Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Being Home Sick = Lots of Time to Read

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

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cbr17bingo – TBR (for The City of Brass) and my 3rd BINGO The City of Brass This has been on my TBR for ages, and I’m glad I finally got to it. It’s a Middle Eastern-inspired historical fantasy that follows the POVs of Nahri, a con woman living in Cairo when we first meet her, and Ali, the younger son of the ruling family of Daevabad (the titular city of brass). While he doesn’t get his own POV chapters, Dara is another important character rounding […]

Magical found families are my cat nip

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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After months of work stress, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was exactly what I needed. This cozy fantasy romance introduces us to Mika Moon, an orphaned witch living in the UK. She meets every quarter in secret places with fellow witches of Britain. They’re not allowed to talk to each other except at these meetings, lest they be discovered and persecuted. Primrose, Mika’s guardian, is the de facto head of the witches who enforces these rules for the greater good. Much to Primrose’s […]

“Niceness is all about what we do when other people are looking. Kindness, on the other hand, runs deep. Kindness is what happens when no one’s looking.”

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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I have been in a bit of a slump lately..my life has felt heavy, and so did my books. Not physically, but both my monthly book club selection (Heaven and Earth Grocery) and a read along with a friend (Beartown) cover darker topics and I needed a break!  I was craving some whimsy and lightness and this book was just what I needed. It’s a cozy, warm, found family fantasy (alliteration) that will bring a smile to your face. Mika Moon is a witch in Britain, […]

A warm, cozy, romantic story about magic and family.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu. Mandanna

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I’ve been wanting to read Sangu Mandanna’s The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches for months. One of the reasons I decided to join the Diverse Baseline Challenge this year was to give myself permission to read the books I already have that are not arcs. The Very Secret Society fit one of the prompts for February, a book by a BIPOC author with found family. At the Cannonball Read 16 Romance Zoom Saturday night, I tried to explain why I love romance. Afterwards, I thought of how […]

Cozy Fantasy(?) Reviews

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

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In The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Mika Moon is a 31-year-old witch who, like other witches around the world, hides who she is. Every 3 months she meets up with other witches in Great Britain for a few hours, but aside from that, they have little to no contact with each other. But Mika loves magic so much and wants to share it with a community so badly that she creates videos in which she performs magic. She doesn’t expect any viewers to […]

The Magic of Making Yourself a Home

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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Witches keep to themselves for their own good.  Mingling with other witches is an invitation for trouble and against the rules.  At least that’s what Mika has always been told.  And she’s used to it; like all witches, Mika’s an orphan and was raised by a succession of nannies and tutors.  Her only contact with other witches is on the third Thursday of every third month.   However, when she gets a message online asking her to come and tutor three young witches at Nowhere House, […]



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