Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The Whipping Boy, With Magic Doctors and Intrigue.

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

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In the city-state of Castellane, everyone from the wealthiest of nobles to the most debauched of criminals has one common thread running through their lives: the neverending search for more wealth, more power, the next hedonistic thrill to drive off boredom. Kel is an orphan, in the Palace for one reason-to be the Sword Catcher, the body double of the royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He and Conor are as close as brothers, but his ultimate destiny is to die for Conor; that is the […]

Corruption and Colonization (And Kaiju)

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

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Yes, Robert Jackson Bennett is back! I am an unabashed fan of most of his writing, and was massively impressed when I first read The Tainted Cup, about a year ago. It was delightfully weird and just a little bit creepy; a Holmes and Watson style investigation in a Roman-style setting, topped off with some mycology-based body horror. In The Tainted Cup, the greatest threat the Empire of Khanum faced was not just the murders, but the Leviathans—kaiju-like creatures that emerge from the sea to wreak […]

“I’m a treacherous, power-hungry bitch, and honestly? It feels amazing.”

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Our family has an annual Winter Solstice family book exchange.  A mere week before the solstice I read a write up of Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan and added it to my wish list of books.  I’m glad I did because this book was so much fun I read it twice back to back.  Not only was it enjoyable to read the story again, this time I recognized all the clues that led up to the surprise at the end, giving the book a […]

Always The Fireplaces

Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater

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This second novel in Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales series is just as charming and delightful as the first. We’re heading downstairs in this one but it’s still full of faerie shenanigans! Housemaid Euphemia Reeves has fallen in love with a man far above her humble station. The youngest son of The Family, he is generally pleasant to the servants and is aware enough to take his muddy boots off at the door to save them some work. Obviously this makes him a perfect though improbable […]

Not Without My Dice.

A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross

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I’ve been a fan of Charlie Stross’ Laundry Files for over a decade now. This has given me plenty of time to watch the series evolve. Like many other works that began as satire aimed at government bureaucracy, it has grown increasingly cynical as real life has become harder and harder to parody.  In particular, there was a rough trilogy linked to the original Laundry Files stories under the title of Tales of the New Management that hit me as painfully cynical, to the point that it […]

Columbian Mythology and Family Trauma

The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía by Alexandra Alessandri

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Valentina, her brother Julian, and her father are hiking the Columbian jungle to track down a vampire. Well, that’s what her father’s doing. Valentina is along for the ride, trying not to be embarrassed about her father and brother’s belief in Columbian folk creatures, and taking the opportunity to practice her drawing. But during the trip, Valentina has a visceral premonition: “The earth is not happy.” She urges her family to leave, but they are caught in a violent earthquake. The kids and their dad […]



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