Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

That Magic Sofa (a homage to Ben E. King)

Twist and Shout Murder: A Murder A-Go-Go Mystery by Rosemary Martin

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The fluff continues in the second installment of the Murder A-Go-Go Cozy Romance Mystery series, and as long as you remember that this is fluff and therefore not really a book series to take overly seriously, you’ll be fine. Set 3 weeks after It’s A Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod Murder, Bebe and her oh so dreamy boss Bradley Williams have moved from Rip-City Records Talent Company to Ryan Modeling on the round-the-companies tour Bradley’s Uncle Herman has sent him on. See, Uncle Herman has no […]

I’d like to see the “cozy” come back to this mystery series

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley

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“I know I’m not the girl I once was, but I’m not really sure yet who I am,” Flavia de Luce bemoans at about the midpoint of What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust. While she’s still quite young (I don’t think she’s progressed past 12 in this latest installment), she does carry the weight of adulthood on her shoulders at times. Technically she’s not alone in the world–she has her dear friend-of-the-family-part-time-servant Dogger, grandmotherly housekeeper Mrs. Mullet, bookish sister Daffy (Feely still being away […]

Two different stories pretending to be one novel

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

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The 19th Wife tells the story of two young people from different time periods, each dealing with the repercussions of growing up in a polygamous society. In 1875, Ann Eliza Young, the titular “19th wife” of Mormon leader Brigham Young, has recently left her husband, her religion, and her community, embarking on a crusade to end the practice of polygamy. In 2007, a young man named Jordan Scott must return to the polygamous Mormon sect that disowned him years ago, in order to investigate his […]

If The Librarians met the Night at the Museum

The Night Librarian: A Graphic Novel by Christopher Lincoln

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If The Librarians television series met the movie The Night at the Museum you would have The Night Librarian: A Graphic Novel by Christopher Lincoln. Realism, fantasy and literature literally come to life on the pages of this middle grade graphic novel.  While I liked and enjoyed it, I was not “wowed.” Things are familiar (sibling issues, issues with absent parents, really expensive and rare editions of Dracula), and it is just a fun story about stories, siblings, family, communication, being appreciated. We have read […]

How the World Works

Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy by Matthew Campbell & Kit Chellel

The Constant Gardener by John Le Carré

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Finished two consecutive books on how the world works. Both are good and devastating in their own respective ways Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy When the cargo ship Dalit hit Baltimore’s Key Bridge last year, I felt it deeply, not just because I’m a Baltimorean but because I’ve worked with seafarers in the past. It’s a hard life: dangerous labor with little pay and almost no labor protections. Away from your family months at a […]

Isle Of Amberly

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

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“Wait, what just happened?” is the best review I read for this book. I most heartily concur with that statement. Successful author Grady Green’s wife disappeared on a rainy night one year ago. Since then his life has unraveled and he’s been unable to write or sleep. His agent takes pity on him with the opportunity of a lifetime, to stay at a quiet cabin on a remote Scottish island to try to get some writing done. He and his trusty dog Columbo head off […]



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