Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

She’s Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter

by Leave a Comment

CBR15 Passport Siberia Now mystical and/or spooky circus is one of my favorite vibes, but it is the language of this book that sets it apart for me, ranging from an East End London lilt to wonderfully baroque proclamations a la P. T. Barnum at his most fulsome. The plot is based on a feminist twist of the Leda and the swan myth.  Fevvers, renowned aerialiste, is recounting her origin story in turn of the century London to a young American journalist.  At six two […]

The Kopp Sisters

Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions by Amy Stewart

by Leave a Comment

It’s been so long since I listened to the first two books in this series, I was worried that coming back would be confusing or disappointing. Luckily, Amy Stewart has built such strong characters that it only took a few minutes to get reoriented to the world of the Kopp sisters. And while I’d definitely recommend reading the series from the beginning, this could be read on its own. The Kopp sisters were actual people. Constance is the first lady sheriff’s deputy of Bergen County, […]

Ask me about my weiner…

Pay-Per-Heart by Grace McGinty

by 1 Comment

Pay-Per-Heart by Grace McGinty is a delightful little bon bon of a Why Choose? romance about a graphic designer, porn stars, and the sausage food truck owner who loves them. Does that sound like there are some built in jokes and finger scorching sex scenes? If you answered yes, you are today’s grand prize winner! There is also an adorable meet cute involving a gender fluid name, an ad for an unorthodox employment opportunity, & and a scam that strongly brings to mind the Justin […]

A run of the mill mystery

Or Else by Joe Hart

by Leave a Comment

I’ve read a few of Hart’s books and enjoyed them enough to see what else was at my library. Or Else came up, so I gave it a go. This mystery/thriller is about Andy, who is having an affair with his neighbor and childhood friend, Rachel. But then Andy receives a threatening note to stop the affair…Or Else. See how that works? Then Rachel’s husband is murdered and she and her kids disappear. Because there wouldn’t be much of a book otherwise, Andy decides he […]

“When did we become such terrible people?””Maybe we’ve always been terrible.”

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

by Leave a Comment

Other nights, when he thought I was already dreaming, he slid out of bed, took his coat and shoes, and disappeared into the dark outside. I never asked where he went, worried he wouldn’t ask me to follow. ― M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains “Do you blame Shakespeare for any of it?” The question is so unlikely, so nonsensical coming from such a sensible man, that I can’t suppress a smile. “I blame him for all of it.”― M.L. Rio, If We Were Villains […]

“Love was sometimes a terrible thing”

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

by Leave a Comment

Devon is a book eater, and part of an old Family that lives in a manor house on the Yorkshire Moors. Book eaters do as you imagine, eat books for sustenance and take on the information found within. The Family are old fashioned and patriarchal. As one of the few girls being born to book eaters these days, Devon is given fairy tales to eat. Nothing that would spark her imagination to want more from her life. Once she comes of age, she will be […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo