Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

They do not see it.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

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CBR14 Bingo: New square (BINGO! Minds to New) (New book: published 2022. New author: debut novel) When my son was young, we visited friends in Seattle and went to the aquarium when we were there. It was the first and only time that I have seen a Giant Pacific Octopus. Swimming around in its own little glass tank, I remember thinking how strange it was that such a small space could encompass such a strange creature. The movement of its tentacles was like an alien dance. Shortly […]

There is nothing Shakespeare didn’t anticipate.

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

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CBR14 BINGO: Gaslight Square (BINGO! Bodies to Gaslight BINGO! Snake to Gaslight) (For the literal: Takes place in the mid-19th century when gaslight was used. Figuratively: everyone gaslights each other in this one. Full of manipulative spouses, parents, siblings, neighbors, friends, and politicians.) Decades ago I was well into an American Civil War historical fiction rabbit hole. I read a lot of it. In that pile of reading, there was quite a bit about John Wilkes Booth whether he was the main character or part of a subplot. All […]

But if you find the strength in your friends, and you nurture it, then you will always be surrounded by giants.

In the Shadow of Lightning by Brian McClellan

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CBR14 BINGO: Shadow Square (Had another book in mind for this square and then this called to me from the library’s new bookshelf. Shadow in the title. Shadowy figures. Shadow government. Lots of living in your own shadow or someone else’s.) I like fantasy novels. I have certainly read my share of fairy shenanigans. But, I think that I tend to limit my fantasy selections based, not just to fairy-heavy plots, but to the book cover. For me, there is a certain type of cover that […]

I worked my worry into baguette dough.

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller

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CBR14 BINGO: Dough Square (BINGO! Series to Dough BINGO! Bodies to Elephant) (Lots of dough. Pie dough in particular.) I don’t think that I realized how much heavy stuff I had been reading as of late until I picked up this book. The levity was much appreciated. Another book unearthed by keyword searching for CBR Bingo. Olivia is a pastry chef at an exclusive Boston club and is sleeping with her married and much older boss. After a Baked Alaska mishap that involves the fire department, Liv flees to […]

…seeing the way fiction can bleed into the world and leave a mark on someone’s skin.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

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HALF CANNONBALL! CBR BINGO: Verse Square (BINGO! Rec’d to Time) (This book is part of the “Mandelverse” along with Station Eleven and Glass Hotel: pandemics, Shakespeare, violins, stories, airports, and heartbreaking connections between seemingly disparate characters.) I’m so late to the party on this one, but I’ll add mine to the pile of reviews. This small little novel holds four big stories spanning just as many centuries. In the early 20th century, a young man whose brother will inherit the family estate in England is unceremoniously sent to Canada after […]

Perfect Halloween Read

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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I am part of a YA for everyone book group at my local library. The organizer tries to pick books that fit the time of year, so for October, Halloween, we are reading Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. I had no idea what this book was about, which is sometimes a great way to be pleasantly surprised.  Well, I really liked this book, it was such a fun ghost story. Yadriel is a trans teen who is trying to become a brujo. His Latinix family […]



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