Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

American Ghost Stories

Battleborn by Claire Vaye Watkins

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Claire Vaye Watkins has an infamous father. I don’t point this out in a salacious “looky here” way, but this father looms large over the first story in this collection. Her father is Tex Watson, yes, that Tex Watson. Murderer. Manson Family member. Currently and indefinitely imprisoned Tex Watson who married a prison pen pal and fathered four children while in jail. Claire wrests the reins from her father, her family, and her history to tell her own story- and it’s a doozy. All of […]

A ghost story-thriller combo

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

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Set in a creepy hotel where no one wants to be, not even the owners, a young woman sets out to find out what happened to her aunt, who disappeared 30-odd years before. The point of view switches between the young woman in the current day and her aunt in the early 80s. This back and forth allows the reader to see the two main characters experience similar phenomena in parallel; we also get to see a few secondary characters in  both the past and […]

Full Throttle – Another good short story collection from the Kings

Full Throttle by Joe Hill

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I have enormous respect for authors who step out of their comfort zone to try new things in their writing style. Joe Hill has always done that and this collection is no different. Most of the stories work but unfortunately some fell flat to me. When one takes chances, that is invariably a result, but as a reader I respect the effort and it makes me want to read more of that author going forward. There are two stories Joe wrote with his Dad, Stephen […]

I might be getting too old for this kind of thing

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

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Cassidy Blake is still following her parents around while they film their show “The Inspecters” (that pun will never stop irritating me), and this time they are in Paris visiting some of the most haunted areas of the city. Cassidy and her ghost buddy Jacob naturally attract the attention of a spirit which causes trouble until figure out how to stop it. Hilarity ensues. I like the premise in that it is real historical ghost history being used for this novel, as it was for […]

ghost stories with a history lesson or two

The Vine that Ate the South by J.D. Wilkes

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This book is fast, ferocious, and fun- which is not a surprise, considering it was crafted by J. D. Wilkes of the Legendary Shack Shakers. He wrote a rollicking Kentucky Odyssey-meets-Stand by Me and illustrated it himself to boot. Not only is this a “do you wanna see a dead body” sort of tale, but it’s also a thoughtful look at the overpowering anarchy of kudzu vine (the titular invasive vine that ate the south), and the people of Appalachia herself. All of the characters within The […]

Love triangles, magic, and murder

Grave Visions by Kalayna Price

Grave Ransom by Kalayna Price

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It’s official. I’m totally hooked on Kalayna Price’s Alex Craft series. This was a given after I reviewed books 1-3. The follow-ups, Grave Visions, and Grave Ransom did not disappoint. Alex Craft is a grave witch. Her magic skill allows her to interact with the plane of the dead. She can see talk to ghosts and shades, which are manifestations of a dead person’s memory. Talking to the dead is quite handy if they’ve been murdered. Alex opens a private detective firm with her best friend […]



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