Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Dreamy but Derivative (also CANNONBALL!)

And I Do Not Forgive You: Stories & Other Revenges by Amber Sparks

by 12 Comments

These stories have been told before. Most are fairly clever fairy tales retold, some are veiled retellings of myth and history, and a few are sparkling new. They have been told before in the sense that they are retellings, but they have also been told before in the sense that other authors have done these before, and done them better. It was difficult to find the author’s voice; reading the collection felt less like one author’s work and more like an anthology of the who’s […]

Spooky Spelunking Ahoy!

Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch

by Leave a Comment

…but before we dig in, let’s celebrate a Pulp reference! Well, our victim had a thirst for knowledge,” said Stephanopoulos. “He was a student at St. Martins College. Ha! Delightful. This series is chock full of geeky innuendo. Come for a magical rollick through London, but stay for the myriad Harry Potter, Terry Pratchett, Dr. Who, and Tolkien references- just to name a few. Somehow, despite many references to the fantasy that came before and continues to ripple around the world of Rivers of London, this […]

Another Fun Romp Through the Rivers of London

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

by Leave a Comment

Peter Grant is back, and he is diving further into the underbelly of London and the under-the-table world of magical police work. In the last outing, Midnight Riot, I was treated to a great deal of London’s history. There was another blast of history this time as well; it remains a primer on the foundations of the city and running commentary on the architectural abominations foisted upon the area since the ’50s. Were it not for all the gore and sex I’d say that ol Prince […]

Australian spookiness. Just add panpipes and a didgeridoo.

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

by 10 Comments

  In 1975, I saw an Australian movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock, one of the most perfect and perfectly weird films I have ever seen.  The impact of this film still resonates with me, and when I was looking for another book at Powells, and noticed this, I HAD to have it.  I had no idea the film was based on a book, and yet here we are.  And it is every bit as freakily good as the movie as.   It begins as a […]

Coming to a hospital near you…

The Stand by Stephen King

by 2 Comments

Why would you read a book about a fictional pandemic when there’s an actual pandemic happening, people ask?  I think it’s perfect timing. I spent the first several chapters comparing the beginning of the made-up super-flu pandemic of 1990 to the current world wide spread of COVID-19, diligently jotting down notes about what the president of the USA said (for example, ‘My fellow Americans, I urge you to stay at home. If you feel ill, stay in bed, take aspirin, and drink plenty of clear […]

Great mystery and setting hampered by repetition

In the Barren Ground by Loreth Anne White

by Leave a Comment

I’ve been in a bit of a book rut lately. I had such high hopes for the past few novels I’ve read, but they were all disappointing. I needed something reliable to give me a win.  A few months ago, I ran across Loreth Anne White’s In the Dark. I devoured the fast-paced thriller in a couple of days, and it left me eager to read more of her work. In the Barren Ground has rave reviews on Goodreads, so I thought it might be […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo