Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“As Charlotte plummeted to the ground, still locked in Alex’s arms, she recollected Miss Plim’s warning that kissing a man was bad for one’s health.”

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

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4.5 stars Everyone knows there’s no such thing as witches, but if there were, they probably wouldn’t use magic in flashy and extravagant ways to fly houses around and try to rob and assassinate one another. If there were witches, they would probably use their magic in tidier ways, ensuring polite society was functioning properly. Possibly liberate those who have excessive financial resources of some of it to the betterment of those with less of it (like say, themselves). If there were witches, Charlotte Pettifer […]

You okay?” “I think so.” A more accurate response would have been clinically alive but dead inside, but that probably wasn’t appropriate with strangers.

Skin and Bones: London Love Book Three by Sophia Soames

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Mark nodded. “And you should take Hugo. Get some sea air in his lungs. Get shat on by some seagulls.” “Bloody seagulls.” “Sandy beaches, open spaces. Who needs shit like that?” “Nobody,” I agreed. “Fucking nobody.” ― Sophia Soames, Skin and Bones The quote above is the only one I highlighted while reading. And it perfectly encapsulates why I adore Sophia Soames’s writing. This is the third Soames book I’ve read in the past six months, and the second one I have read this year. […]

Long drawn-out pining, really not my cup of tea

Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

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Nowhere Bingo Card: A book that’s been on my shelf for more than a year Prince Kiem, a minor royal in the Iskat Empire is called before the Emperor and told in no uncertain terms that he will be getting married to secure a valuable political alliance. The Empire is about to renegotiate its treaty agreements with all the planets in its dominion, and the representatives all have to be married to be accepted (that bit wasn’t entirely clear to me). So Kiem has to […]

I Still Don’t Know

Hild by Nicola Griffith

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Very mixed feelings on this one, to the point where I still don’t feel like writing a review. I appreciate what Nicola Griffith is going for: this beautifully detailed account of 7th century England with mysticism, political intrigue and other neat stuff. But man, she just can’t quite make it. I could never connect with Hild as a character; she kind of felt like more of a hologram of what the writer wanted her to be than someone actually human. And yet, Griffith does write […]

They just hit the opposite of the genetic lottery, didn’t they?

Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation by Hannah Gadbsy

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Per narfna’s recommendation, I ordered a copy of this off of Thriftbooks for $5 and set about reading it. Full disclosure out the gate: I’ve never understood Hannah Gadbsy’s appeal, try as I might. I’m autistic myself, meaning I’ve naturally given them their fair chance, trying first (unsuccessfully) to make it through Nanette, the special this book leads up to, before watching the entirety of Douglas. And I think this book solidifies the opinion I formulated after Douglas, which is that Gadsby is the sort of person I could […]

Charlie Kaufman, maybe stick to adult films

Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett

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This morning, as I had the day to myself due to the wifey having a girl’s day with her friend, I was initially at a loss for what to do. Then, as I took the dog potty, I was alerted to the fact that the movie I’d seen the trailer for on Netflix, Orion and the Dark, had been written by Charlie Kaufman of all people. This seems like as good a way to spend my Saturday afternoon as any, I thought to myself. The movie, […]



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