Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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“A curtain was drawn back in every man’s inner theater and their storytelling minds got to work.”

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

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First things first, this book is a slow burn. I wish I would have known that going in, I would have started it sooner and read it over a longer time frame. The first half meanders along and nothing seems to be connected, and getting to know the main players is not a quick process. If you’re prepared for that going in, you will probably end up liking this book. And about halfway through, it picks up quite a bit, and keeps getting stronger until the end. And no matter what, it’s a SIGNIFICANT improvement over my experience with Setterfield’s […]

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2/26/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:24 |

Once Upon a Time…

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

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Yes! My soul needed a good magical realism book. It was crying out for it you guys. “Once Upon a River” delves into many characters but manages to thread the needle with keeping an eye on the main plot from beginning to end of this book. I absolutely loved “The 13th Tale” so I was looking forward to see what Setterfield did with this. She weaves stories, fairy-tales, and myths together to tie around the Thames River and the people who live alongside it. “Once Upon a River” starts with an inn called the Swan. Everyone tends to gather there […]

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Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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2/15/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:38 |

Way Too Light on World Building and Character Development

A Slice of Magic by A.G. Mayes

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  Please note this book will be released on January 25, 2019. Also note that I received this ARC from NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. Well I was up for some magical realism because I definitely needed the distraction. Too bad that the story itself was pretty lackluster. You can’t promise me a magical pie shop and then not really show anything that magical. This book also seems to be trying for a cozy mystery theme which didn’t work at all. The characters in this one were not very developed either. Also some of the reactions […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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1/24/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:11 |

Magically Delightful

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

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It took me a while to find my feet in this one, but once I did, it was a delightful romp through a fantastical Regency England. In Cho’s world, magic is in the air….or it would be if the Fairy Courts hadn’t plugged up the hole allowing their magic to trickle into England. But someone’s pissed off the Fairy Queen, and it becomes quite the kerfuffle for our titular Sorcerer Royal, Zacharias. On top of Fairy feelings, Zacharais is also fighting deep seated racism since he’s *gasp* African and *double gasp* the son of slaves with no societal connections to […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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1/17/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:4 |

Fairy tale update with a Latinx spin

Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore

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Technically it’s a misleading to say this is an update of a fairy tale. Really, this is a reimagining of several, woven together with a Latinx flair and a contemporary openness to LGBTQIA sensibilities. If that sounds like a lot to pack into 375 pages, you aren’t wrong, but I think it’s a decent effort. Blanca & Roja tells the story of the del Cisne sisters, one of whom is destined by a family curse to become a swan. Told from four perspectives, this book mixes several fairy tale threads together, from The Black Swan to the Bear Boy. The […]

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Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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1/16/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:4 |

Mirrors that don’t reflect reality

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

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I received Boy, Snow, Bird from an earlier CBR book exchange, but it had been collecting dust for a few years. I finally had a reason to pick it back up when my Mocha Girls Read book club selected it for a fairytale’s retold theme. Helen Oyeyemi’s novel is a VERY loose version of Snow White set in the 1950s. Boy Novak runs away to a small town to escape her abusive father. She meets a man named Arturo who isn’t quite a prince, but he adores her. After sort of wearing her down and her own loneliness, she marries him […]

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12/29/2018 's CBR10 Review No:14 |

I came to this book both too early and too late

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

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Well, this book ages really, really poorly. Some spoilers below. It reads exactly like the time it was written (1989): “progressive” enough to include, at least superficially, a cast of characters including a same-sex couple and people of color in mixed-race relationships, as well as treatment of the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse that leans more sympathetic than condemning. However, it’s not exactly “woke” enough to avoid stumbling into some major Don’t Do That’s. Weetzie, pixie bohemian darling protagonist, is signified as being creative and unique in part thanks to her habit of incorporating Native American flourishes into her fashion. […]

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11/24/2018 's CBR10 Review No:46 |

Life is Simple, Except When it Isn’t.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

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This book is amazing. I love this book. I am so glad I stumbled across this looking for something to fill up my bingo card. Magical realism is one of my absolute favorite story telling devices when it is done well, and this is such a perfect example of what it can really do. This is the story of Jojo’s family. Jojo is a thirteen-year-old mixed race boy growing up in the current day South and straddling that realm in between boyhood and adulthood. He lives with his Grandparents, Mam and Pop, his toddler sister Kayla and his mom, Leonie. […]

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11/7/2018 's CBR10 Review No:17 |


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