Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Regret

When the Cranes Fly South: A Novel by Lisa Ridzen

by Leave a Comment

Cbr18bingo Season This book hits hard right in the gut. If you have experience with a loved one who suffers from dementia and/or is near the end of life, much of what is here will be achingly familiar. Lisa Ridzen was inspired to write this novel after seeing her grandfather’s caretakers’ notes after his death. When the Cranes Fly South is set up as a series of such caretaker entries followed by the main character’s reflections on his life. Main character Bo is an elderly […]

And now we wait

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me: Maggie the Undying I by Ilona Andrews

by 10 Comments

Cbr18bingo 26 (published in 2026) This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the first volume in what I hope will be a multi-volume series by Ilona Andrews. I loved this story full of magic, mystery, danger and possible romance. It starts with a familiar trope —  the protagonist finds herself plunked into her favorite fantasy novel series where her actions can change the direction of the story and her life is in danger. I’ve enjoyed Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Time of Iron series which has […]

I don’t want it to be over

Blood of Dragons: Volume Four of the Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb

by 1 Comment

Cbr18bingo Versus Blood of Dragons is the thrilling conclusion to The Rain Wilds Chronicles featuring the showdowns readers have been waiting for: men versus dragons, old ways versus new, and that nasty, greedy abuser Hest versus Alise and Sedric.  The traders of Bingtown and the people of the Rain Wilds made a pact with the dragon Tintaglia years ago: Tintaglia would protect them from the warlike Chalcedean Kingdom and in return, they would serve her and any fledgling dragons that emerged from their cocoons. But […]

“I think it’s when two people separate that the things they’ve learned through their friendship can really blossom.”

Hooked: A Novel of Obsession by Asako Yuzuki

by Leave a Comment

Cbr18bingo Friends I reviewed Asako Yuzuki’s novel Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder a few months ago and was very much struck by her portrayal of Japanese society — the sexism, the fat shaming, the anti-feminist sentiment — as well as by her riveting story-telling and characters. Hooked: A Novel of Obsession is even better, in my opinion. This is a novel about relationships amongst women, the difficulties of making friendships once you’ve moved beyond school, and the impact that patriarchy and sexism have […]

Man or dragon? Choose dragon

City of Dragons: Volume Three of the Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb

by Leave a Comment

Cbr18bingo steal In this third volume of The Rain Wilds Chronicles, a variety of forces working against the dragons and their survival come to the fore. Some of those forces are natural but the most deadly threats are human in nature: politics, economics, greed, and desperation.  In City of Dragons, the party of dragons, their keepers and the crew of the liveship barge Tarman have arrived at Kelsingra, the fabled Elderling city, but their problems are far from over and their future is uncertain. The […]

Road trip!

Dragon Haven: Volume Two of The Rain Wilds Chronicles by Robin Hobb

by Leave a Comment

Cbr18bingo Wheels This is the second book in a four-book series. I reviewed Volume 1 Dragon Keeper here. In Dragon Haven, a group of Rain Wilds youth, outcasts due to their physical “deformities”, are now functioning as Dragon Keepers (or shepherds, if you need something for the sheep square). Their job is to guide the dragons, who emerged deformed from their cocoons, up river, away from people and civilization, on a quest to find the fabled lost city of Kelsingra. In an ancient past, when […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo