Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Ellesfena

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I mostly read nonfiction (especially public health-related), mysteries, and fantasy. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: Ellesfena's Quick Questions interview.)

Ellesfena's Reviews:

“Oh Lord, give us the strength to survive the weariness of our lives.”

Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich

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I love oral histories. I’ll read them on any subject, even one I have no interest in. There’s just something about them that fascinates me. I love to hear all the different perspectives on the same topic. I’ve read sad oral histories before, but I’ve never read anything like Voices from Chernobyl. Voice from Chernobyl is hands down the saddest book I’ve ever read. “Sad” isn’t even the word. The grief flies right off the page and envelops you. It’s also incredibly moving and downright poetic. […]

Magic isn’t real

The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods

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The story: Abby Mendenhall runs the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers in Minneapolis in the 1890s. A new girl, Faith, appears on the doorstep needing a place to stay. Faith doesn’t speak and quickly creeps out some of the other girls with her slightly witchy ways that hint at mesmerism, a sort of hypnotism that was trendy at the time and that didn’t require any words, only actions. Abby has Faith room with May, who is eager to leave the Bethany Home but only if […]

Better than Book 1

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

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(Since this is a sequel, there will be spoilers for the end of Book 1 in here) My review of the first book was titled “Better Than Fourth Wing,” and this one was miles better than Book 1, so I guess maybe I actually liked this one? So Feyre has conquered Amarantha, rescued Tamlin and the rest of the Fae, and is now back in the Spring Court trying to reconcile all of this good news with the very, very bad things she had to […]

A Different Look at History

The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopoulos

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The story: George Stephanopoulos takes look at the history of the Situation Room, from its inception during JFK’s presidency to how it’s being used today. Each chapter focuses on a different president, and most of them zero in on one specific incident that occurred during their presidency in which the Situation Room came into play (for example, the Jimmy Carter chapter focuses on the hostage crisis in Tehran). Why I read it: My dad recommended it, and I love this kind of book. What I […]

Where this series shines, and where it falls apart

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire

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After going back and rereading my favorite Wayward Children book (In an Absent Dream), I decided to pick up the last two that I hadn’t read yet. I loved one, didn’t care for the other, and I think I pinpointed what works for me with these books and what doesn’t. Lost in the Moment and Found is the story of Antsy (Antoinette), whose father has died and mother has remarried. Her mother’s new husband is Bad News, and Antsy runs away from home to escape him. She […]

Ultimately Comforting and Hopeful

All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny

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This is the 16th Inspector Gamache mystery, and I’m honestly impressed with how consistent these books are. There’s been a couple that I didn’t care for much or had trouble getting into, but on the whole these books always work for me. All the Devils are Here was no different–in fact, I think it was one of my favorites thus far. Armand Gamache, his wife Reine-Marie, and his godfather Stephen are in Paris visiting Armand and Reine-Marie’s children and their families–including Jean-Guy Beauvoir, Armand’s former second in […]



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