Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Exactly What I Wanted It To Be

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

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I’m not going to kid you, I have no objectivity when it comes to Sarah Addison Allen. Her Southern-set books depicting strong women with a little bit of magic prevailing over all that ails them are exactly my cup of peppermint tea. Other Birds is her first book in years, and to say I’ve been eagerly awaiting it is to grossly understate the case. Following Zoey as she moves to Mallow Island, South Carolina, the story is magical, romantic, whimsical and absolutely charming.  You know, […]

I’ll Give This A “Well-Played”

Man Hands by Sarina Bowen & Tanya Eby

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This was a freebie, but I would have happily paid for it.  Kicked off at a frenetic pace, and never let up. Brynn is newly divorced and has lost her teaching job – her douchebag ex’s dad is the Dean and she’s now suspiciously redundant.  Her besties take her to a party, and to take her mind off a sudden appearance by The Ex, dare her to run into the crowd and kiss the first guy who makes eye contact. This happens to be Tom, […]

How Did I Sit On This For So Long?

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

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Holy wow, The Interwebs were 100% right about this being good.  It is so beautifully written, and everyone should read it. [Actually, this book is one of the reasons I cut a friend out of my life.  She refused to read it because it was queer fiction.  I’m too old to keep friends like that.] So.  Wow.  Sorya is a princess, locked in a tower.  Well, like half the penthouse floor of a castle, so it’s not a Rapunzel situation.  She’s got an awesome garden […]

Emily St John Mandel is So Good.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

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I am so glad I read this.  I’m always so glad I read ESTM’s books. Told in a series of vignettes, connected only by the recurring appearance of Gaspery, Sea of Tranquility spans hundred of years and doesn’t really have much of a plot beyond “What is life?  And does it matter?”  There’s not a lot there, beyond a faith that meeting and spending time with these characters will have a narrative and emotional payoff.  And yet, it does.  And yet, utterly compelling from end […]

I Will Read All Of These Retellings

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

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Well, one (totally irrelevant) thing I learned from reading this is that, despite having been in the play Elektra, I only remember ONE LINE, and it wasn’t even mine. This is one of loads of female-perspective retellings that have come out recently – think Circe and Ariadne – and I will read all of them. Peopled by men of myth and popular legend, Clytemnestra tells the tales from the perspective of the woman (the evil, cruel Queen herself) involved.  And she is MAGESTIC. From her […]

Aggressively Meh

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

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This book took me a bunch of tries to get through.  It started out on the train during the Australian Open (Jan) and didn’t end up being finished until 24th May.  I attempted this everywhere I expected to be bored – in a Dr’s waiting room, on a plane – and struggled everywhere.  But in the end, finished it was.  And it was aggressively meh. I’m spoiling this, to save you the trouble of reading it, ok? Maya is a drunk, having replaced her Klonopin […]



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