Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“I’m a man who will always choose to know.”

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

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CBR16 Bingo: Horses – The horses are all but extinct in this world, and they are so dearly missed that the possession of one means possession of power. Kinch, a thief drowning in debt, is promised that he’ll be square with the Takers Guild if he accompanies the knight Galva on her mysterious mission to a giant-infested kingdom. I’m a rather utilitarian reader, happy with solid plotting and characterization, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate when a particularly enjoyable turn of phrase crosses […]

Confusing, but fun

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

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Nowhere Book Bingo: Award Winner (Won the Hugo and Locus awards in 1998, plus a bunch of others) Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: Scene on a boat or body of water (there’s a lot of rowing on the river) CBR16 Bingo: Tech (time travel requires pretty specific technology) This is the second book in the Oxford Time Travel series, but you really don’t need to have read the first one, Doomsday Book, to understand and enjoy this one. In the universe these books are set in, […]

Walk on the Wild side with magic

Amulet Volume 9: Waverider by Kazu Kibuishi

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The Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi was a big hit when it first appeared on the shelves of my bookstore, and I understood why, even though at the time I was just starting to get into graphic novels and fantasy was something I was reading again. It had a lot of pop and mystery. Things were fantasy, but had elements that were relatable, they even could be considered believable even though things were fantasy all the way. And the main character was also spunky and […]

“I can love you. I can grieve for you, or with you. I can share your pain. But I cannot judge you.”

Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

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CBR16 Bingo: Détente (Cordelia and Aral start out as enemies and end up married) Official book summary (read this in early May): In her first trial by fire, Cordelia Naismith captained a throwaway ship of the Betan Expeditionary Force on a mission to destroy an enemy armada. Discovering deception within deception, treachery within treachery, she was forced into a separate peace with her chief opponent, Lord Aral Vorkosigan – he who was called “The Butcher of Komarr” – and would consequently become an outcast on […]

Lost Paradise or Far Flung Trailer Park

The Far Land: 200 Years of Murder, Mania, and Mutiny in the South Pacific by Brandon Presser

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CBR16 Bingo – Bananas: A lot of people eat a lot of bananas across several centuries and a number of South Pacific islands. Also, this story is utterly bananas. Several centuries after the mutineers from the HMS Bounty settled Pitcairn Island, author Brandon Presser goes to visit this isolated place, where he tries to understand how the bloody and conflicted past has shaped the present day lives of the descendants. Considering how much I enjoy true crime and strange stories, it’s probably odd that I […]

Anything but plain

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

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cbr16bingo Liberate: (Jane tries to liberate herself from the bonds of being a woman; the mermaids try to liberate themselves from ageing) Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol was on my radar for some time, but I never found a copy and reading time at the same time. I’m not sure what I expected, or honestly to like it as much as I did. I thought it would be cute, funny, not WOW but also not mediocre. And while there are no real surprises […]



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