Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The fluff that almost, almost got interesting

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu, Suzanne Walker

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Mooncakes is a fluffy light read, but it could have been so much more. Like a lot of the graphic novels I tend to pick up, this one features a fairly YA story about 2 queer characters probably in their late teens who have something supernatural about them, and they must face some sort of supernatural problem while dealing with their mutual attraction to each other. Nova is a witch in training, and Tam is her werewolf childhood friend/possibly something more who moved away but […]

Sci-Fi + LGBTQ = TAKE MY MONEY NOW

I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi

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The premise of our story is that Earth receives a message that an alien planet is judging the fate of humanity, with the possible (most likely) outcome resulting in the extermination of humanity. While the masses lose their damn minds, 3 young adults all try and deliver messages or visit people important to them while they still have time.  On the surface, it’s a basic OHMYGODALIENSWEGONNADIE story. However, the author delivers some great depth and exploration of character and captures the nuances of teens/young adults […]

To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

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This is a novel that I will be thinking about for a very long time. It’s so far out of my sphere of relatability that it is almost impossible for me to form a coherent thought about it. Not easy to read, and equally difficult to review. Weaving back and forth through time, Vuong’s novelized autobiography is about growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant in Hartford Connecticut in the 1990’s. Written as a letter to his mother who cannot read, the young man known as […]

It was a fun trip!

Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer

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Not gonna lie, I picked this up for the title first.  I’m an unashamed reader of fanfiction, so when I saw the clever title, I wanted to know more.  Then I read the back, and immediately knew this was for me!  (Fanfiction doesn’t actually play a huge role in this, though!) This is kind of in the same realm as Geekarella.  There’s a show that’s kind of geeky but has a strong cult following, and they both have conventions!  There are stars that love working […]

Came for the cover art; stayed for the story

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

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I’ve confessed before that I have a habit of buying books based on their covers. I totally bought this book based on the cover. I read the summary and I was like “hm.. it’s probably YA” and I don’t tend to buy YA these days, but then I said “I don’t care- that cover art!” So, it is YA, and like the cover, it’s very, very good YA. I’d say it wears it’s inspiration from Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation trilogy proudly, and does a lot of […]

Toby Daye and the selkies

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire

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Spoiler warning! This is book 13 in a series, and really not the place to start. The first book is Rosemary and Rue, that’s where you want to begin, if you’re interested. Official book description: Hundreds of years ago, the Selkies made a deal with the sea witch: they would have the sea for as long as she allowed it, and when the time came, she would call in all their debts at once. Many people assumed that day would never come. Those people were wrong. When […]



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