Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Data for supervillains

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

by 2 Comments

Back in April 2012, I went to see The Avengers at my local theater. It was one of the most fun movie-going experiences I’ve ever had. I went by myself but I was definitely not alone – it was a packed house, even during a matinee, on a weekend, in my small town. In later years, I would see most MCU movies in the theater, in similar circumstances, but The Avengers was the first and it was fun. With age and, you know, everything, it’s a lot […]

A trauma victim finds her strength

Medusa by Jessie Burton

by 1 Comment

Cbr14bingo Shadow Medusa lives in a cave, hides in the shadows from Perseus and is a shadow of herself because of what happened to her. This book would fit for the snake or monster squares as well. This YA novel (for 9th grade and older) with beautiful illustrations by Olivia Lomenech Gill, reimagines the myth of Medusa, a woman with snakes for hair whose glance could turn men to stone. In the original myth, Poseidon raped Medusa in Athena’s temple, causing Athena to punish Medusa […]

Gateway to the Russian Novel

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

by Leave a Comment

Cbr14bingo New This is a new translation by Nicolas Paternak Slater and Maya Slater, and it is a novel about the clash of old and new ideas If you have been meaning to read one of the great Russian novels but are put off by the length of those written by Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, I’d like to suggest that you take a look at the works of Ivan Turgenev. A contemporary of those two illustrious writers and brilliant in his own right, Turgenev covers similar […]

‘Those who see the dead soon join them.’

Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald

by Leave a Comment

CBR 14 Bingo: Time Raine races against time to save Ovitus and to provide proof at the trial. Raine and the cult she has been traveling with for years are besieged in an ancient monastery when she rescues a mysterious wounded girl. But this act of kindness only serves to pull her into a dark conspiracy. I picked up this book because I am always on the lookout for fantasy authors I’ve not read before, and because I’ve always enjoyed stories with death magic. But […]

‘Fear is the mind-killer.’

Dune by Frank Herbert

by Leave a Comment

When the Atreides family is betrayed, the heir Paul and his mother Jessica are sent on the run – and into the path that leads to his ultimate destiny. About three quarters through this book, I texted my friend M, who loves this book, the following: Arrakis is the Middle East. Melange is oil. Is Paul a white savior? That’s a very flippant way of looking at a book that carries a lot more within itself than that. Dune is about environmentalism, about religion, about […]

“As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.”

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

by 2 Comments

Although I saw all of the rave reviews (‘saw’, not ‘read’), it took me a while to get this lovely novella. Part of the blame is on my library system, as it took several months before All Systems Red, by Martha Wells, was available, but mostly the blame lies with me. Although I have read some fantastic science fiction over the years, I am very cautious when it comes to this genre – perhaps because my older brother was a huge sci-fi nerd? (Certainly he […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo