Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Featured Review Archive

These reviews, which were promoted in CBR social media, on our homepage, and in Pajiba Love, appear below by review publication date, not by date featured.

 

“I think everyone should just figure out what works for them and enjoy it on their own terms.”

I Think Our Son Is Gay Vol. 3 by Okura

I Think Our Son Is Gay Vol. 4 by Okura

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This is a very sweet slice-of-life series that follows Tomoko, a mother who suspects that her son Hiroki is gay. Throughout the course of the series, she challenges her own internalized prejudices and learns more about how to support her son even if he’s not able to come out to her yet. I think what stands out to me the most with this series is how grounded in reality it is. The author, Okura, is gay, and I think that lends itself to the books […]

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I had such a good time with it.

Bitch: On the Female of the Species by Lucy Cooke

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I haven’t written it yet, but I’m fairly certain this review will mostly be made up of quotes. That’s the reason I have been letting it hold up my review queue, because I haven’t had enough spoons to sit down and go through all my tabs [see below for picture] for my favorite bits, and then organize the bits into some sort of order, and then finally think up smart things to say about them. And if not smart, then at least entertaining. I picked […]

A thriller based in gentrification

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

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When I was reading through the categories for Read Harder 2023 challenge, I was stymied by number 23: Read a social horror, mystery, or thriller novel. I had no idea what a social horror novel was. I had never heard of this genre. I did a quick search for “social horror” and found a few lists. Wouldn’t you know, it turns out I love this genre! The Only Good Indians, Lovecraft Country, Mexican Gothic (which admittedly I loved in concept but not execution) are all […]

Gangsters vs. Nazis – some interesting philosophical questions

Gangsters vs. Nazis by Michael Benson

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Full disclosure right from the start, I am a practicing Jew. So when my friend lent me this book, Gangsters vs. Nazis: How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis in Wartime America, I knew I had to read it. Many may not realize this, but the Nazi movement was quite strong in the United States in the 1930s, especially within the German American community. One of the first surprises this book had for me was who gave the initial impetus behind the Jewish mobsters attacking the Nazis: […]

There’s a New Young Magician in Town

Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

Amari and the Great Game by B. B. Alston

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Seeking a break from the current troubles in my personal life, I hit the library looking for something light and fun to take my mind off of everything. The “now available” section on Libby showed me a bunch of things that looked too hard but then came Amari. Amari and the Night Brothers is the first in a planned trilogy of books by B. B. Alston known as the Supernatural Investigations series. The main character, Amari Peters, lives in a housing project with her single […]

Hex the Patriarchy

VenCo: A Novel by By Cherie Dimaline

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I will automatically read any books about witches or libraries, my two weaknesses. If I ever found a book about a witch library I would probably explode. VenCo fortunately is not that book. Within the first few pages we are greeted by the leaders of the North American covens (CoVen=VenCo). A tattooed Maiden, a Mother with her pit bull, and a Crone dressed in Chanel walk into a meeting hoping to change the world. From here I was hooked and I hadn’t even met the […]



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