Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“No, I mean, it’s all in pieces.” “Yes. So are we all.”

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

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Light from Uncommon Stars is both entirely typical of my reading (characters going through it, romance main or subplots, coming to terms with one’s choices, a commitment to reading trans and non-binary authors) but also feels quite a bit outside my comfort zone. I had initially put this book on my to read list because of the 2023 Read Harder tasks asking us to read a book about a trans character by a trans author and a book from the Ignyte Awards. Then my 2023 […]

OhWeGone

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

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Read as part of CBR16 Bingo: cult. There is a commune at the center of this book that may-or-may-not be a cult. You’ll have to read to find out! An interesting book that’s tough to rate but I’m glad I read it. Also glad for Book Bingos, Reading and Library Challenges that get me to get stuff off of my shelves that would otherwise sit there for years. Shea Ernshaw has real talent. I was drawn into the world she wrote; being quite impressed with […]

“You have to be very strong to live close to God or a mountain, or you’ll turn a little mad.”

Black Narcissus: A Novel by Rumer Godden

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Cbr16bingo Dun dun This is my first foray into Rumer Godden’s works. Black Narcissus was published in 1939 and was turned into a movie in 1947. Apparently it was made into a 3-part miniseries on FX a few years back, too. I was aware that Godden’s work often touched on matters of religion and spirituality but I was not prepared for the suspense and foreboding that haunt the pages of this story. It reminded me a bit of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca — an innocent […]

Animal Prophecy? The Bird is the Word.

The Farseekers by Isobelle Carmody

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Well, that bingo card is keeping me motivated— ‘Part 2’ is sitting right there. And my need to procrastinate from packing and moving. That too. One of the more tricky things about reviewing books from a series is that I’m always wary about giving too much away. I think this will be a constant issue for the Obernewtyn Chronicles, since there are seven  books. So while I’ll try not to reveal too many big spoilers from the current book I’m going over, the previous ones […]

When you reach the part where the heartaches come the hero would be me. But heroes often fail.

Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai

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CBR16Bingo: Fiasco We start in L.A. where Mira gets dumped by her boyfriend of six months. They were set up and started dating after their matchmaker, Hema Auntie, agreed to continue to work with Mira even though Mira had rejected the last twelve matches. Afterward, Mira is sitting in her car and attempting to breathe through yet another disappointment when she receives a call from an attorney’s office. This starts a series of events that has her reconnecting with one of her first matches, Naveen, […]

Shades of Magic Trilogy – and My First BINGO

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

A Conjuring of Light by V. E. Schwab

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A Darker Shade of Magic I knew I would eventually want to pick up another V. E. Schwab book after finishing The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and I’m glad that I selected A Darker Shade of Magic to continue my Schwab reading journey because I really enjoyed it. It’s set in a 4 parallel worlds, all of which somehow have a London essentially in the same place in each of those worlds. Grey London (from the era of George III) has no magic. Red […]



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