Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I will begrudgingly be grateful that I learned the word ‘pseudopodinously’

Preternatural by Margaret Wander Bonanno

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When an author who likes to do cheeky asides uses a big word and tells the reader “Look it up,” which is more insulting: when you DO know the word, or when you DON’T? I cogitated on that during the whole book, and couldn’t decide. I do know that when the cheeky asides tell you “Now pay attention here,” it is pretty much always insulting. This book was a clever idea, nearly drowned by an author who got too preoccupied with the idea of being […]

Cozy re-read.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

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Quick review for a re-read. I still love this book. It’s still a great character study of Cath, who has anxiety and abandonment issues, and has huddled in on herself like a turtle, afraid to put out feelers to the outside world. She uses reading and writing fanfiction as an outlet for her creativity, and a way to forget herself for a while, but she wants to be a professional writer, and that means a type of writing she isn’t comfortable with yet, a type […]

What might happen if a fan got to live inside her favorite story.

The Fandom by Anna Day

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“What the fuck is the fandom?” — Reagan, Fangirl Every time I have seen the title of this book, or the word “fandom” in any context since 2013 (the year Fangirl was published), I have thought of this line.  And it somehow feels fitting for my reaction to this book to be precluded by a quote from another (better) book, because The Fandom just did almost nothing for me as a reader. This was actually the first book I picked out of my brand new […]

#CBR10Bingo: Two Heads Are Better Than One – introducing my husband (Blackout AND double Cannonball!)

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#CBR10Bingo: Two Heads Are Better Than One So my final review of #CBR10Bingo requires some assistance, and I will be joined by my husband Mark (“Hello!”), who also gave me the book we’re co-reviewing. I figured I should start with some background. I hadn’t watched any of the now hugely popular children’s television program Doctor Who until I went to University in Scotland in the late 1990s, early 2000s. Of course, this was because at that point, the show wasn’t actually on the air, and anyone who […]

It’s hard to become homecoming queen when you can’t even leave your house

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From Goodreads, as I’m once again reviewing books from over a month ago: Mallory hasn’t left the house in sixty-seven days–since the day her dad left. She attends her classes via webcam, rarely leaves her room (much to her brother’s chagrin), and spends most of her time watching The X-Files or chatting with the always obnoxious BeamMeUp on New Mexico’s premier alien message board. But when she’s shockingly nominated for homecoming queen, her life takes a surprising turn. She slowly begins to open up to the world outside. And […]

There are monsters in the sea

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I was going to start this review the way I normally do, with a few paragraphs trying to sum up the story of the book. But having written nearly two whole paragraphs, I went back and deleted them, because I don’t really want to say too much about the plot of the book. I didn’t know a whole lot going into the book, and I think my reading experience was better for it. Very short summary: Eliza Mirk is a teenager soon to graduate high […]



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