Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Folklore, Magical Realism and a Place I know little about? I’m in

The Fisherman King by Katharina Mohd Daoud

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  This is a fun, fast-paced read. Brunei is a place I’ve always been a little fascinated by. A small absolute monarchy, Islamic in faith, sitting in South-East Asia with a rich history, Two timelines run alongside each other, the introduction of Islam through the monarchy in Brunei and it’s absorption of local folkloric traditions, and the main story of Lisan’s own journey through his ego and pride. Much is made of how others don’t understand the motivations behind his actions, and to a lesser […]

Stay Out of the Forest!

Small Angels by Lauren Owen

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Bride-to-be Chloe has found the perfect setting for her wedding in the rustic church called Small Angels, but a presence stirring in the bordering woods may put an end to her places – and her life. Sometimes you just have to stay out of the forest. And tell your out of town bride that the church she wants to get married in might be haunted. This book is a bit back to the basics as far as folk horror is concerned – creepy forests and […]

Sunshine and grumpy: Christmas edition

Magically Generated by Jackie Lau

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CBR17 Bingo: Arts (Everett makes detailed sketches before making his amazing snow sculptures) This was an ARC from the author. My opinions are my own. Nora Blackburn no longer believes in love and is super wary of anything that might be a fraud or scam. Her previous relationship was with a man who scammed her out of thousands of dollars, and she’s determined not to be fooled again. Her state of constant hyperawareness and scepticism of everyone and everything also means she isolates herself, and she […]

“Oona was still learning, everytime she leaped no matter the year someone important would be absent from life.”

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

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Buzzword Title Challenge 25: Alliteration Buzzword Cover Challenge 25: Eyes CBR17 Bingo: O (A book title that starts with O) Official plot summary (because I read this back in July): Just because life may be out of order, doesn’t mean it’s broken. It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight, she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain […]

“Wealth is just security. Luxury is living care free.”

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

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4.5 stars CBR17 Bingo: Culture (A lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds, countries and cultures are forced together for a time during World War II) Official plot summary: January 1942. The Avallon Hotel & Spa has always offered elegant luxury in the wilds of West Virginia, its mountain sweetwater washing away all of high society’s troubles. Local girl-turned-general manager June Porter Hudson has guided the Avallon skillfully through the first pangs of war. The Gilfoyles, the hotel’s aristocratic owners, have trained her […]

No Wings Needed, but Maybe a Better Editor?

We Need No Wings by Ann Dávila Cardinal

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cbr17bingo – Rec’d (found on a list of book suggestions for National Hispanic Heritage Month) I’m going to let the first line of the book do some heavy lifting here: “The first time Tere Sánchez levitated, she was in the garden.” Tere is a 60-year-old widow who has been grieving her husband’s death for the past year while taking a leave from her work as a professor. Understandably, the levitation freaks her out. She recalls that her family is distantly related to Saint Teresa of […]



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