Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Woman is a Mule, or “What’s in that trunk, Adelaide?”, or a Novel of Second Chances

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

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I met Victor LaValle at a literary fest a few years ago. While handing him a copy of The Changeling, which was his latest novel at the time and the book I had just finished reading, I said to him, “I feel like I’m the person you’re writing these books for. You’re writing these books for me.” And I meant it then and I mean it now. There’s a point at which LaValle started writing the books he knew he was meant to write (he has […]

One of Lau’s more forgettable novels

He's Not My Boyfriend by Jackie Lau

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Annoyed by family meddling, Iris tries to ignore her growing attraction to hot one-night-stand Alex Iris Chin is happily single and doesn’t ever want to enter into a long-term relationship, certainly not marriage. She can’t understand why her mother and grandmother are so eager to set her up, both seem to have made very poor choices in their own marriages. One-night-stands feel much more uncomplicated to Iris, but once it turns out that one of her previous hook-ups, Alex Kwong, works on the construction site […]

Demons and wizards and magic – oh my!

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

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4.5 stars Bree Matthews applied to an early admissions residential program at the same college that her mother attended, only to discover that her mother strongly objected to her going there. They had a blistering argument, and Bree’s mother died in a car accident before they had a chance to settle things. Bree blames herself for her mother driving when angry. Her grief and guilt are overwhelming, so Bree hopes that being away from home is the best way forward. She has barely arrived at […]

A cute fairy tale retelling

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

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3.5 stars Isabelle (her friends call her Izzy) was so elated when she got a job as an assistant editor for a big publishing company. It was like a dream come true. Several years later, when she’s overworked, underappreciated and still living with her parents at twenty-five, without even getting a promotion, she is starting to wonder if she should change careers. After having her own attempts at writing a book politely criticised by one of her more senior colleagues, that’s another dream she’s shelved, […]

Fake dating and heart-shaped cakes

Not Your Valentine by Jackie Lau

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This was an ARC from the author. My views are my own. Helen Tsang has sworn off love as a lost cause after her boyfriend dumped her last Valentine’s Day and someone filmed it, making her a very involuntary viral sensation. However, as Valentine’s Day is approaching once more, she feels like she is getting excessive sympathy and pity from friends, family, and even the staff of her regular bubble tea shop. She doesn’t really want to field any more questions and decides to ask […]

Young love and demon hunting

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

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CBR14 Bingo: Cozy (this is a super-sweet YA comic. While there are some dark themes, the main vibe here is absolutely cozy.) Nova Huang (she/her) is an orphaned young witch, although she sees the ghosts of her parents during each major holiday, and sometimes just when they feel she might need advice or a good talking to. She lives with her two grandmothers, who sell books of both the mundane and magical varieties. Tam (they/them) on the other hand, seems to have been on their […]



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