Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Reality is thin but not always dark:” A Very Enjoyable and Thought Provoking Collection from King

Just After Sunset by Stephen King

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I was struck late last year with the overwhelming urge to read some Stephen King short stories, and so here is the result. I hadn’t read this collection for a few years so was able to re-read these with a sense of meeting old friends who I slightly remembered. This collection has a high overall level of stories, and I was struck by the strength of his writing and the way he worded things throughout, often very beautifully and strikingly. I will say that having […]

You know I have volumes two and three on order!

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Season 10 Volume one by Jeremy Whitley

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CBR15Passport Books I own (had since mid-2022) I was not totally into My Little Ponies toys and cartoons as a kid, but I had my share and watched the shows/movies. As an adult, I have gotten back into them as my nephew (in his wonderful oddness of finding things that appeal to his sense of the world) has found them (he likes the music and colors mostly) and we have something we can share (though I am learning a lot about Frozen, superheroes and Five […]

“It is the fate of all made things”

“The Secret Life of Bots” by Suzanne Palmer

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Narfna recommended “The Secret Life of Bots” last week and provided a link. I opened the link immediately, and then the tab sat there, open and unread, for days. As one does. The Bot is activated and given a task by Ship. It notes that a long period of time has passed since it was last activated, and that the task it has been given, task 944, was a higher number than usual. The Bot starts out on it’s task – exterminate a pest. Along […]

“I have been activated, therefore I have a purpose, the bot thought. I have a purpose, therefore I serve.”

The Secret Life of Bots by Suzanne Palmer

Bots of the Lost Ark by Suzanne Palmer

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In catching up on reading end of CBR14 reviews I clocked narfna’s review of Clarkesworld Magazine Issue 132 since she titled it “Attention: Murderbot stans: I have a short story for you.” Consider my attention grabbed. I love Murderbot very much and anything that gives similar feels is something I want to at least peruse, and narfna so helpfully provided links to both The Secret Lives of Bots and Bots of the Lost Ark (and if you click those titles – so have I!). Suzanne […]

Charming start to CBR15

Snowdrift and Other Stories by Georgette Heyer

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I found this collection thanks to one of the many articles that pop up in my social media recommending various types of book to me. I can’t remember what the list was (I think it was some sort of recommendations from the New York Public Library), but given last month’s arrival of snowstorm Elliot plus the overwhelming amount of holiday stuff I had to do, a collection of short stories set in the Regency period seemed like a fun diversion. And it absolutely was! If […]

Attention, Murderbot stans: I have a short story for you.

Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 132 by ed. Neil Clarke

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I downloaded this in 2021 for the Read Harder Challenge but never read it, and no longer remember the challenge I downloaded it for, but I managed to make it fit perfectly into this year’s Read Harder. Efficiency! The issue itself after all of that was a bit of disappointment. I’m noting here at the top that the five-star rating is solely for “The Secret Life of Bots” by Suzanne Palmer, a 8,000~ word novelette that won the Hugo in 2018, a win that is […]



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