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:

I’m already dead

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

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Under the Whispering Door isn’t a sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, even though the covers look so similar–and even though TJ Klune uses the word “cerulean” no less than three times throughout the book, which is three times more than I’ve ever seen it in any other book besides The House in the Cerulean Sea. It felt sort of thematically the same, though–a sweet love story, a redemption story, and one about found family. I think I liked The House in the Cerulean Sea better. Under the […]

“The mountain is there to be crossed.”

Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear

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This is third in the Maisie Dobbs series. It was my favorite so far, so I’m looking forward to continuing this series. In Pardonable Lies, Maisie is working on three separate cases: helping 14-year-old Avril Jarvis, who’s been accused of murdering her stepfather, finding out more about her friend Priscilla’s brother, who disappeared during World War I, and working for Sir Cecil Lawton, who promised his wife on her deathbed that he would search for their son, who was also reported dead during WWI. At the […]

Everybody’s got their limits, nobody’s found mine

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Mayhem in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

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I don’t think I have anything to say about this book that hasn’t already been said before a hundred times, but I still have to review it, because it was fantastic. Say Nothing is the story of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, focusing on the period from the 70s up until the present day. It’s centered around the disappearance of Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten who was abducted by the IRA in 1972. It also covers several key players who were involved in […]

Cozy and Comforting

French Braid by Anne Tyler

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Oh gosh. I read this book too long ago to review. I have to try and remember the details. French Braid is the story of the Garrett family, told through several vignettes over the course of half a century, each focusing on different family members. I liked this book. To be honest I like most of Anne Tyler’s books. Reading them is like wrapping up in a cozy blanket while the rain pours down outside. They’re just cozy and comforting to me. While this one isn’t a […]

May we all in our dotage be proud to say, “I was adored once too”

From Hollywood with Love by Scott Meslow

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I don’t love romantic comedies, but I like a few of them very much. I’m probably not the target audience for this book–but I did still enjoy most of it. From Hollywood with Love alternates back and forth between chapters about specific romantic comedies, and shorter essays about certain rom-com stars. Some of the essays about specific actors were interesting (and some weren’t–it probably depends on which actors you like), but mostly I enjoyed the chapters about the movies. The chapter about Pretty Woman was especially interesting to […]

I hope you die, I hope we both die

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

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This book surprised me. For about the first 100 pages or so, I was sure I wasn’t going to like it and may not even finish it. But eventually it pulled me in and I found myself pretty caught up in the story. The protagonist of The Cruel Prince is a teenager named Jude, a human who lives in Faerie with her human twin sister Taryn and their fairy half-sister, Vivi. They live with Vivi’s father, who is wrapped up in the various intrigues and violence of […]



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