Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

This is not a happy story, but hey- neither is The Little Mermaid. 

The Seas by Samantha Hunt

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I devoured Samantha Hunt’s previous novel, Mr. Splitfoot, last year and it easily fell into my top 10 of the decade (If you have yet to come across Mr. Splitfoot then I implore you to check it out; it has everything you’ll ever need: ghosts! cults! comets!) but The Seas easily steals a spot among my favorites of all time. The Seas is slim, spare, and haunting.  I have always been drawn to tales of maritime peril, and while there is no shipwreck here there are […]

I would probably have liked this better if the protagonist was the sister

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

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Official book description: Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone in a house that is slowly crumbling toward the Long Island Sound. His parents are long dead. His mother, a circus mermaid who made her living by holding her breath, drowned in the very water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, ran off six years ago and now reads tarot cards for a traveling carnival. One June day, an old book arrives on Simon’s doorstep, sent by an antiquarian bookseller who purchased it on […]

A beautiful murmur

The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia

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I bought this book, put it on my kindle, and then forgot about it.  I don’t know why I bought it–I’m sure it was someone’s recommendation, or a list of new books somewhere.  One day I found it again and started reading, having no idea what the book was about. This book was enchanting. Set in early 20th century Mexico, this is the meandering story of the Morales family and their adopted son Simonopio, who was found by old Nana Reja under a bridge, with […]

Almost Perfect Collection of Short Stories

Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman

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The only reason why I didn’t give this collection 5 stars is that not all of the stories grabbed me the same way as “The Red Garden.” Also though there is the linkage of the Blackbird House, we have so many loose endings with the people who come and live in that house. I loved “The Red Garden” because many of the people in those stories popped up as young children and then as adults or were referred to in some way so you know […]

The Scope May Have Been Too Wide/Ambitious

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

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I loved Yangsze Choo’s novel, The Ghost Bride, so I was happy when I discovered that this novel had been released, and immediately bought it. It is set in 1930s Malaysia and has three different characters whose lives end up interweaving in odd ways. There is Ji Lin, a young woman, who is working in the city as a dress maker and moon lighting as a dancer.  Though she had higher ambitions, her family would not let her go into a profession, and only eventually […]

Laugh so Loud at the Coffee Shop that the Guy Next in Line Spills His Drink (CBR11 Bingo: The Collection)

Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg

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The bizarre come home to roost in Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory. Fleeting daydreams turn into years long stunted relationships, science goes too far into US history, dogs navigate the meaning of “good” and “bad”, entire stories are told in the span of half-sentences, and a Minions watch holds new and aching power. The wordplay, absurdity, and bone-deep ennui of Bob-Waksberg’s previous creation, Bojack Horseman, are ever present and ready to build you up and tear you back down to the ground. […]



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