Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Sticky Icky

The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran

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Read this as part of CBR15Bingo: sex-banned. This book is about the pursuit of a centuries old erotic text that is said to give its participants magic powers if they follow the rules. It’s also “banned” in some places…the titular book, not this actual book. Although, given its content, I wouldn’t be surprised if it made the list sooner than later.  This is one of those books where I wonder if the author being a favorite makes me too biased to judge it accurately. There […]

“You try again. You fail better.”

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (2022) by Gabrielle Zevin is not a book I would have picked out on my own. I’m not particularly interested in video games, and the cover doesn’t really call to me. Even the description doesn’t suck me in. What drove me to pick up the book, however, were the many people who had Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow on their Cannonball best books list last year. I simply could not ignore such overwhelming praise. I like to say that if a teacher is […]

To help create a more empathetic society, this should be mandatory reading for middle grade readers (and everyone else, honestly)

Melissa by Alex Gino

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CBR15 Bingo: Bodies, Bodies – When Melissa was born everyone assumed she was a boy because of her body. Melissa is a girl but no one else knows she is, as it was assumed at birth she was a boy.  As a result, she was given the name of George.  Melissa is her secret name, admitted only to herself.  We are introduced to Melissa while her 4th grade classroom is reading Charlotte’s Web.  Melissa is moved to tears when Charlotte dies and the boys in […]

Love, Destiny, and People You Can’t Fucking Trust

Stormwind of Shadows by Jasmine Jenkins, Sophia Suliman

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Listen, these books are damn good. I don’t know what to tell you! If Lost Stars was about the Greywick siblings discovering the chaos and pitfalls of fated purpose, this installment is about that same approach to fated love. Because it turns out: 1) The problem with magical Love at First Sight is that it doesn’t care if you live wildly incompatible lives, and also he’d readily murder you if he knew your biggest secret. 2) The problem with enemies-to-lovers is that you can’t fucking […]

Do you remember the 21st night of September?

See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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“See You Yesterday” by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a fun, original take on the classic “Groundhog Day” narrative. The story follows Barrett Bloom, a college freshman who’s looking for a fresh start after an intense high school experience. However, things take a wild turn when she finds herself trapped in a time loop on the first day of school. Together with Miles, a fellow time-loop victim, she sets out to find a way out of the loop while navigating the ups and downs of their […]

Green to red, machinehead

All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells

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This book delighted me. All Systems Red provides thought-provoking characters and ideas without sacrificing a single bit of fun. It’s both enjoyable and insightful, especially about personhood. This series came highly recommended to me by fellow sci-fi enthusiasts. For this first book, I checked out the audiobook narrated by Kevin R. Free. Based on the strength of this first entry in the Murderbot Diaries, I will go ahead and buy the attractive box set of the physical books. I would like to keep them handy to […]



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