Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Join a commune!” they said.

The Gulf by Adam de Souza

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The Gulf by Adam de Souza was an interesting read. However, since I have read several similar titles, the theme did not WOW or “Hit me powerfully.” However, it was a great coming of age story with some interesting twists and turns. The concepts might be a bit mature for some readers, but for the most part the content is fine for at least thirteen and up. And as always, older teens and adults should read it as it has an almost all age appeal. […]

Can I Just Say “Wow!” and Leave It at That?

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

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What an incredible book. I knew from reading If Beale Street Could Talk that James Baldwin was a good writer, but it is rare for me to appreciate a book on just a literary level. The prose, the symbolism, the way it’s so clear what the narrator is experiencing even though he himself is hiding from his feelings—it was phenomenal. Written in the 1950s and set in Paris, the novel follows narrator David through his relationship with Giovanni and the aftermath of its ending. We know from […]

Was I supposed to dislike the main character by the end?

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

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This novel kind of fell apart for me after the midway point. I was enjoying it during the first part but once all the reveals have occurred, there isn’t quite enough substance there to hold it together. Post reveal, there is just more space to think about it all, making the character choices more frustrating and revealing the weakness of some of the premises. The novel is set up as a memoir – Cate Kay is the author of the one of the most famous […]

If a Gay Man Hands You His Phone . . .

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

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I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started this book. Probably something light and feel-good, based on the breezy, bright cover. And it is, but it was also more emotional than I expected. GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick, AKA Guncle Patrick) is a semi-retired actor (not officially retired but also not choosing to work) living a somewhat isolated life when he is abruptly thrust into the caretaker role for his niece Maisie and nephew Grant after their mother dies and their father enters rehab. […]

And I have volume three waiting!

The Changeling: Volume 2 by Tina N. Lugo

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The Changeling: Volume 2 by Tina N. Lugo is obviously the second in The Changeling series. And therefore, I recommend reading the first book first. And if you can find all three of the currently available titles, you should read them together, as while I was reading this manga series, I was hoping that it is only a trilogy. It is not that I did not like it (I would not have read two volumes if it was horrible), it is just that the story, […]

1880s romance and human rights

Renegade Girls by Nora Neus and Julie Robine

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When I started the Nora Neus and Julie Robine graphic novel, Renegade Girls, I was not enjoying it. Things felt too simple, romanticized, not original and terribly slow paced. I already knew the ending. Or so I thought. Granted, there was the obvious ending (if you are paying attention) but things did not take the obvious path to get there. We have a realistic look at the troubles of the factor workers and we see the ugly but it is not gratuitous. In fact, if […]



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