Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


The Relentless Tragedy of Empress Alexandra

Alexandra: The Last Tsarine by Carolly Erickson

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This is a solid and very readable biography of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, who was the last Tsarina of Russia. I had never read a biography specifically of her, although I did know a lot about her life through my obsession with Edward VII. Alexandra was his niece, and his sister (Alexandra’s mother) Alice’s tragic death through diphtheria has always stuck with me as particularly sad. I did learn some new facts from this book, which is always a plus for me. It also lives up […]

“I think, in this case, ‘alligator tears’ would be a more appropriate wording.”

Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida by Mikita Brottman

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Two couples in Florida make up a close knit quartet of best friends, until one husband vanishes while out duck hunting, sparking a long running mystery that will remain unsolved for more than a decade. In the annals of true crime, murder as the solution to an affair is a common occurrence, mundane even when stacked up the ranks of serial killers and mass murderers who generally get top billing. But even a ‘mundane’ crime is a story in itself, and the people they victimize […]

Hi I’m your new bunk mate and my body count is 1

Teen Killers Club (volume one) by Lily Sparks

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Both predictable and a few surprises, Teen Killers Club (volume one) has a few bumps and bruises and some killings. Okay, a lot of killing. The overall of this novel I enjoyed, however, there were several parts I did not. The biggest two were Signal (our innocent member of this summer camp from heck) is a major Damsel in Distress and she thinks she can change people just by loving them. Even murderers who really like their “hobby.”  There are several heavy-handed plot points, some […]

“He laughs and laughs. My, how he laughs.”

The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by T.L. Huchu

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Ropa should be on cloud nine, helping organize the Society of Skeptical Enquirers’ biennial conference and hobnobbing with all the bigwigs of Scottish magic. But when she’s left scrambling to investigate a politically charged theft, she begins to wonder if the world of magic is more trouble than it’s worth. This is the third book in the Edinburgh Nights series, which follows teenage ghostalker Ropa as she investigates magical crimes in a politically uneasy Scotland. In this book, we seem to shift from the individual […]

‘Hi! I’m Your Birthday Twin!’ A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

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If this would have been told entirely in mixed media format, I probably would have given it the fifth star. But as is, it was just a really good read. This is going to be one of those annoying reviews where I tell you to go in knowing as little as possible. Generally, it’s about the fallout when two women born on the same day in the same hospital meet again on their 45th birthday and develop a very unique relationship. Alix is a podcast […]

To continue the summer of Freida…

The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

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Ok this summer of Freida story was a little hit or miss. I liked a bunch of it, but there were times where it was a little unbelievable. Our main character is Nora Davis, who is a surgeon. She seems like a good person, but she’s harboring a dark secret. For years when she was a little girl, her dad was murdering women in the basement of their home. Nora spends her life mostly alone and actively rebuffs attention from people who want to change […]



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