Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Oh Lois, you hold my heart so gently.

Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold

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So, you pick up a science fiction mystery novel by your favorite author. You know the one, who wrote your favorite character of all time? It’s another in her long, award winning series following Miles Naismith Vorkosigan through his life of adventure and mystery. (if you’ve read Bujold, you know why you never leave out Naismith in his name.) The soletta – the key to terraforming Komarr – has just been hit and almost catastrophically damaged by an ore freighter. Miles is a newly minted Imperial […]

Poems About Indonesia and Infidelity

The Corpse Pose by Erik Campbell

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While I enjoy poetry I’ve never been one to purchase a book of collected poems, I’m much more of a narrative kind of girl. But when your (favorite) high school English teacher publishes his collected poems, well… that’s a decent motivation to buy a book! The Corpse Pose is divided into several sections. One features poems written during the years he spent in West Papua, and another section covers the process of mediation and divorce from his former wife. Both are interesting, albeit quite different. […]

History of the MCU and lessons in chemistry have been taught on audiobook

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards - narrated by Andrew Kishino and Joanna Robinson

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - narrated by Miranda Raison

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What do MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, a non-fiction history of the creation and rise of Marvel Studios, and Lessons in Chemistry, a fiction narrative of a lady scientist, have in common?  Misogyny and a lot of it. I had the incredibly good fortune to be in Hall H, at the San Diego Comic Con, when the very first footage of Iron Man was shown in 2007 and have been a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan ever since.  MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios came onto my radar from Pajiba, […]

In Holly, Evil Lurks Behind Friendly Facades

Holly by Stephen King

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I think part of the reason I was so determined to read the Bill Hodges trilogy was because I knew Stephen King was about to publish Holly, and having met the character in The Outsider I really wanted to learn more about her. It was great getting to know her over the course of the Bill Hodges trilogy, and she’s even better in her own standalone novel. Holly (obviously) focuses on Holly Gibney a few years after the end of the Bill Hodges trilogy. It’s […]

cloisterf*ck

The Cloisters (2022) by Katy Hays

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I am posting a picture from Christchurch Priory, Dorset, a medieval structure which actually would be a good place for a murder mystery. I’m not going to post a picture of the book cover, because the cover is beautiful and it will suck you in to buying it and you will end up throwing it across the room and denting it anyway. At least if you’re an academic. The setting is the Cloisters section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the narrator/protagonist is Ann, a […]

A fascinating historical woman I knew nothing about before and now want to tell everyone about her.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

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I forget how I found out about The Personal Librarian but as I read about it, knew it was perfect for my book club.  Historical fiction – Check, Talented woman – Check, About a library and books – Check.  We haven’t met up yet so I don’t know the other’s reactions but I found it a fascinating read that delivered on the promises of the book blurbs.  Author, Pam Jenoff, has this to say, “An extraordinary tale that is both brilliant historical fiction and an important […]



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