Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“I am forty four and I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

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When Sally catapults to national attention for putting her adoptive father’s body out with the trash, little does she know that this is not the first time she’s been in the headlines. I don’t read a lot of suspense, but after seeing this book all over my Goodreads feed the last couple of years I was sufficiently intrigued. That’s a pretty startling image to start off with, one’s father in the trash! Nugent creates a fascinating dual character study following Sally and Peter, and I […]

For Everything There is a Season

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings

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Hounded by fairweather friends after winning the lottery, Opal impulsively buys a flower farm amid cottagecore visions of opening her own studio. But there is already someone living at the Thistle and Bloom – thorny farmer Pepper, who has no clue that her home has been sold out from under her, and is certainly not happy to learn about it. Firstly, take a good look at that cover. It is so pretty that I returned to it multiple times over the course of reading this […]

Thinking about the Roman Empire

Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris

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“…he thinks politics is a fight for justice. Politics is a profession.” Back in the day, I attended an all-girls Catholic high school where Latin was a very popular class. My 9th and 10th grade Latin classes were packed. Within my own family it was a tradition not just to take Latin (as opposed to Spanish or French), but to take it for the full four years of high school. I probably would have continued that tradition if not for 2 things: the sudden availability […]

A fun read but current events in Crimea affected the reading

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

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My Mom has been trying to get me to read Jasper Fforde books for easily over a decade.  Not sure why I’ve resisted.  Though perhaps it’s due to our different reading preferences.  She only likes a small percentage of recommendations I make .  Naturally, The Murderbot Diaries was one success but mostly I miss.  With how long she’s been persistent I read “The Eyre Affair”, I have felt pressured to like it.  Which has made me drag my feet.  I borrowed it two years ago […]

Polyandry in a world where Big Brother demands to know all

An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King

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It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel. Though if I’m honest, it’s been a while since I read, period. So I’m glad my jump back into fiction was with “An Excess Male” by Maggie Shen King, because this was an interesting meditation into what-could-be if China were to maintain its one-child policy (also if the world didn’t end in the next 20 years due to climate disasters). “An Excess Male” is set in the not-so distant future – the blurb says 2030 – […]

“Oh Catskins, why aren’t you dead yet?”

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

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I first became aware of Roshani Chokshi when my kiddo discovered her Aru Shah middle grade series, the Pandava Quintet.  Printed in the “Rick Riordan Presents” line it focuses on Hindu mythology as Aru Shah embarks on adventures with her friends.  We even went to one of the Aru Shah book signings.  Chokshi was witty, charming, and engaging.  I left wanting to read the books but never got around to it.  In the past year I became aware of her fiction for older readers, particularly […]



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