Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Daddy Death

Godfather Death by Sally Nicholls, Julia Sarda

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“Godfather Death” is an interesting fairy tale to produce for children. It’s very emotionally mature with an adult character at its center. A poor fisherman seeks out the “most honest man” to be his child’s godfather. He turns down God (God is too fickle), he turns down the Devil (for obvious reasons), but when he meets Death, he realizes Death is the most honest man, for he sticks to his duty no matter how rich or poor his victim. Death gives the father a gift […]

“I had rather face wild beasts and diseases than the perils of civilization.”

Voyage of the Basilisk (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #3) by Marie Brennan

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This series is a nerdy good time. And this book in particular really leaned into the scholarly nature of Lady Trent’s calling. The last book, a lot of page-time was taken up by Lady Trent and her companions navigating local and global politics while trying to learn about dragons, and while that is a factor here, too, Voyage of the Basilisk feels more balanced, with a focus more clearly on her science and what she got up to while doing it, and also on her personal relationships […]

Second Chances Sometimes Are Worth It

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

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I had flipped through The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England in a bookstore and decided it didn’t look great. I’m not a big fan of first-person narrating, and I saw a now mildly spoilery part about 2/3 of the way in that seemed dumb, so I put is back. Fast-forward about 6 months and I see the same nook at the library. On a whim, I decided to give it another chance. I’m actually kind of glad that I did. Our narrator wakes […]

“‘And whatever you do, don’t close your eyes.’ ‘What happens if I close my eyes?’ ‘You miss the fun.'”

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #1) by Jessica Townsend

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30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 3 Book 17/30 I don’t read a lot of middle grade anymore, but when I do, this is exactly what I want. What a magical good time. The combo of whimsical worldbuilding, magical trials, friendship and found family, secrets, and darker elements that many people would say don’t belong in children’s books makes for something rather intoxicating (I’ve never yet read a favorite children’s book without those darker elements btw). I’ve seen a lot of people talking about the […]

Nice illustrations and wisdom to help calm the mind

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury

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CBR 15 BINGO: Guide, because this is a guide for calm. (The dedication reads, “This book is dedicated to everyone who gets lost.”) I was given a copy of Big Panda and Tiny Dragon for Christmas last year, and I opened it with some trepidation. My last foray into self-help territory didn’t go well, if you recall. However, I was pretty sure I could at least finish this one, given that it includes cute pictures of a panda and a tiny dragon. Self-help isn’t really […]

“Even small actions have consequences. And while we can often choose our actions, we rarely get to choose our consequences.”

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

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Backing Brandon Sanderson’s Secret Project Kickstarter is one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. Tress of the Emerald Sea is the first of those four secret novels Sanderson wrote during the pandemic when he wasn’t touring and had some “free time” on his hands. Of course what Brando Sando does on his free time is write more books, because he famously takes a break from writing to recharge by writing something else. The guy is a straight up nerd and I’m so glad […]



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