Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Not all Monsters are evil

Fire by Kristin Cashore

by Leave a Comment

Official book description: It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men. This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she has the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her […]

This is not a happy story, but hey- neither is The Little Mermaid. 

The Seas by Samantha Hunt

by Leave a Comment

I devoured Samantha Hunt’s previous novel, Mr. Splitfoot, last year and it easily fell into my top 10 of the decade (If you have yet to come across Mr. Splitfoot then I implore you to check it out; it has everything you’ll ever need: ghosts! cults! comets!) but The Seas easily steals a spot among my favorites of all time. The Seas is slim, spare, and haunting.  I have always been drawn to tales of maritime peril, and while there is no shipwreck here there are […]

Buying Dave Robicheaux Another Round

by Leave a Comment

I read Nick Petrie’s debut novel about Peter Ash, The Drifter, a few months ago and really liked it.  It was a well-plotted noir novel set in Milwaukee and though many critics have compared Peter Ash, an Iraq War vet who also has a penchant for wandering, to Jack Reacher, I thought the similarity was superficial at best.  ReadingThe Drifter and getting sucked into Ash’s struggles with PTSD and the guilt he feels over a fellow soldier’s suicide made me realize what was missing from Lee […]

Some Perspective…

by 1 Comment

I read this book because I loved the author’s novel, Matterhorn.  What It Is Like to Go to War is a non-fiction book that is, essentially, a behind the scenes look at Matterhorn.  It also reads as two different books and I have mixed feelings about the two parts. The first part, which represents nearly the first two-thirds of the book, is Marlantes discussing his decision to join the Marines during Vietnam and his experiences in combat.  I found this aspect of the book very […]

To the stars who listen – and the dreams that are answered

by Leave a Comment

Spoiler warning! This is book 2 in a series, and it’s impossible for me to review this book without giving some spoilers for the book that came before. If you haven’t read the first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, you should maybe give this review a miss until you’re caught up. There will also be some spoilers for this book, because it’s impossible to talk about what happens in it without them. Feyre is back at the Spring Court a vastly changed woman, […]

Throwing a kitten out a window was only a warning shot.

by 2 Comments

Halfway through Moonglow, I caught myself with my hand over my mouth, trying to keep my breath inside my body because the prose was so exceptionally beautiful. I had my worries before reading this book. I have only recently discovered Chabon, and have only otherwise read The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, which was so stunning that it made me want to punch something. There is a lot of hype surrounding Moonglow, and even I only got it by accident from the library on a strict, one […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo