Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Australian spookiness. Just add panpipes and a didgeridoo.

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

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  In 1975, I saw an Australian movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock, one of the most perfect and perfectly weird films I have ever seen.  The impact of this film still resonates with me, and when I was looking for another book at Powells, and noticed this, I HAD to have it.  I had no idea the film was based on a book, and yet here we are.  And it is every bit as freakily good as the movie as.   It begins as a […]

Coming to a hospital near you…

The Stand by Stephen King

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Why would you read a book about a fictional pandemic when there’s an actual pandemic happening, people ask?  I think it’s perfect timing. I spent the first several chapters comparing the beginning of the made-up super-flu pandemic of 1990 to the current world wide spread of COVID-19, diligently jotting down notes about what the president of the USA said (for example, ‘My fellow Americans, I urge you to stay at home. If you feel ill, stay in bed, take aspirin, and drink plenty of clear […]

Great mystery and setting hampered by repetition

In the Barren Ground by Loreth Anne White

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I’ve been in a bit of a book rut lately. I had such high hopes for the past few novels I’ve read, but they were all disappointing. I needed something reliable to give me a win.  A few months ago, I ran across Loreth Anne White’s In the Dark. I devoured the fast-paced thriller in a couple of days, and it left me eager to read more of her work. In the Barren Ground has rave reviews on Goodreads, so I thought it might be […]

A great series goes out with a whimper

The King of Crows by Libba Bray

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The King of Crows is the fourth and final book in the Diviners series.  The series is about a group of superpowered teenagers in 1920s New York City. Evie can read objects to learn about the owners; Memphis can heal diseases and injuries; Theta has fire that shoots out from her body; Henry can walk in people’s dreams and influence their dreams; Ling can walk in dreams to talk to the dead; Isaiah sees the future; Sam can become invisible; Jericho has superhuman strength and […]

We need some space….and humans to do our dirty work.

Last Pick V01 Last Pick by Jason Walz

Last Pick: V02 Born to Run by Jason Walz

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You know this story. We have read it a hundred times: Aliens take over Earth, steal people for their own needs and eventually, humans decide to fight back. A few will die on both sides, but even more become heroes.  And there is nothing wrong with that. Especially since Last Pick and Last Pick: Born to Run by Jason Walz have a few new pieces of information. This is a science fiction and realism mixed together creation. There is the classic graphic novel format and […]

“The monster was the best friend I ever had.” Boris Karloff

House of Fear: Attack of the Killer Snowmen and Other Stories by James Powell

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Book: House of Fear: Attack of the Killer Snowmen and Other Stories Cover: One Scooby Doo rip off to go please. The story: Well now. That was creepy. Enter the world of The House of Fear. These are good, old fashioned spooky stories with a modern take. There are various themes that seem innocent (leaves, teeth, fishing, snowmen, trees) but show the sinister side of the mundane. And our host is a man (maybe; maybe not) named Boyle. They are the caretaker of all the […]



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