Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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“Writing gives you the power to shape your own world when the real one hurts too much”

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

May 14, 2026 by Malin Leave a Comment

Dark Corner Selection: March 2026 In a different version of 16th-century Spain, young Luzia Cortado works grudgingly as a scullery maid for the miserable and petty Doña Valentina. Luzia can use what she calls “small magics” to make her life easier. She can mend seams, multiply the groceries, unburn bread or reassemble broken things. She performs these little spells, learned from generations of her Jewish ancestors, by singing quietly. Luzia is a convert; she dutifully goes to Mass and hides any traces of her Jewish […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Fantasy, History, Mystery Tagged With: 16th Century Spain, alternate history, audiobook, cbr18, feminism, historical fantasy, Lauren Fortgang, Leigh Bardugo, LGBTQIA, magic, Malin, religious persecution, the Dark Corner, The Familiar, The Inquisition

Malin's CBR18 Review No:28 · Genres: Audiobooks, Fantasy, History, Mystery · Tags: 16th Century Spain, alternate history, audiobook, cbr18, feminism, historical fantasy, Lauren Fortgang, Leigh Bardugo, LGBTQIA, magic, Malin, religious persecution, the Dark Corner, The Familiar, The Inquisition ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Sure, But Who’s Really the Animal?

Animal by Lisa Taddeo

May 1, 2026 by G.D. Giant Leave a Comment

Animal, by Lisa Taddeo, is a story about Joan. Joan will tell you herself that she is depraved. She will also remind you that she is a survivor and that she’s been judged not only by what she’s done to others, but by the things that have happened to her. For years, Joan’s rage was dormant, but now, after yet another violent act by a man in her life, her rage is growing. Joan is “hot” and “sexy” but is most flattered when someone simply […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: #feministfiction, #triggerwarning, adult, feminism, going back to cali, Lisa Taddeo

G.D. Giant's CBR18 Review No:7 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: #feministfiction, #triggerwarning, adult, feminism, going back to cali, Lisa Taddeo ·
Rating:
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“Just because a lady shared a deep, smoldering kiss with a gentleman didn’t mean that gentleman need be privy to all that lady’s business.”

Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews

May 1, 2026 by Malin Leave a Comment

Monthly Keyword 26: Ruin Official plot summary (because I read this in February): On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful politician’s systematic attack on women’s rights, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom. But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance Tagged With: cbr18, feminism, friendship, historical romance, keyword 26, Malin, Mimi Matthews, Rules for Ruin, The Crinoline Academy, Victorian

Malin's CBR18 Review No:22 · Genres: Fiction, History, Mystery, Romance · Tags: cbr18, feminism, friendship, historical romance, keyword 26, Malin, Mimi Matthews, Rules for Ruin, The Crinoline Academy, Victorian ·
Rating:
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The American Female Q

In True Face: A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked by Jonna Méndez

March 14, 2026 by Pooja Leave a Comment

Jonna began her work at the CIA as a ‘career wife,’ supporting her husband’s job, but soon she started taking on bigger and important roles in the agency, for which she lived all over the world and eventually rose to the position of Chief of Disguise. Having read plenty about the CIA’s origins as the OG old boy’s club in which a lot of men threw ideas at a wall and hoped they’d stick during World War 2, this book was interesting to me for […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: #history, #memoir, ARC, espionage, feminism, Jonna Méndez, NetGalley, non fiction, politics, spies, United States

Pooja's CBR18 Review No:18 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, History, Non-Fiction · Tags: #history, #memoir, ARC, espionage, feminism, Jonna Méndez, NetGalley, non fiction, politics, spies, United States ·
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Cover of Savage Appetites: Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession

I read two books in a row called “Savage [Something]”

Savage Appetites: True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession by Rachel Monroe

March 5, 2026 by cosbrarian 3 Comments

As a whole, I’m not as mad about true crime as many women are – though I’ve certainly been compelled by various stories over the years. Unpacking some of my childhood media memories (Tonya Harding, OJ Simpson, etc) led me to You’re Wrong About, and I also love Criminal – both because they pick interesting stories but offer a good mix. I can’t just do murder stories all the time. But I’ve been researching the genre for a project, and I heard Monroe quoted on […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Featured, Non-Fiction Tagged With: #memoir, feminism, Media, Rachel Monroe, true crime

cosbrarian's CBR18 Review No:6 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Featured, Non-Fiction · Tags: #memoir, feminism, Media, Rachel Monroe, true crime ·
· 3 Comments

“In-Yo would say that the war was won by silenced and nameless women, and it would be hard to argue with her.”

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

February 20, 2026 by Malin Leave a Comment

Nowhere Bingo 26: Novella Dark Corner Selection: January 2026 Chih is a young cleric from the Singing Hills monastery who travels around the country searching for stories and history. At the shores of Lake Scarlet, Chih finds the abandoned dwelling where the former Empress In-Yo (the titular Empress of Salt and Fortune) spent her many years in exile. Chih encounters the elderly Rabbit, one of the Empress’s former handmaidens, who tells Chih stories of her own past and how it intertwined with that of the […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, History, Mystery Tagged With: Ancient China, Award Winning, cbr18, feminism, folklore, friendship, historical fantasy, LGBTQIA, Malin, Nghi Vo, novella, revenge, the Dark Corner, The Empress of Salt and Fortune, The Singing Hills Cycle

Malin's CBR18 Review No:6 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, History, Mystery · Tags: Ancient China, Award Winning, cbr18, feminism, folklore, friendship, historical fantasy, LGBTQIA, Malin, Nghi Vo, novella, revenge, the Dark Corner, The Empress of Salt and Fortune, The Singing Hills Cycle ·
Rating:
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