Cannonball Read 15

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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To Hell, Not Back

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias

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Read as part of CBR14 Bingo: snakes. This book has several references to snakes, and also I think one of the characters turned into a snake? It was a wild scene, regardless.  It took me two tries to get into this one but ultimately, I’m glad I did. It didn’t match the hype but it’s a good read on its own. Essentially, there are two books here: the first 20% that’s a compelling novel and the rest which is the magical mystery tour through the throes of […]

Magic realism for the win

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

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I always think I should read more magic realism–it would probably be a great gateway drug for me to read more fiction (not that there is anything wrong with reading genres that give you joy! down the drab hegemony that insists you must only read boring Pretentious Literature that is impossible to parse and full of unhappy people doing unhappy things). It would also probably be a great way for me to read more Latin American/South American/Mexican/Latin(e)(x) literature, because–for reasons I do not know, and […]

Stories Bring Communities Together

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

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I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this novel but entered into it with cautious optimism. I love The Thirteenth Tale but was disappointed with her follow up Bellman and Black.  While it was gorgeously written with lots of interesting historical detail, it lacked the same emotional intimacy as the previous one. While Once Upon a River has a wide cast of characters, they are all easy to get invested in. It’s a slow build, and starts one evening in an old inn on […]

Agatha Christie is Jesus; Also, Chimpanzees

The High Mountains of Portugal by Yann Martel

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Another novel that couldn’t hold my interest enough for me to actually finish and review it in time for Canada Day (not to mention that I was in LA that weekend so reading time was limited to begin with). I was a very late comer to Life of Pi because despite the acclaim something about the description always made me hesitate (philosophy – no thank you!).  And yet, when I finally read it two or three years ago (after the movie release even), I enjoyed […]

Race with a Capital R

The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem

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In the last blog post, I mentioned I had a hard time finding a followup to 2 really good books I read last month. After rejecting ever book in my library TBR pile, I started rummaging through the multiple TBR piles around my house. (Tell me I am not alone in that!) In stack #2, I found a copy of a book recommended to me by a student a few years ago for consideration for summer reading. I never got around to reading it because […]



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