Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Pass the tacos and hold the screams

Apocalypse Taco by Nathan Hale

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When I first saw the cover of Apocalypse Taco, I was wondered if it was going to be a mystery or a cultural coming of age story. I never expected mutant tacos that replicate cars or a multiple armed and legged person who is besties with a tooth monster. Never having read Nathan Hale, I had no idea what to expect. But then again, I did not expect mutant bee-squid creatures or alien dimensions. But, of course, neither did our main characters, 11-year-old twins Axl […]

Swashbuckling fantasy

Lily the Thief by Janne Kukkonen

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I once was talking to a coworker about a book I read and liked but the way I described it was that I had never loved and hated a book so much in my life. It was amazing, but I was mentally-physically ill while reading as the emotions were so great. It was not an easy read, to say the least. And while I cannot say I loved and hated Lily the Thief that extremely, it did create an experience that I felt strongly. I […]

From two masters of the graphic novel

The Eternal Smile: Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang

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My weekend reading included three graphic novels, and while two were “intense” they were not deeply intense like The Eternal Smile: Three Stories was. This book takes three similar themed, but very different stories and punches you in the face. At first you are seeing the reality of the story. Things seem straight forward at first: A young man battles the “big bads” of the world, wins maiden fair and should live happily ever after. A greedy, cigar chomping frog tries to find that one […]

A ghost story, almost-horror-novel-but-not, for people who don’t really like ghost stories or horror. And people who do!

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

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I don’t normally do ghost stories, but I recently joined Book of the Month, and this was the only one of January’s books that seemed like something I might really like, so I ordered it. Plus it was also being touted as a mystery and a thriller, it fit well with my January theme of reading books by and about badass ladies (double check on that here) and with my run of books about shitty men doing bad things to women and girls. Also it’s […]

“So.” She drummed her fingers on the book. “You’re a grown man who still reads ghost and monster stories.”

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

The Whisper Man by Alex North

Verity by Colleen Hoover

A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill

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(4 stars) The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher Kingfisher tells us from chapter one that the dog (Bongo, best dog ever) and the narrator (Mouse, also quite enjoyable) will be okay at the end of the book. This is good, because I liked them both very much, and this book was SO CREEPY that I really needed some reassurances by the end. Mouse gets called up by her dying father to help with his dead mother’s estate — specifically, the big old house in the […]

The Haunting of Rookward House is my new favorite Darcy Coates novel

The Haunting of Rookward House by Darcy Coates

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The Haunting of Rookward House is a creepy horror novel and it’s the first book in a while to actually scare me. Main character Guy is down on luck. He’s living with his mom and unable to find a job. While helping Mom clean out the attic, he discovers the deed to Rookward House, which Mom doesn’t really remember inheriting. Mom seems a bit ditsy. Guy immediately decides that selling Rookward House is the answer to their problems as it will give them enough money […]



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