Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Murder in a mansion on an island? Yes, please!

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

by 1 Comment

Off the coast of Ireland, on an island rumored to be cursed, is the newest luxury wedding location. It’s the perfect place for the perfect bride and groom to say their vows. The bride, Jules, is gorgeous, ambitious, and tough as nails. Her website has taken off over the past few years and she knows her readers will devour every detail of her storybook wedding. She’s trying to let the wedding planner, Aoife, handle everything, but Jules is a control freak and it’s causing some […]

Lighthearted version of Rebecca

The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen

by 3 Comments

The Royal Spyness series stars Lady Georgina Rannoch, twentysomething cousin to King George V. Set in the early 1930s, the books begin with Georgie trying to make her way in life without any family support or marrying a dreaded princeling. While her royal connections prevent her from being able to find a job, it doesn’t stop her from stumbling over a lot of dead bodies and solving their murders. It’s a cute, fun series that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Last Mrs. Summers is […]

Timely satire or too soon?

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen

by 5 Comments

Have you ever wondered what would happen if a petite, wealthy, elderly Republican woman were killed and eaten by a Burmese python? I hadn’t either until Carl Hiaasen put the idea in my head with his latest book, Squeeze Me. Angela Armstrong is the wildlife wrangler hired to remove a Burmese python from a luxury event location in Palm Beach, Florida. Before she can deliver the python’s corpse to the state, it’s stolen from her apartment. At the same time, word has gotten out that […]

Two new books in my favorite series

Bullets and Beads by Jana DeLeon

Gators and Garters by Jana DeLeon

by Leave a Comment

In case I haven’t mentioned it before, I absolutely love the Miss Fortune series by Jana DeLeon. It’s even crazier and sillier than the Stephanie Plum series.  In the first book, Louisiana Longshot, CIA agent Fortune Redding is sent undercover to the small town of Sinful, Louisiana. Fortune killed the brother of a very powerful terrorist, who has now taken out a hit on her. Her boss has discovered that the terrorist has a man on the inside at the CIA, so he hides Fortune […]

Them Good Ol’ Boys

The Sinners by Ace Atkins

by Leave a Comment

Do you have a series that’s so deeply enjoyable to you, reading it’s like slipping on a good, comfortable pair of jeans or drinking something tasty out of a favorite glass? That’s the Quinn Colson series for me. Eight books in and there’s not much differentiating one from another, this one included. But man, I really do enjoy these. Atkins creates great characters and he does such a fantastic job building this setting. Every story adds a layer to fictional Tibbehah County and I’m here […]

Thrills and Chills

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole

by 2 Comments

This is one I was eager to get my hands on given the premise and the reviews. It didn’t disappoint, being one of the best books I read this year and, along with Long Bright River, one of the best new releases of 2020. This book is so many things but at the heart, it’s really a tale of suspense. A lot obviously depends on your perspective (I’m a cishet white guy) but Cole is excellent at blending the existential dread of the Black experience in […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo