Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

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Cbr13bingo/People At some point in my teenaged years, I think I might have read Northanger Abbey. I know I went through an intense Austen phase after reading Pride and Prejudice, and that I had a collection of all Austen’s novels, but I certainly didn’t remember the particulars of this one upon re-reading it, which simply added to the delight in this encounter. Northanger Abbey was one of Austen’s earlier novels but it was not published until after her death. It’s a rom-com/coming of age story that […]

Turns out humankind is not really my cup of tea

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

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I generally prefer fiction to non-fiction, with some notable exceptions. I’m a superficial reader; I don’t tend to spend much time reflecting on what I just read, so unless a non-fiction book hits an emotional or personal note for me, it’s not likely to interest me as much as a good novel or short story. For that reason, I never would have picked up Sapiens, had it not been for my work book club. The first half of the book was quite interesting, covering a […]

Well I certainly couldn’t…

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacy by Amber Ruffin, Lacey Lamar

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  It’s not an easy thing to make you laugh and fill you with incoherent rage but this book manages to do just that. Written by late night host Amber Ruffin and her sister Lacey Lamar, You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacy is a series of stories of the everyday racism dealt with by Lacey, who lives and works in Omaha, as told to her sister Amber who now lives in New York. Obviously this is not to say that there is no racism […]

Decent story, could have used another edit

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

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I’ve read some excellent historical fiction recently featuring strong female leads, and this novel had the potential to join those ranks. It’s certainly very popular on Goodreads, with many readers noting how it made them cry, so I feel rather like a grinch giving this a mild, three-star review, just on the positive side of a thumbs up. The story has potential and does feature interesting characters. Nevertheless, I was let down by the execution. The novel alternates between two timelines. In pre-World War II Poland, […]

“We’re not helpless. Novels are full of ragtag bands facing impossible odds.”

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

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Rule of Wolves is a good conclusion to the grand story arc begun back in Shadow and Bone.  If you’ve stayed with the Grishaverse to this point, this book is a must read.  And for those who particularly like the “Six of Crows” duology, the gang gets back together for a heist! I enjoyed this book!  But I’m finding it hard to review without spoilers so here are themes within the book.  Ravka has been ramping up it’s technological marvels, adding flying machines and submersibles to […]

Kind of a disappointment

The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

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I love historical fiction and Geraldine Brooks has been one of my favorite writers in this genre. I have now officially read all of her novels. The Secret Chord (2015) is about one of the most famous men in history, King David. Very little factual information exists about him, and in this novel, Brooks imagines his rise to power and rule through the eyes of his advisor/seer, the prophet Natan. Natan has witnessed David’s ruthlessness firsthand, but he also senses David’s strong connection to the […]



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