Cannonball Read 15

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Cohesive and imaginative, a marvelous collection

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu

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This is my favorite type of short story collection. Kim Fu manages to weave together twelve stories that vary in terms of how fantastical or real they are but all work to create a cohesive collection. I found myself frequently asking “What is happening?!” while reading this collection but in the best way possible. I just need to trust the story. Things always came together. Below is a brief summary/review of each story with my individual scores. Pre-simulation Consultation XF007867 – 5/5 – Probably my […]

A thriller based in gentrification

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

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When I was reading through the categories for Read Harder 2023 challenge, I was stymied by number 23: Read a social horror, mystery, or thriller novel. I had no idea what a social horror novel was. I had never heard of this genre. I did a quick search for “social horror” and found a few lists. Wouldn’t you know, it turns out I love this genre! The Only Good Indians, Lovecraft Country, Mexican Gothic (which admittedly I loved in concept but not execution) are all […]

Judging a book by its cover worked in my favor this time

For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World by Sasha Sagan

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I picked up this book based entirely on the title and cover for the Read Harder challenge. I had no idea what to expect, but this was such a good get. I checked out the audiobook version read by the author from my local library, but I absolutely will be purchasing a physical copy for myself. I have a very storied past with religion, and my journey of deconstruction continues to this day; despite no longer being religious, I frequently find myself missing religion. More […]

Which is worse: colorism and classism or ghosts?

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

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If you search for this book online the first sentence you will read from nearly every review is “Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca” (and now this review maintains that pattern). Truthfully this is the best summary that one can give. Now, I didn’t like Mexican Gothic all that much, but I enjoyed the film version of Rebecca immensely, so I was a little wary of this going in. However, The Hacienda Isabel Cañas is enjoyable. I listened to this book as an audiobook, and the voice cast did a great job. Beatriz […]

I get the appeal but not my cup of tea

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

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I was gifted this book by the fabulous @teresaelectro as part of the 2022 CBR Book exchange. Thank you very much for the books, teresaelectro! August is a 23 year old just trying to figure out her own place in the world. She has just moved to New York City to attend what feels like her fourth college. She’s finally free from her mother and her mother’s obsession with finding out what happened to her brother. August no longer has to act as an accomplice […]

This was just such a fun ride

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

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I received this book from the marvelous @teresaelectro as part of the 2022 Cannonball Read Book Exchange. Let me start by saying this book was simply a ton of fun. Captain Tavi Zarola is a former military captain who runs a small bounty-hunting crew. Though the massive inter-galactic war between the humans and the Valovians is over, tensions are still high. There’s peace in the galaxy, but it is precarious. Maintaining that peace is what is on Tavi’s mind when she is approached by the […]



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