Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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“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, […]

Careful what you wish for

The Knitting Witch: A Spellbinding Tale of Magic and Mischief by Norma Kassirer

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Ivy Lou is a wealthy child who is given everything by her overindulgent parents, in The Knitting Witch: A Spellbinding Tale of Magic and Mischief. However, if they say “no” or even hesitate, Ivy Lou has three tantrums she can use to get her way. One day a witch (hence the title) shows up, promising the one thing Ivy Lou’s parents cannot buy (friends for Ivy Lou). But as the woman is a witch, things do not go as hoped and Ivy Lou gets a […]

Instead of hiding their skeletons, the witches invited them to tea and fed them coffee cake.

Deja Brew by Celestine Martin

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Deja Brew was a perfect read for me at this particular moment. I’ve enjoyed this whole cozy series centering the Caraway family of witches in the fictional magical town of Freya’s Grove on the Jersey shore. Celestine Martin blends magic, family (good and bad), rediscovering fun, finding your authentic self, and a heartachingly sweet (and spicy) romance. Sirena is a kitchen witch who has lost her confidence in the kitchen and is burnt out from the constant grind of work. After a terrible October where […]

Fairy tale villains and loving sisters

Into the Goblin Market by Vikki VanSickle

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Recently I located a list of books that were recommended by other booksellers across the country. I found the picture book section and said, “Online reading here I come.” And I was able to read most of them (I have one in physical form so I passed and I have two more to read), but one that really stuck out to me was Into the Goblin Market by Vikki VanSickle and Jensine Eckwall as the illustrator.  It is a contemporary folktale or fairy tale that […]

Follow Your Heart

Not Your Crush’s Cauldron by April Asher

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She needs a new place to live and he just happens to have some extra space. Forced proximity never leads to romantic shenanigans! I’m sure they’ll be respectful roommates who barely see each but always clean the bathroom. Just kidding, that’s probably a step too far into fantasy. Here we have the story of the last Maxwell triplet, Olive. Olive is a college professor who leaves the wild magical hi-jinks to her sisters in favor of a more low key life. When she assigns her […]

“Comedy is laughter in the face of death”

Wyrd Sisters (1988) by Terry Pratchett

Witches Abroad (1991) by Terry Pratchett

Lords and Ladies (1992) by Terry Pratchett

Carpe Jugulum (1998) by Terry Pratchett

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These are re-reads, these are beloved, these are–I suggest–suitable for the fanfic square because they are riotous and revelrous games with Shakespeare plays and fairy stories and Dracula and witch traditions, even while they question the logics behind them. For example, as Pratchett points out, witches would probably not be dancing around nude during their eldritch rites because it would get quite chilly. Wyrd Sisters (1988) Autocorrect keeps trying to make wyrd into ‘word’, which is fitting, because this is a book partly about the […]



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