Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Ever get the feeling that you’re being watched?

The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch

by Leave a Comment

Well, my library is being watched at least. I keep reading myself in circles; themes from one book bleed into another; people, places, statements, snippets of songs- this year is becoming one giant, roiling, swirling brew of a book. Peter Grant and the Falcon Family (tm tm tm!) are back in London, up to their necks in the Thames and sinking fast. Luckily, the river is full of gods who are just as willing to save them as they are to let them drown. Last […]

cbr12bingo – Money!

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

by 3 Comments

Another square down, and another trip down (also up, under, and through) the Thames (looking at you, Rivers of London). The Thames is the titular river of Once Upon a River another story about telling stories from Diane Setterfield (The Thirteenth Tale). A mysterious man and a young girl come crashing through the doors of The Swan, an inn on the river that is well known for it’s story and for it’s story tellers. The man is grievously injured; the girl is stone dead. The […]

‘Geoffrey’s mum told us “If you take a hen’s egg from under her and she just looks at you and doesn’t do anything, put that egg back.” Peace and quiet is a sign that something’s wrong. Peace and quiet is like a broken response, a sign of people in pieces.’

The Opposite House by Helen Oyeyemi

by Leave a Comment

Helen Oyeyemi is a story teller. Her work is steeped in religion, folklore, and mythology. Her characters breathe prayer and power. She will grab your attention quick, and send your spiraling through your own identity. Her stories whip in and out of the fantastic; one moment a character is studying for an exam, and the next they are overcome by the power of an ancient healer. She is one of my favorite authors. She’s absolute magic. I picked up What is Not Yours is Not Yours when […]

Splashing into the Rivers of London

Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch

by 2 Comments

I’d seen this author and series pop up from time to time in CBR, and my curiosity finally overcame my aversion to jumping into a series. How could I continue to ignore the siren call of that terrific cover?! I am ever-so-glad that I went ahead and judged a book by its cover, because I thoroughly enjoyed this police-procedural-gone-off-the-rails. It had all of the inner workings of the police bureaucracy that I, for some reason  find strangely enthralling. The officers had all of the spark […]

Where did my reading time go?

The Book of Ballads and Sagas by Charles Vess

by 5 Comments

I actually read this weeks ago, but working in healthcare during a pandemic has meant that all of the free time that others are desperately trying to fill during isolation has gone up in smoke for me and has also rid my brain of any remotely intelligible thoughts, but I’ll give it a whirl. The Book of Ballads and Sagas is a collaboration between Charles Vess and numerous other writers, such as Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith, Sharyn McCrumb, Jane Yolen and others. Each writer takes […]

Family vacations, saving the world and talking cats

Pandora’s Legacy by Kara Leopard

by Leave a Comment

Pandora’s Legacy was one of those books that I judged by the cover. I know! One should not do that, but sometimes (especially with graphic novels) I figured I had an idea of the fantasy, realism and levels of scary vs. thriller. I do not like SCARY. Thriller on the other hand, I am a fan of. I like intellectual thrills Kara Leopard has a fun story taking on Greek myths. She might not follow the story a hundred percent (or at least how I […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo