Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

It is the best of times and worst of times, to read Station Eleven

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

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Okay, yes, that is a Dicken’s quote, and it would have been more appropriate to use Shakespeare, but the sentiment is there.  Being on the verge of a potential pandemic makes reading Station Eleven occasionally challenging, as it’s easy to extrapolate how this could happen.  However, the book ends in hope.  While the world has gone through an apocalypse, people are still creating and sharing art, lifting each other up by nourishing the soul.  And I would hope the same would happen in our world […]

Great introduction to author Brandon Sanderson

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

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Two years ago when I set out to attempt my first full cannonball, I asked friends and family on Facebook what their book suggestions were, Skyward was one of them.  Later someone recommended it to me as a good introduction to author Brandon Sanderson, as I hadn’t read anything by him.  Despite fantasy being my jam, he’s written so much of it that previously I’ve been flummoxed as to where to start.  Ironically, I’m not starting with one of his fantasy novels.  Skyward is science fiction, […]

This book hijacked my TBR, no regrets

Shades of Magic: The Steel Prince - vol. 1 by V.E. Schwab (author), Andrea Olimpieri (artist)

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When I shared my review of Vengeful on FaceBook, a friend chimed in asking if I knew about Schwab’s graphic novel series.  I had not and was intrigued.  Then my favorite independent celebrated its grand reopening, after moving locations, so I treated myself and picked up The Steel Prince.  The cover is eye catching and it instantly grabbed my attention. At the time, I was behind in review writing and had intended to read Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik, once the reviews were written.  After just […]

I keep writing titles for this post and they’re all crap, just read Pumpkinheads, you’ll thank me later

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell (author), Faith Erin Hicks (artist)

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Fall is my favorite season.  I love pretty much everything about it and going to a pumpkin patch is high on my list of must do activities.  When I heard Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks talking about Pumpkinheads at a comic convention, I knew that this book must be mine and it did not disappoint!  The pumpkin patch is just an endearing setting (albeit one I ardently wish I could visit and inspired by a real pumpkin patch Rowell visited growing up), what makes this […]

Lloyd Alexander was definitely a fan of cats

Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander

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Growing up I adored Lloyd Alexander for the Prydain Chronicles and the Vesper Holly series.  Fun side note, I suggested Vesper as a name for our second daughter because of loving Vesper Holly and how well Eva Green carried it in Casino Royale but it was nixed by my SO. Time Cat floated around in my awareness but for some reason I never picked it up.  Perhaps because the copies in my library had an atrocious cover.  The one on the right would definitely have […]

Took me a bit to settle into but then I was entertained by this sequel

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

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V.E. (Victoria) Schwab has become one of my favorite authors since I found her with the 2015 release of A Darker Shade of Magic. When the sequel came out, I expressed my love for the first book to the bookseller ringing me up, they asked if I had read Vicious yet, I had not.  Vicious was my introduction to Schwab outside of the DSoM series. Shortly thereafter I devoured her YA “Monsters of Verity” duology, and in the past year read the first in her middle […]



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