Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Second Chances Sometimes Are Worth It

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

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I had flipped through The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England in a bookstore and decided it didn’t look great. I’m not a big fan of first-person narrating, and I saw a now mildly spoilery part about 2/3 of the way in that seemed dumb, so I put is back. Fast-forward about 6 months and I see the same nook at the library. On a whim, I decided to give it another chance. I’m actually kind of glad that I did. Our narrator wakes […]

“Which is harder: devising an unsolvable problem, or solving that problem?”

The Devotion of Suspect X (Detective Galileo, #1) by Keigo Higashino

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I feel like this author and I are just jamming together on the same vibe. I’ve seen other people’s reviews and YouTube reactions/book club live shows and my reactions are so different to theirs. I really feel like I just fall into this author’s worlds and just let him shamelessly manipulate me exactly the way he wants and it’s hard for me to imagine not being enthralled by what’s happening. They’re all like ‘meh,’ and I’m like what are you talking about?!??? This particular tome […]

“There’s an old rule of thumb in prisons. Actually, it’s more of a life lesson. Always know what you’re walking into. Dark corners can be danger points.”

Dark Corners (Rachel Krall, #2) by Megan Goldin

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This is probably a three, three and a half star read, objectively (if there even is such a thing). It’s a little rushed, a little flawed, a little incomplete-feeling. But it hit me at the exact right time and mindset, so I had a great time and I read it super fast. The second book to feature Goldin’s podcasting reporter, Rachel Krall, Dark Corners kicks off when she is summoned to Florida by the FBI to meet with Terence Bailey, who is 48 hours away from being […]

‘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 […]

Murder, mystery, fine ale, friendship, plague, dark humor. A very enjoyable book.

The Alewives: A Plague-Era Tale of Murder, Mystery, and Fine Ale by Elizabeth R. Andersen

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This was pretty much everything I wanted it to be. Honestly, I didn’t even read the synopsis before I ordered this, just because I love reading about alewives, but was even more delighted to learn it’s about female friendship and life post-Black Death in medieval Europe, and also solving murders. Worth pointing out in its own paragraph: this is an indie author and the book doesn’t have many ratings, so people who love slice of life history, the middle ages, cozy mysteries, and female friendship, come! […]

“We women have been taught since birth that virtue is our greatest asset. I have nothing against virtues—I’d like to think that there are many virtues I practice assiduously. But power does not yield to virtue. Power yields only to power.”

Murder on Cold Street (Lady Sherlock, #5) by Sherry Thomas

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I liked this one, but the mystery plot got convoluted at the end and I had to re-read several bits multiple times, and stop and think about things before it all came together for me. That confusion aside, this also didn’t have as high of emotional stakes for the characters I cared most about. The biggest stakes are for Inspector and Mrs. Treadles, since Inspector Treadles has been accused of two murders. Reasonably, as it turns out, as he was found in a locked room […]



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