Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Someone has a secret that’s pretty easy to guess and who really cares anyways

Unordinary vol 1 by uru-chan

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Bingo 21: Liberate John and Seraphina both want to be free (liberated) from social strictures and expectations somehow. But the rules of the world they live in are not developed. But is you sort of imagine a My Hero Academia world where more people are un-powered than not, it makes a little more sense. They both seem to think that you should judge folks for who they are. Not whether or how much power they have. Sound familiar? Unordinary is highly cliché; this is the […]

Death Becomes Him

Under the Whispering Door by T. J. Klune

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Bingo 13: Pride Under the Whispering Door is most definitely not a book to read for plot, as it’s largely thematically and character driven, and it’s also not one you want to really speed through as it’s got a lot of lyrical segments. Both of these are strengths, but also reasons why you need to be in the right mood to really enjoy this, and I have to admit, I wasn’t always. The two main threads, adjusting to being dead and coming to terms with […]

“No, I mean, it’s all in pieces.” “Yes. So are we all.”

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

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Light from Uncommon Stars is both entirely typical of my reading (characters going through it, romance main or subplots, coming to terms with one’s choices, a commitment to reading trans and non-binary authors) but also feels quite a bit outside my comfort zone. I had initially put this book on my to read list because of the 2023 Read Harder tasks asking us to read a book about a trans character by a trans author and a book from the Ignyte Awards. Then my 2023 […]

Magic and Anxiety

Secret Passages 1985-1986 by Axelle Lenoir

The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor

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Secret Passages 1985-1986 by Axelle Lenoir – 3 stars In an effort to untangle her complicated feelings about the loss of her cosmic twin, author Axelle decides to unspool her life in an off-kilter autobiographical comic. This is a surreal and funny graphic novel which depicts a year in young Axelle’s life as she starts going to school, forms a strange connection with the forest by her home, and begins to suffer in the grip of acute anxiety. The art is both atmospheric and humorous, […]

Lady pirate called out of retirement for, “One last job”.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

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I was introduced to Shannon Chakraborty writing under the name S.A. Chakraborty through her book The City of Brass, first book in the Daevabad trilogy.  There was a lot I liked about it; excellent Middle Eastern inspired fantasy world building, an engaging story, and a great female main protagonist.  Yet, I disliked how pretty much the only female character was the main one. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi also has excellent Middle Eastern inspired fantasy world building.  This time it’s set on the Indian Ocean during the […]

The struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of three women in three time periods

Weyward by Emilia Hart

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My book club knocked it out of the park this month with Weyward.  Coincidentally,  Barnes and Noble chose it as this month’s speculative fiction pick.  Clearly we have excellent taste.  Emilia Hart has crafted a moving narrative across time by telling us the story of Altha Weyward in 1619, Violet Aryes in 1942, and Kate Aryes in 2019.  Altha, Violet, and Kate are Weyward women.  Born with the gift of being in tune with and connected to nature. For Altha, raised by her mother, another Weyward […]



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