Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Not that an asteroid crashing into our planet is a good thing, but it does put everything else into perspective.”

The World Ends in April by McAnulty, Stacy

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Eleanor Dross is getting a little weary of her life. School, as always, is terrible. She has only one friend, and while Mack is the best, she could do without everyone else ignoring her or worse.  Her grades? Let’s not talk about it. And home life, it’s fine, but nothing to, well, write home about. Her recently widowed dad is doing his best. And they have Grandpa Joe to help out too. But Joe is a “prepper” – that is to say, he’s most excited […]

Sci-Fi + LGBTQ = TAKE MY MONEY NOW

I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi

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The premise of our story is that Earth receives a message that an alien planet is judging the fate of humanity, with the possible (most likely) outcome resulting in the extermination of humanity. While the masses lose their damn minds, 3 young adults all try and deliver messages or visit people important to them while they still have time.  On the surface, it’s a basic OHMYGODALIENSWEGONNADIE story. However, the author delivers some great depth and exploration of character and captures the nuances of teens/young adults […]

Gold Fame Citrus

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins

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I’m not sure about this book. It took me a long time to read (nearly six weeks) and I stopped mid-way and didn’t touch it for nearly three weeks, until finishing the last 150 pages in one night. In general, I’m not averse to unlikable protagonists, end of the world settings, or literary prose, but there were times with this book where I really felt myself questioning whether or not I do like those things, or if I just want to like those things so […]

Beware Windigo

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

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You know how there’s that trope in the end of the world book where the city folk go up north, usually at the end of the book, to find a new place to live? They’re expecting it to be quiet, or full of people who just live off the land, and yet curiously no one ever seems to meet a First Nations person? I’ve long thought about that and what happens when the city folk start to migrate north. This book actually approaches the question […]

“Now we have the opportunity to start over and try to do better this time around.”

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Hutchinson, Shaun David

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Elena Mendoza is called “Mary” at school, because she was the product of a virgin birth and her classmates are cruel idiots. Other than that factoid, her life is fairly routine: a shitty first boyfriend, an unrequited crush on her beautiful classmate Freddie, a deadbeat stepdad and overworked mom, and now a typical teen job at the local Starbucks. Oh wait, except that Elena has also been hearing voices most of her life – voices from random otherwise inanimate logos, toys, and statues. And today, […]

A silly tale of the end times

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

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Good Omens, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch was my first foray into the mind of Terry Pratchett. It was my fourth read from Neil Gaiman. I know, I know, I need to read more Pratchett. Since I enjoyed this collaboration, I definitely will soon. The book follows two unlikely friends Aziraphale, an angel, and Crowley, a demon, who must stop the end of the world. They’ve known each other since the Garden of Eden. They kept in touch despite working for […]



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