Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


“Name one hero who was happy” (CBR12Bingo2: Debut)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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I debated being cutesy about it and calling this my “orange” square since it won the Orange Prize, or a tongue in cheek “friendship” square, but figured I’d be more straightforward and go with the “debut” space. What a debut it was, too. I read Circe and enjoyed it quite a bit, but found it a bit detached. Undeniably great, but it just didn’t hook me like I had expected given the rave reviews here and elsewhere. This book? Blew me away. I loved Greek […]

Things Are Better Now

The Seep by Chana Porter

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Aliens have invaded Earth through some kind of additive to the water which induces a blissful haze in people, and can be used to cure illnesses, modify bodies, or even alter a person’s age. Over time, the whole world is changed by this process or entity called the Seep which ultimately leads to a utopia where everyone can do or have whatever they want. The premise is so unconventional that the potential to develop an engaging and thought-provoking story is a given, but somehow it […]

I don’t know how these characters had friends

To Have and To Hoax by Martha Waters

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This is the author’s first novel, so I’m going to try to be nice… After reading half of the book, nevermind.   The main characters, Violet and James, married quickly, were wildly in love for a year, and then they had an argument that halted their happy marriage in its tracks.  The couple live in the same house, but they have a cold marriage where they try to avoid and ignore each other.  We haven’t learned what the argument was about a third of the […]

“Every Time Something Doesn’t Happen, It Means Something Else Can”

What If A Fish by Anika Fajardo

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While I’m not usually a reader of middle-grade fiction, this debut novel came across my Facebook feed, as one of my cohorts from my MFA program was its editor! I bought it immediately and was so charmed by this adorable story. What if A Fish follows Little Eddie Aguado, an eleven-year-old Colombian American who feels neither Colombian or American. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he comes across a fishing medal owned by his late-father that sets him on an adventure […]

It All Started, as Great Tales Often Do, With a Book.

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

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Well, the Hugo Awards came and went this weekend, and I never did get around to writing up reviews for all the Best Novel nominees beforehand – oops! The winner, for the curious, was A Memory Called Empire, which I wrote a review for here. However, the playing field was really hyper-competitive this year, and I really owe it to the nominees to write my thoughts about them as well Alix Harrow’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January has to be commended for having some […]

“Books are Doors and I wanted out”

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix B. Harrow

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#CBR12 Bingo: Debut Official book description: In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artefacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.   Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world […]



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