Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Medieval Armageddon

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

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This was…not the book I was expecting. I figured it would just be three people questing their way through medieval horror episodes. And it is that. The thing is: the horror is taking place during the bubonic plague, which has also apparently opened a portal to hell freeing the demons to do cosmic battle with the angels…hence the horrors on earth. Yeah this book is a lot. And it’s really good. The three main characters are cyphers for the larger story Christopher Buehlman is trying […]

“Everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place.”

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

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On St. Valentine’s Day in 1900, three Australian schoolgirls and their teacher vanish while on a school outing at Hanging Rock. Though they have disappeared from view like a rock dropped into water, the consequences of what happened will ripple outward until they touch the stories of even those who had been on the periphery of their lives. I’ve had my eye on the book for a few months now, so when I opened my Cannonball Book Exchange package from ElCiccio to find she’d send […]

November 2023 Leftovers

Catch and Release by Lawrence Block

We Do This 'til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba

The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched an Empire by John Eisenberg

Ghosts of West Baltimore by David Simmons

Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti by Gene Mustain and Jerry Capeci

Hit Me by Lawrence Block

Donnie Brasco by Joseph D. Pistone

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Happy Thanksgiving to all who observe! Catch and Release *** Been angling to read more LB lately so I figured I’d knock out this short story collection for my monthly HCC read. Sadly, the results were predictable: a repetition of serial killers, hit men and un-sexy sex. I just can’t sink my teeth into books featuring short stories and this one was no exception. I enjoyed visiting Matt and Mick at Grogan’s again and the last story was fun but beyond that? Who lotta eh and […]

Maladaptive Daydreaming

Bunny by Mona Awad

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No matter how Samantha loathes the cliche of girls who make up the rest of her writing group, with their overwrought work and their insistence on referring to each other as ‘Bunny,’ she can’t help but get sucked into their strange world when they invite her to join them. This is a dark and satirical read which pokes plenty of fun at the pretentious streak that can run deep in the people who attend MFA programs – considering the author was one of them, the […]

“Everyone loves something for nothing, even if it costs everything.”

Needful Things by Stephen King

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When I put this on my August TBR back in May I was super sure it would be a five star read, and that is not what happened! I also didn’t anticipate buddy reading any book any time soon, let alone completing a 690 page book over a weekend (my version has smaller font, some of the editions are 800-900 pages). But Paula convinced me (here’s her review), and we had a good time! This is not one of my favorite SK books. I don’t […]

An absolutely excellent horror novel that deals with disability, postpartum depression, marriage, income inequality, and never feeling like you quite belong.

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

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Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. It hasn’t affected the contents of my review. My initial thoughts as posted to GR upon reading the summary: “biTe mArKs oN tHe bAbY”. You can tell by the funky usage of capitals that I was very intrigued and disturbed by this book’s possible contents. And it turns out my excitement/interest radar wasn’t wrong. This was fantastic, in a horrible, creepy, bugnuts and all kinds of fuckery sort of way. The general premise here is inspired […]



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