Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The Murderbot Diaries – the novellas and the short stories. Some were re-reads, some were new to me

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy by Martha Wells

Rogue Protocol by Matha Wells

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory by Martha Wells

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

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My original reviews and ratings for the first four novellas can be found here. CBR17 Bingo: Favourite (goes for the whole series, and the protagonist) All Systems Red Nowhere Book Bingo 25: First in a series   It’s been five years since I first read The Murderbot Diaries, and it was interesting to revisit the original novella. This was selected as the January selection for my real-life book club (with the option to read the other three if people had time). While a lot of the members really enjoyed […]

The Grief of Wisdom

Where the Axe is Buried by Ray Nayler

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That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us. – Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 (NKJV). Nayler’s Where the Axe is Buried reminds me of the Book of Ecclesiastes. It is, in my mind, the least hopeful and most useful book of the Bible. All of this has happened before, and […]

The fame, the wealth, the surveillance system in her body

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

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I started Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase sometime in early 2025. It took me until March 30, 2025 to read. Not because it was a bad book, necessarily,  but because it was a dense, hard read. There were a lot of descriptions of what was happening (even if it was just trying to get out of bed, let alone the technical parts), cultural references and even the way of speaking that was not what I was used to. The idea of a future where we […]

One of us! One of us!

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

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I bought the four-book set for the October Murderbot CBR16 meetup. But when it came time, I had other library books to read, work stuff, travel, etc… Basically, life got in the way. I usually operate very well on deadlines but there was other stuff that was feeding my soul at the moment. Even though I wasn’t ready for the meetup, I was ready to dive in on the back half of my Christmas holidays. This series is such a delight. Suffering through insipid interactions […]

This broke my brain.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

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Thoughts that lead to action can be dangerous. Thoughts that do not, mean less than nothing. ― Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice Ships have feelings. ― Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice Nineteen years, three months, and one week before I found Seivarden in the snow, I was a troop carrier orbiting the planet Shis’urna. ― Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice One Esk is an ancillary of the sentient ship called Justice of Toren. The ship has human avatars, known as ancillaries, which were acquired via conquest. Justice of […]

More danger, calamity and heroism in space (Bingo)

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

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CBR16 Sweet Books: Binge CBR16 Bingo: Celestial (set in space. I’m sure the characters observe lots of stars on their epic journeys through space) Spoiler warning: this is the third and final book in the Illuminae Files. A lot of stuff happened in the previous two novels, and it will be impossible to review this book without referring to some significant plot points. Additionally, I don’t see how this book would be a satisfying reading experience taken out of context. So if you aren’t up […]



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