Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Archives for December 2021

I would like to join the Tea Dragon Society

The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O'Neill

by 2 Comments

Dome’Loki introduced me to Kay O’Neill’s The Tea Dragon Society through her Cannonball Read review. The adorable cover won me over immediately. I was so taken with it that I impulsively supported the Chamomile plush Kickstarter campaign without ever reading the books. I couldn’t decide which dragon I wanted, so I simply ordered all of them with the first book. After several months, they finally arrived and made my day! This children’s book is the first in a series. It introduces us to Greta who […]

Trying to finish up CBR13

The House of M by Brian Michael Bendis

Batman: Knightfall (Vol. 1) by Doug Moench

by Leave a Comment

  House of M (2005) 3/5 stars I don’t follow comics. I used to, when I was a teenager, but that was more than a couple years ago now. I have generally watched the movies, though, and have mostly enjoyed the MCU. Comics have a pretty big nostalgia factor for me, so I’ve frequently “tried” getting back into them, and have had varying degrees of success. In light of that, I’ve always kind of wanted to read Civil War, and was aware of the story-line […]

A Pleasant Way to Spend the Holidays

The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries by Ed. Otto Penzler

by Leave a Comment

I always find it a bit hard to review mystery anthologies. The stories are quick, plot-driven snacks that don’t have any particular depth to them. Which is precisely the reason I like them—they are a nice distraction from reading that requires more heavy lifting. The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries, edited by the ubiquitous Otto Penzler, was a fun book to read for the holidays. The majority are not cozy mysteries, which was what I was expecting and was a tad disappointed not to find. […]

Love Languages in Toronto

Bidding for the Bachelor by Jackie Lau

A Very Beery New Year by Jackie Lau

by 3 Comments

Jackie Lau’s books continue to be a place of refuge for me. Lau’s characters always feel grounded in a reality, whole people more than devices to carry a plot. Lau uses food sometimes as a love language, and sometimes as a safe place where characters can come together. Bidding on the Bachelor is Lau’s first m/m romance, even so, it’s classic Jackie Lau. Cedric Fong is the last unpartnered Fong brother and has come out to his family as bi. His Po-Po (grandmother) bribes him […]

Old friends

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

Jingo by Terry Pratchett

by 2 Comments

I have been listening to these three books on audio on repeat all year.  It has been an anxiety filled couple of years and I have found audio books at night help me shut down the worry voice in my head. I know the stories so well it doesn’t matter if i have missed pieces along the way. The rereads have reinforced my understanding of Pratchett as a great writer and observer of humanity.  There are likely to be unintended spoilers, as i have read […]

A great man, a great book (??), but not a book for me.

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela

by Leave a Comment

Oh, this rating makes me feel bad. Three stars means ‘I liked it!’ I just don’t think autobiographies are for me. Nelson Mandela was a great man, and I’m glad I know more about him, but this was not super engaging for me, even in audiobook. The audiobook, by the way, is a good one. The narrator, Michael Boatman, is from South Africa, so he can do all the clicks and glottal stops that Mandela’s native tongue of Xhosa requires. His voice is soothing and […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo