Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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“Now that that is all taken care of, let’s talk about love and blackmail.”

A Proposal They Can't Refuse by Natalie Caña

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I landed on 3 stars for Natalie Caña’s A Proposal They Can’t Refuse. I knew there were going to be some family hijinks, because the blurb promises that Kamilah and Liam are forced into a fake engagement because their grandfather’s are threatening their dreams. I wasn’t expecting the heavy-duty unhealthy family dynamics. Caña writes an engaging story with well drawn characters. I had a hard time putting it down. But I screamed a few times because the there were moments where family members seemed to […]

“The impossible we do immediately. The unimaginable takes a little while.”

Cold Days (Dresden Files #14) by Jim Butcher

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In one word: Busy I finished reading this over a month ago and am now clawing my way through a backlog of tardy reviews on this snowy Midwestern APRIL day. Snowy. APRIL. DAY. In what we are calling Spring I guess? Ruuuuude. But I digress. When I dig into the recesses of my mind about this book, not much is surfacing, which isn’t a great sign. This book was reminiscent of an SNL Stefon skit. Bear with me here. For the unfamiliar, Stefon is an […]

“And truth was, no one was safe anywhere. Everybody dies, baby. That’s a fact.”

Gangster Nation by Tod Goldberg

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This read was a long time coming! I purchased Gangster Nation when it came out in 2017 and Tod was going on tour promoting it. First things first, I’m referring to him by his first name not because we are in any way actual friends, but because I FEEL like we are because I am a longtime listener of his podcast, Literary Disco, wherein he and two of his friends from an MFA program read and review books. Also, one of those friends is Rider […]

“Polka. Will Never. Die!”

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

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All right. Look. I don’t know how to talk about this book without it getting spoilery as heck, so if you are thinking you might read this book, then just skip this here review if you don’t want plot moments spoiled, things that made me gasp and giggle. Because I have got to talk about it. First things first, this review is going to be an ode to Butters, who essentially in this novel is elevated to the status of a relucant Watson to Dresden’s […]

When Langston Found Langston

Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

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Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome is an interesting look at the late 1940s, Chicago, growing up and literature that was way too short. I would have enjoyed more of the history of the time and seen a bigger connection to the two people called Langston. Still, I enjoyed what I read but, like I said, there needed to be more: more of the history of the times (Why were the black families moving north? Why were the soldiers were coming back? Even the fact that […]

You don’t have to love people the way you learned to love at first.

Love at First by Kate Clayborn

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There are certain things you can count on in a Kate Clayborn book: her lovers will start off at cross purposes, the rapport and banter will be engaging, the pining and self reflection will plug right into your feelings, and the characters will (mostly) act like adults. Love at First has all of this. It’s a comfortable, enjoyable read. There is no shame in enjoying this book. It lacks the emotional urgency and tension of the Chance of a Lifetime series. I still think about those books. […]



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