Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Elastic tension lashed their cars together across space, alone on the road, nothing in his head but grief and freedom.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

February 26, 2026 by carmelpie Leave a Comment

Andrew held the clutch and eased onto the gas, pushing revs while the digital readout reminded him to hold it, wait for the right moment to explode. Sam’s fingers touched the rim of the moon hanging in the sky. A shudder ripped across the bones of Andrew’s forearms, terror and delight and the promise of risk bringing him to life. ― Lee Mandelo, Summer Sons For fuck’s sake Andrew. Is there anything in this scenario that feels heterosexual or well-adjusted to you? ― Lee Mandelo, […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: American History, angst, Classism, curse, dark academia, drug use, Fighting, gay awakening, gay romance, Ghost Stories, homoerotic behaviour, Lee Mandelo, LGBTQ author, LGBTQ romance, murder mystery, Nashville, psychic abilities, queer romance, self-destruction, sexual tension up the wazoo, street racing, Tennessee, toxic friendships, toxic relationships, Toxic Romance, transgender characters, transgender main character, trauma bonding

carmelpie's CBR18 Review No:9 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery · Tags: American History, angst, Classism, curse, dark academia, drug use, Fighting, gay awakening, gay romance, Ghost Stories, homoerotic behaviour, Lee Mandelo, LGBTQ author, LGBTQ romance, murder mystery, Nashville, psychic abilities, queer romance, self-destruction, sexual tension up the wazoo, street racing, Tennessee, toxic friendships, toxic relationships, Toxic Romance, transgender characters, transgender main character, trauma bonding ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Careening over the cliff, crashing into the ocean, and exploding on impact.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

May 26, 2025 by carmelpie 1 Comment

They didn’t simply want us to be lovers. They wanted us to be so in love, we’d burn the whole world down to be together. ― Layne fargo, The Favorites I have a backlog of reviews to write, but it took a truly bonkers story to yank me out of my holding pattern, tear open my window, and scream into the void. The Favorites is that story. This book has everything. Buckets of blood? Check. Violently gory injuries with ice skates? Check. Skating partners who […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Sports Tagged With: bad romance, Classism, dramatic bitches, ice dancing, Layne Fargo, obsession, Rivals, the olympics, toxic relationships, Toxic Romance

carmelpie's CBR17 Review No:14 · Genres: Fiction, Sports · Tags: bad romance, Classism, dramatic bitches, ice dancing, Layne Fargo, obsession, Rivals, the olympics, toxic relationships, Toxic Romance ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

It was a relief and a horror to be known so perfectly.

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

January 20, 2024 by carmelpie Leave a Comment

I’m not sure if I can categorize this book as dark academia, but the characters and the story remind me so much of what I enjoyed about “If We Were Villains” and “The Secret History,” it is impossible for me not to draw parallels between them. All three stories are linked by a sudden and violent death, and how those left behind cope with their secrets. Paul is a seventeen-year-old who has recently graduated from high school. He lives with his mother and his two […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense Tagged With: 1970s, class divide, codependence, dark academia, Donna Tartt, emotional abuse, forbidden love, if we were villains, Jewish American, jewish culture, M.L. Rio, Manipulative behavior, Micah Nemerever, murder, Pittsburgh, queer author, queer romance, teen drama, the secret history, Toxic Romance, tragedy, Vietnam era

carmelpie's CBR16 Review No:7 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense · Tags: 1970s, class divide, codependence, dark academia, Donna Tartt, emotional abuse, forbidden love, if we were villains, Jewish American, jewish culture, M.L. Rio, Manipulative behavior, Micah Nemerever, murder, Pittsburgh, queer author, queer romance, teen drama, the secret history, Toxic Romance, tragedy, Vietnam era ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Chaotic, Cruel Fairy Stories

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

January 12, 2021 by LittlePlat 5 Comments

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower was not at all what I expected. But in retrospect, I’ve come to conclude that my expectations may have been a bit daft. Based on the title and some choice pull quotes, I thought I might be getting a bit of a gently inverted fairy tale. More fool me. This is Tamsyn Muir we’re speaking of here. The author of the Locked Tomb series, whose bread and butter is messy, fucked up sort of sapphic relationships in gruesome settings. […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction Tagged With: #fantasy, neither of the two of you are remotly mature enough to be in a relationship right now, Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower, tamsyn muir, Toxic Romance, working women

LittlePlat's CBR13 Review No:3 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction · Tags: #fantasy, neither of the two of you are remotly mature enough to be in a relationship right now, Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower, tamsyn muir, Toxic Romance, working women ·
Rating:
· 5 Comments

A Welcome Addition To YA Dystopias

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

May 27, 2020 by Claire Badger 2 Comments

Were we all a little burned out on dystopic YA fiction for a while there? Yeah, and the movie studios sure didn’t help. Yet here in 2020, something about a pandemic has made dystopic fiction that is specifically YA a lot more appealing though, so who better to reignite my interest in the genre than Susanne Collins herself? Did I get so obsessively into the Hunger Games trilogy back in ’12 that I neglected to finish my Masters thesis on time and had to take […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult Tagged With: dystopia, Hunger Games, Susanne Collins, Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, Toxic Romance, YA

Claire Badger's CBR12 Review No:1 · Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult · Tags: dystopia, Hunger Games, Susanne Collins, Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, Toxic Romance, YA ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments


Recent Comments

  • finnyfinfinn
    on Sometimes, a book cover promises cats and lies. This book, on the other hand, delivers in spades. SO many cats, guys.
    Sooooo many cats!!
  • Tracy
    on “They were to one another what fixed stars are to sailors: The only way through the dark.”
    I loved this one so much.
  • angela
    on The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
    so who are you reading these days?
  • Zanyia
    on A heartwarming book I adore
    We are learning this in school and I'm loving it
  • Pooja
    on Library Week! Show us Your Library Joy
    My original hometown is Franklin MA, which is supposed to be the oldest public library in the United States. The...
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