Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Misty water-colored memories…. (CBR12Bingo 2: Nostalgia)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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So, this book is set in 2011, and I was getting married that year at age 25. Not strictly my teen years. However, I’m counting it for two reasons – 1) 9/11/2001 is key to the plot, when I was an actual sophomore in high school, and 2) though the Harry Potter books exist in this universe, Simon Snow is very very very obviously a Harry Potter analogue, and the penultimate book in that series was released in 2005, when I was in my first […]

I’ve discovered fanfiction!

Not From Others by FloreatCastellum

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So, I finally dipped my toe into fanfic. Now that we can review fanfic on here, I couldn’t really think of a reason to not give it a shot. It’s something I’ve long thought about for my favorite franchises: Star Trek, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings…. But I’ve never actually tried it. And it was both everything I thought it’d be, and so much more. Not From Others is a novel, you guys.  It’s over 130,000 words long, and was published in 2016. I […]

Regular school is out but Hogwarts is in

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by Jack Thorne

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Who knew that in times of darkness all I needed was a little Harry Potter?  I sat down on Easter Sunday and burned my way through this in the space of a few hours, feeling happier on the other side. It’s a quick but compelling read, true enough to the Harry Potter format to scratch that nostalgic itch. Firstly, it should be noted that this is a play script, not a novel, and it wasn’t written by J.K. Rowling although it did involve her (it […]

It’s the same story on repeat but still pretty fun

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

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Apparently the multi-narrator thing is now a trend in certain types of fiction. I heard this a while ago, but hadn’t thought on it much until I picked up Carry On. I’ve read Fangirl, so I had a basic idea but what I hadn’t realized was that Carry On uses one of my least favorite narrative styles, first person present, and the multi-narrator story. Together these things drag down what would otherwise be a great fan fic/twist on the “Chosen One” brand of hero story. […]

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6) by J.K. Rowling

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This is my second to last of these reviews. I have actually enjoyed engaging with these books on a different level. Normally when I read them, I just zoom through and enjoy. I don’t usually stop to analyze. Speaking of not stopping to notice things, look to your left. I have looked at that image for several months now and I am only now noticing that it can be either a book (like the Prince’s Potions book) OR Dumbledore shooting sparks with his wand (the […]

“Give her hell from us, Peeves.” (This review is the reason I’m four months behind.)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5) by J.K. Rowling

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This was the most I have ever liked this book. (And that’s saying something, because I remember losing my mind over it when it was first published.) I’m kicking myself for not writing up some notes after I finished because it’s been since May that I finished this, and I’ve lost most of that newly gleaned insight. Maybe going through these quotes will help bring some of it back. Also, just know going in, I do not hold with any nonsense about blaming Harry for […]



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