despite having read quite a few excellent books in the meantime!), and this short, engaging, lovely little story seemed like the absolutely perfect book to get back on the ol’ wagon with.  The Fox Wife […]



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