Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Don’t investigate creepy things if you’re not prepared to deal with what you find

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger

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I added this to my list after reading Shmecky87’s review earlier this year. It was SO GOOD. I read during breakfast, I read through my lunch break, I read through breaks and way past bedtimes. It starts off light, a quick and easy read, and then it just grips you and doesn’t let go. It starts off a little eye-rolly. I wasn’t going to read first-person dude stories anymore, but Nolan grew on me pretty quickly. He and his small band of YouTubers have a web […]

Goth aliens call them ‘stop-stop dancers’ instead of go-go dancers

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

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It’s nearly impossible to read this book and not compare it to Hitchhiker’s Guide, and I don’t know how to give it a fair review without those thoughts tumbling around in my head. This was an interesting, fun read…but NOTHING is going to come out on top when you compare it to Hitchhiker. Humans are just getting close enough to attempting space travel to make the rest of the universe nervous, so they have to compete in the universal sentience test or risk total destruction. […]

KatSings has introduced me to a wonderful fantasy series

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

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I’ve been in a bit of a fantasy slump lately, and I must admit I was a little worried when I got this in last year’s Cannonball Book Exchange. It was a lovely thoughtful gift – what if I didn’t like it?? Thankfully, it appears my slump may be over, because I enjoyed it immensely. Kell is an Antari – a person with powerful magic in a world where magic is not as plentiful as it once was. There are four worlds, and four Londons, […]

I liked it, but I am obviously untrustworthy

What the Hell Did I Just Read by David Wong

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I admit I have a problem with objectivity. I love Rutger Hauer, and I know people think his movies are terrible, but I watch and love them anyway. (Although even I recognize that Hobo with a Shotgun is WRETCHED.) Sometimes my lack of objectivity makes it hard to write a review, though! I liked John Dies at the End, I loved This Book is Full of Spiders, and I enjoyed Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. I am a David Wong fan. So! I’m pretty sure […]

Tristan locked his teeth and made some more stupid decisions

Ganwold's Child by Diann Thornley

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Another used bookstore sci-fi stinker! This one had the bones of a good story, but did not live up to its potential. Two-year-old Tristan and his mother flee from some bad guys during an interstellar war, get menaced by some unfriendly aliens who are taking sides in the war, and then flee some more. The end up on Gan, taken in by the locals. Tristan is raised by the Gan, hunting and learning alongside his Gan brother Pulou. Gan are very hairy and have some […]

Bad things happening to whiny unlikeable brats

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly

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To make a story about unlikeable characters work, I think either the writing has to be astounding, or the mystery has to be super-engrossing. This book, told in two timelines, has whiny bratty characters, decent writing, and an aggravating, strung-out-too-long mystery. Sigh. Young Karen is a semi-uptight college student, rooming with the popular girls and having a vanilla life. Then she meets Biba, a hippie aspiring actress, and her brother Rex, who serves as sort of a safety net/babysitter for his wild child sister. Karen […]



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