Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“She accepted the visit and lived in anticipation, wondering what was to come. It was November 19, 1950. She would be dead in ten days.”

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

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I’m not going to compare this to The Sun-Down Motel, which is the only other book of hers I’ve read, because they are very different books, which I wasn’t expecting because of their seeming similarities (dual timelines, ghosts, murder). And on its own, I enjoyed listening to this book very much. (Rebecca Lowman does a good job with the narration, although her male performances sometimes slip into silliness.) The two timelines are: Vermont, 1950, at the boarding school of Idlewind, a school for girls who […]

If It Bleeds? King sure does; the master is no longer impervious

If It Bleeds by Stephen King

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Late last year, I thought to myself it’d been a while since I last read something by the author who once was my favorite: Stephen King. Since he’d just released a new novel, Billy Summers, one I’d seen some rather positive press for, I picked it up from Walmart, although with some trepidation. It had been some time since King had written anything that captured my attention the way my favorites of his have; I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve attempted to make […]

Don’t Read This Novel, Even If Cults Interest You

The Children of Red Peak by Craig DiLouie

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I should be the perfect audience for this book (cults! horror!) but it was a disappointing and frustrating read. Spoilers follow throughout my review. The book follows the five survivors of a cult who all vanished in what the world believes to be a mass suicide. But some of the survivors have memories that suggest that other forces were at work. As the fifteen-year anniversary of the tragedy approaches, one of the survivors kills herself and the remaining four have to face what they’ve been […]

An odd man, his angry daughter, and a religious cat walk into a bar…

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

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I originally saw this book recommended on r/horrorlit a couple of months ago, when I was trying to branch out into different genres.  I’m not sure I’d really classify this as horror – psychological fiction might be more apt. It’s better to go into this book with as little information on the plot as possible, so I’ll do my best to keep this review spoiler-free. The basic plot set up: Years ago, a little girl went missing. Her sister is looking for the person responsible, […]

Take a diabolical voyage on the high seas!

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

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The year is 1634, and the United East India Company is the wealthiest, and most powerful, trade company in the world. The most profitable spice route is between Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) and the Company headquarters in Amsterdam where the ruling board of the Company, the Gentlemen 17, place profit over all other considerations. This route takes eight months to cross and is perilous and arduous. In Batavia, the massive cargo-passenger ship Saardam is about to set sail for Amsterdam with a mysterious cargo, along with […]

Pretty Girls Will Rip Your Heart Out

Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

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Squad was part of my holiday gift exchange last year. I was tempted to sink my teeth into it right away, but things just got in the way. I started it about a week or so ago, and while I cannot say it is the first graphic novel that took me that long (or longer) to read, it was one that really took some time. This is not necessarily because it was OMG SO GOOD! Or even “deep and thoughtful” but because it is paced […]



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