Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Elastic tension lashed their cars together across space, alone on the road, nothing in his head but grief and freedom.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

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Andrew held the clutch and eased onto the gas, pushing revs while the digital readout reminded him to hold it, wait for the right moment to explode. Sam’s fingers touched the rim of the moon hanging in the sky. A shudder ripped across the bones of Andrew’s forearms, terror and delight and the promise of risk bringing him to life. ― Lee Mandelo, Summer Sons For fuck’s sake Andrew. Is there anything in this scenario that feels heterosexual or well-adjusted to you? ― Lee Mandelo, […]

The jokes are not the only thing landing punches

Karate Prom by Kyle Starks

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Okay, Karate Prom by Kyle Starks was funny, with the loving and the punching and the bowling. If I have to describe it in one sentence, it is if Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, 1990s teen Nickelodeon, and Scooby Doo made a book baby. Never have I ever thought that ninjas, crazy ex-crime-girlfriends-currently helping her brother run the family-cartelle, teenagers, bowling and a high school prom would be so funny. By the end two things happened that I was very excited about (I won’t say exactly […]

When you’re near this hole in the ground, you’re in deep doo-doo

The Deep Well by Laura Creedle

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The Deep Well by Laura Creedle Is it real or imaginary or something else? There were a few plot holes for me, but overall it was a nice read. Well, not nice but cozy … okay not cozy, I mean… Okay, just read it and you’ll know what I mean. Triggers include, but are not limited to: death, violence, cults, bullying, assault, gun violence, stalking, suggested assault of a minor. April, the main character of Creedle’s story, is almost 17. She is waiting for her […]

With friends like these…

In My Dreams I Hold A Knife: A Novel by Ashley Winstead

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If you like murder mysteries and want a quick read, this book could fit the bill. I found it hard to put down, even though (maybe because?) the characters are all pretty terrible people. Main character and narrator Jessica Miller is looking forward to her ten year college reunion, but when she returns to Duquette, some old ghosts get stirred up and the unsolved murder of her best friend and roommate will dominate the weekend’s activities. Could one of her friends, the infamous East House […]

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

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Not much to say here. I think McFadden was going for Serial Mom (seriously great dark comedy starring Kathleen Turner) and then it just turned into a mess of a book that made zero sense. I think she also should have kept the focus on the married couple [Debbie and Cooper] and adding in another character’s point of view added nothing. I just thought by the time I got to the halfway point the book had firmly gone off the rails. We also get some sort of […]

Too far out for my tastes

Oracles by Olivia Sullivan

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As I read the words of Olivia Sullivan on the pages of the graphic novel, Oracles, I heard the Beatnik standing on the coffee house stage making their words bubble out. I saw the slam poet gazing out into a darkened crowd. There was a spotlight in my brain that shone brightly on the poet freeversing.  And while I like all of that , this book was not for me. However, if you enjoy a slightly nonconcrete writing style or free verse prose, with literary […]



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