Lily's Story by Don Guttteridge
Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Before the giveaway the book had been on TBR shelf. I first read Gutteridge a few years when I brought an omnibus edition of his first three Marc Edwards mysteries. I enjoyed them, and next time I was in Canada, I tried to find more print copies of his work, but the only ones I found where the three I had already. It was a joy to win this in a giveaway and […]
Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
I’ve put off this review far too long, and though I could just skip it, I don’t want to punk out when the reviewing gets tough. I really wanted to like Chinelo Okparanta’s Under the Udala Trees, as it came highly recommended and was written by an African lesbian, a voice I haven’t heard before, but this book really didn’t work for me. That said, I didn’t dislike it enough to hate-review it, so I’m stuck in a kind of mushy middle of blah. Ijeoma […]
The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden
I chose this book when we were in the midst of the Polar Vortex because it seemed like a great cold weather book, and it was. It was also a beautifully written fairy tale of a historical fantasy novel that is the first of a trilogy. The story centers on takes place in medieval Russia and centers on Vasilia Petrovna, the youngest daughter of lord of a remote village. The villagers have always left offerings for the various forest and household spirits of Russian folklore […]
Sadie by Courtney Summers
A few weeks ago, I had a chance to go and see Cannonball favorite Karen McManus talking about her new book, Two Can Keep a Secret, along with another YA author I hadn’t previously heard of, Megan Miranda. I asked them a few questions during the panel, including wondering what they — as writers of suspenseful YA fiction — liked to read, and were currently reading. They both, without hesitation, told me to read Sadie by Courtney Summers, right away. So, I did. I knew […]
Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
I’m still slowly making my way through these Harry Dresden books, all read to me by the fantastic James Marsters. And, as many cannonballers before me have stated, I’m enjoying each book slightly more than the one that came before it. I’m now fully invested into Harry’s world, and I can’t wait to start the next one. In this one, Harry and Butters (the polka enthusiast-medical examiner), are on the run from a group of necromancers who have descended upon Chicago, all looking for something […]
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
My Year of Rest and Relaxation was on a bunch of “Best of” lists at the end of 2018, and there was something about the cover that drew me to it. And now that I’ve finished it, while I’m glad I read it to see what the fuss was all about, I honestly have no idea if I liked it or hated it. I think both. But mostly hated it. We have an unnamed narrator living in Manhattan in 1999-2000. She’s in her 20s, has […]
