Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Head Empty, Just Vibes

Sicilian Devil's Prisoner by Caitlin Crews

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After his entire family was murdered, Jovi has become nothing more than a weapon for his mafia boss uncle. But when sent out to assassinate Rux, the daughter of a criminal, he finds himself falling for her instead. This book really is classic Harlequin Presents, full of drama, danger, and glamorous lives and locales, except it leans in fully into the steaminess of the romance. Jovi and Rux are a fun pair to follow. Despite the darkness of the story, Rux’s narration was hilarious, and […]

Everyday Jewish Lives Divided by Time

Once There Was a Town: The Memory Books of a Lost Jewish World by Jane Ziegelman

Matzah Ball Blues by Jennifer Wilck

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I did not mean to make it a Jewish double feature, but I just happened to read these books around the same time, and it was interesting to see the same traditions discussed in a historical context and then in an average middle-class family from New Jersey. Once There Was a Town by Jane Ziegelman – 3 stars After the Holocaust, since entire shtetls had been reduced to just a handful of survivors, people across continents came together to put together yizkor books to record […]

Worm-Mandated Soulmates

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

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Georgie has been kidnapped by aliens – but when she and her fellow captives crash-land on an icy planet, they must ally with the strange locals to survive. I’ve been pretty covetous of this series since I saw the beautiful covers of the paperback rereleases – and luckily the stories have been very fun too! The author builds a cohesive culture and society throughout this very long series, with a wide variety of heroes, heroines, and tropes explored. Since I read this book, I have […]

Hooray for Magical Talking Plants

The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

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What do you call a bee that’s been put under a spell? Bee-witched! Be kind, you can’t expect a magical talking rose who just woke up from a long enchanted sleep to be instantly ready for a comedy special. In which we get to meet Caz’s mom! Once upon a time a lonely little librarian named Terlu Perna cast a forbidden magic spell to create a friend (Caz the spider plant whose story was told in The Spellshop). Her punishment was to be permanently transformed […]

Asil the Great and Powerful

Blind Date with A Werewolf by Patricia Briggs

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In which we find out what happens when the most legendary (in his own mind) werewolf in all the land is set up on a series of blind dates. Asil is perfectly content living a reclusive life tending to his flowers. When a Concerned Friend sends him an e-mail informing him that he has been set up on five dates through various websites over the next three weeks, Asil takes it in stride. Who wouldn’t want to spend a delightful evening with all of his […]

Pike, This Ain’t Wuthering Heights

The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub

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Mary Bennet is famously the odd one out among her bright, vivacious sisters – an awkward show-off and a bore. But in this book, it’s what Mary’s doing off the page that deserves attention. This book is part-sequel, part-companion to the fabulous The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, which I read and greatly enjoyed last year. You haven’t got to read that book to enjoy this one – Mary and Lydia are after all not exactly close – but there’s definitely some things which […]



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