Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Ale

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I'm TAing in creative writing, and I'm in the midst of editing my first novel. Along with CBR, I have book reviews published with "The Literary Review," short essay with "Fiction Southeast" and a forthcoming publication with "The Book Smuggler's Den." CBR has definitely helped my writing skills since now I know what readers are looking for for in their works. So, thank you, CBR! Hopefully someday, we'll be able to review my novel on this blog. :) (Learn more about this Cannonballer: Ale's Quick Questions interview.)

Ale's Reviews:

The Garment in Which Memory is Stitched

My Wedding Dress: True-life Tales of Lace, Laughter, Tears, & Tulle by Edited by Susuan Whelhan & Anne Laurel Carter

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Finding my own wedding dress was a study in disappointment. I didn’t have any of the appropriate reactions I felt I was supposed to have, and the ‘yes, this is the dress,’ moment didn’t happen until I went to the last fitting. Indeed the entire process of planning my wedding unearthed strange emotions and bizarre traditions and expectations I’d never thought mattered very much. In the end it was a great day, and much to my own annoyance, I have to admit I’m glad we […]

Darkly Enchanting

The Binding by Bridget Collins

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It’s been a long time since a book has really grabbed me and not let go until the end. I’m a slow reader these days, usually taking 2 – 3 weeks to finish a book since I only read at night before bed. But The Binding demanded my time. I read it everywhere, foregoing all kinds of adulting in favor of immersing myself in Collins’ world, and I finished it in about 3 days. In the world of The Binding, there are people who have the […]

REALLY Not My Wheelhouse

The Maze at Windemere by Gregory Blake Smith

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My boss loves having me read whatever his classes are reading so he can talk about the books with someone who’s not a student, and The Maze at Windemere ended up on my desk after he taught his Gilded Age course. We have vastly divergent tastes in books, but most of the time he’s pretty good at nailing what we’ll both enjoy…… This was not one of those times. I didn’t really know what to expect from this book, and after finishing it, I’m still […]

Sand and Sea, and a Little Victorian Mystery

The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker

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There’s a huge bargain book shop not far from my house where my dad and I sometimes go to spend a Saturday morning thumbing through the racks. Books are literally stacked to the ceiling and there’s not much organization, but you can pick up hardbacks for $2.00, and it’s fun just to see what’s there. The Hotel Under the Sand had been tossed on a shelf amidst a bunch of nature books and non-fiction, but the title caught my eye. I’d never heard of Kage […]

Travel History

Topographies by Stephen Benz

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I got an advanced copy to do a review for The Literary Review, and while travel essays aren’t normally in my wheelhouse, this collection was a winner. Benz travels widely from the Florida Everglades to the Moldovan post-Communist landscape, the deserts of the American West and to the streets of Central America. Historically minded, and introspective of both the culture of the landscapes and the people who inhabit them, Benz’ accounts are a vivid and engaging story of overlooked places and history. The collection is […]



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