Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

There’s Always Room in My Life For Middle Grade Mysteries

The Bell, The Book, and the Spellbinder by Brad Strickland

The Chessmen of Doom by John Bellairs

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I got these books by mistake since I confused them with John Bellairs’ other middle grade gothic horror/magic series starring a boy being raised by his grandparents. I cut myself some slack for this one, especially since I also read this Johnny Dixon series as a child and the titles were familiar. I do still want to do a re-read of the Lewis Barnavelt series, so I’ll have to get my hands on those soon. My idea in getting these was to read the series from […]

Mortality of Death

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V

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After (and during) reading The Many Deaths of Laila Starr I thought, “I do not know what I am reading/read.”  This is a jumbled-up messy, chaotic graphic novel story that was fracking amazing. It dives into the concept of death, life and the things that move both. There is love, hate and something in between. There is an understanding of the fragility and strength humans possessed. Ram V. is an odd writer but knows what they are saying. I think. Maybe they are just crazier […]

More Like the Book of Old Cases, Right?

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

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Le sigh. I hate tearing into the work of a writer I normally enjoy. I’m going to do a non-spoiler one and include a spoiler below. While the spoiler does indeed reveal a major plot point (though not an essential one to the mystery of the murders), I do encourage you to read it as it deals with a trope that is common and very painful for a large group of people. It’s one I see repeated time-and-time again and I’m just tired of it. […]

a manor on the edge of ruin, a mute little girl, a butler with a dangerous past, and a potentially magical drunken dandy…

The Maker of Swans by Paraic O'Donnell

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What looks like a recipe for potential nonsense is actually a truly surprising and unique thriller! Paraic O’Donnell follows up the Victorian spiritualism of The House on Vesper Sands with another historical mystery, but where I was expecting (and hoping for, honestly) a continuation of the former, The Maker of Swans jumps head-first into the 20th Century and dares the reader to catch up. A butler tries his damndest to keep his employer safe, sane, and sober- but the draws of the Jazz Age have the […]

“The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted.”

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

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30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 2 Book 14/30 After sitting on it for over a month, I think I’m going to chalk this one up to being the wrong book at the wrong time for me. When I do my eventual Full Stephen King Re-Read™ I’m hoping I will enjoy it more. (This won’t be for ages. I’ve still got about half his back catalog to go the first time around.) I was telling myself the story of this book before writing this review, […]

What Moves the Dead

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review. Wow. This was so good. It could have been 100 pages longer and I wouldn’t have noticed. This was a great twist on “The Fall of the House of Usher” and I loved every second of it. “What Moves the Dead” follows Alex Easton that is a retired soldier that is rushing to see their childhood friend, Madeline Usher. Alex served with Madeline’s brother Roderick and finds both […]



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