Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Good, but not great. Even with a hero modelled on David Bowie in Labyrinth

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

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3.5 stars Liesl dreams of becoming a famous composer, but is left to write compositions for her talented younger brother to play instead. Her beautiful younger sister is set to be married to the most eligible young man in the village, while Liesl helps her long-suffering mother and bitter father run their inn, their days of musical success and glory behind them. Jealous of her sister’s beauty and brother’s opportunities, Liesl becomes careless and suddenly, it seems her sister has been enchanted by the goblins, […]

Hey Diddle Diddle the Dog and the Fiddle & the Bear played the Piano

The Bear, the Piano, the Dog, and the Fiddle by David Litchfield

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The Bear, the Piano, the Dog, and the Fiddle is not as strong as the first book, The Bear and the Piano. Which is not saying a lot, as I was not jumping for joy over the first one. However, David Litchfield introduces the theme of jealousy in a manner that is accessible for children. Fiddle-playing Hector and his dog, Hugo, are best friends. But since there is a new sensation happening (a bear that plays the piano) people no longer what to listen to […]

Dancing About Architecture is Still Hard

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix

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Written from the point of view of a down-on-her-luck former guitarist who got kicked out of a heavy metal band on the verge of breaking, We Sold Our Souls follows our protagonist, Kris Pulaski, as she attempts to come to grips with the success of her band’s former lead singer. Compounding the normal issues of self-pity, misogyny and imposter syndrome is a nagging feeling about lost time on the night that they signed their intellectual property contract, removing her, the drummer and the other guitarist […]

“Now raise your goblet of rock. It’s a toast to those who rock!”

Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Bigelow

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Let’s just get this out of the way: THIS BOOK IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 I want a movie of it that’s like School of Rock meets Camp.  Come on! Working out your parents divorce and your sexual awakening through rock and roll?!?!?! Turning Taylor Swift into a metal jam?! I die. This story is about Melly, who is a quiet young lady that loves playing the drums. She and her best friend Olivia make up the perfect rhythm section, and they […]

A Captivating Memoir About Teaching Music in Afghanistan

Danger Music by Eddie Ayres

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Oh no, this one ended up being much longer than I planned. And I still don’t think I’ve said everything that needs to be said about this book. Usually, when you pick up a memoir, you expect that the author and their life will be the main focus of the book. But this doesn’t always have to be the case; a few months ago, I reviewed Rick Morton’s 100 Years of Dirt, which bent this mould out of shape a bit by including the author’s […]

I know, it’s only rock n roll but I like it!

Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock by Steven Hyden

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Twilight of the Gods is Steven Hyden’s power balled tribute to the genre of classic rock and what it’s meant in his life. In this entertaining and thoughtful read, with chapters structured as a track list with accompanying liner notes, Hyden meditates on why he loves classic rock, what it means to lose heroes, and on the future of rock. As you may be able to guess by the title and the cover, two of Hyden’s foundational bands are Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. He […]



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