Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Do you need an adventure filled with laughter and some pathos? Do I have the book for you!

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

by 2 Comments

My husband received  Dungeon Crawler Carl in our family Winter Solstice book exchange.  From the moment he started the book, he was chuckling, and sometimes outright cackling, every several pages.  Before finishing he insisted it be my next read.  Folks, this book is laugh out loud  funny.  Do you like fantasy, adventure, video games, Dungeons and Dragons, The Hunger Games, Running Man or cats?  Does a reference to the anime/manga/movie Battle Royale peak your interest? Are you intrigued by the idea of an AI with a foot […]

Damnit, Janet

Now or Never: 31 on the Run by Janet Evanovich

by 26 Comments

Every year I start out strong and think, maybe this will be my year. I also am that girl who buys a new calendar every January, uses it until the 11th, and then gives up cause Google calendar is easier. But this year I’m NOT buying a calendar, so…. maybe that’s a good sign? (I mean, it’s only January 1st. I haven’t been to Target yet.) Anyway. Spoilers ahead. Lots. This is the 31st installment of these books, and yes, I have read every single one […]

How about some vintage Nora to start the year off?

Chesapeake Bay by Nora Roberts

by 1 Comment

This is actually what I read to end the year because mentally, I couldn’t manage much else. I needed the book equivalent of like, season 7 Law & Order, where I don’t have to pay attention to much except when Lenny Briscoe has a good one liner. And it was available on Kindle through the library, so I could read in bed while awake from 2:30 to 4:30 every morning. Christmas season is tough, y’all.  So’s menopause, for those of you wondering. Anyway, Nora loves a […]

A fantasy zoo that is a love letter to the importance of conservation

The Phoenix Keeper by S. A. MacLean

by 1 Comment

First and very importantly, Thank You CoffeeShopReader!  I thoroughly enjoyed The Phoenix Keeper.  It was a perfect book to close out a year that required lighter reading due to life challenges.  Also there was an added layer of fun as the zoo and location were clearly inspired by San Diego and our world famous zoo. As phoenix keeper at the magical San Tamculo Zoo, Aila is close to achieving a lifelong dream.  Overseeing a breeding pair of critically endangered Silimalo phoenixes and helping to bring them […]

“…and in the old days they did things for a reason. And if you don’t understand why—well, you might end up opening a few doors better left closed. “

Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand

by Leave a Comment

A story about Windhollow Faire a fictional British folk band, who in the 1970’s England,  rented an ancient and super creepy country house so they could lock themselves down and record an album.  And oh, the text lets us know what an album Wylding Hall (named naturally after the home they were recording in) was, it was the one that made the band capital F famous.  But it came at quite the cost, as the groups lead singer vanishes into the house and is just […]

Slay Ride

The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories by Martin Edwards, ed.

by Leave a Comment

This collection is from the British Library’s Crime Classics series and features 11 stories by some surprising (and surprisingly forgotten) crime writers. I found it at one of the coolest independent books stores I’ve ever seen. If you are ever in the Cincinnati area, particularly Sharonville (a northern suburb), check out out the Book Bus Depot. The store is a non-profit with the goal of raising money to promote childhood literacy and to build up classroom libraries. I met the owner when I visited, and […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo