Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

An emotional story of family and love

This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed

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This Way Out is beautiful, emotional, and such a great story of Amar figuring out how to reconcile being gay with being Muslim, being Bangladeshi while loving a white Englishman. This Way Out opens with Amar telling his family via WhatsApp that he’s engaged and his fiancée is a man, but then he hides from the responses from his siblings because he doesn’t actually feel ready for what their response will be. His family’s reaction is complicated and because he’s still coping with grief of […]

Hana-Kimi: For You in Full Blossom Vol. 1 – 5

Hana-Kimi: vol. 1 by Hisaya Nakajo

Hana-Kimi: vol. 2 by Hisaya Nakajo

Hana-Kimi: vol. 3 by Hisaya Nakajo

Hana-Kimi: vol. 4 by Hisaya Nakajo

Hana-Kimi: vol. 5 by Hisaya Nakajo

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Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (花ざかりの君たちへ “For You in Full Blossom”), in America shortened to Hana Kimi, is a manga series by writer and artist Hisaya Nakajo.  I fell head over heels for this manga when it was  starting to be released in the US in 2004,  eagerly waiting for translations to be done and the next volume released.  I haven’t read it in over a decade.  My ten year old has read it at least twice and is on a third read through. So I’m reading […]

Elegantly written Edwardian fantasy, murder mystery, gay romance

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

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First of all, Thank you, again, llamareadbooks for gifting me this book in the Cannonball Book Exchange!  A book that combines several genres I enjoy was almost guaranteed to be a hit but it is the beautiful writing that makes this such a wonderful read. You look like a Turner painting and I want to learn your textures with my fingertips.  You are the most fascinating thing in this beautiful house.  I’d like to introduce my fist to whoever taught you to stop talking about […]

Action adventure in space with queer representation!

The Disasters by M. K. England

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I missed out when The Disasters was the Cannonball Book Club pick but have finally made up for lost time.  This book immediately kick into high gear and doesn’t stop until the conclusion.  Science fiction is a favorite genre of mine and this was so fun, as well as refreshing with the LGBTQ+ representation. All Nax has ever wanted was to be a pilot.  The best way to do so is to become a cadet in the Space Academy and then migrate to the off Earth […]

Branching out for my final CBR13 review, and a brief summary of my CBR year

In Too Deep by Daryl Banner

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Jonah works a job that is sucking the life out of him in Houston. He works with his best friend Rico and roommate, but that isn’t enough to make his life enjoyable. Jonah and Rico plan a weekend getaway to a fictional Texas beach town to escape the monotony of their lives by having a weekend that would make Dionysus blanche. Their plan is to drink too much, soak up the sun, and find multiple boys to have some fun with for just the weekend. […]

“But somehow I’m still here, and he’s still here, and even though I still feel like a hopeless case, this thing between us doesn’t feel hopeless at all.”

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

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CBR 13 Bingo Square: Shelfie THIS BOOK!  After having reread Carry On and Wayward Son, I was primed for Any Way the Wind Blows.  I devoured it so quickly that I immediately reread to be able to slow down and better absorb the story.   Rowell brings the Simon Snow trilogy to a satisfying close but what an emotional journey to get there.  Carrying their hearts on their sleeves, Simon and Baz are so vulnerable and continually bracing for the pain that might come.  Penelope’s decisions and the […]



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