Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Enter the Multiverse but Staying Cozy, at least for now

Chilling Reflections by Drew Hayes

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Bingo 4: Favorite Drew Hayes in one of my favorite contemporary authors. He’s got the right level of geek, trope, and fun, while still managing to stay interesting. Chilling Reflections is book 3 in the Villain’s Code series, and while there have been signs in previous volumes, this one makes it pretty clear that this series is tilting into a Marvel-style multi-verse area. One thing that definitely surprised me is how directly the side story series (Villains Vignettes 1) is involved. I’ve read that, and […]

Not what Schrödinger had in mind, but I’ll take it

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

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Jason Dessen is a physics professor at a local college. He lives in Chicago with his wife Daniela and his son Charlie. Once upon a time, Jason was a promising young scientist, destined for greatness, who gave it all up when his girlfriend turned out to be pregnant. Jason’s life is not unpleasant, but it is dull and sedate and the what-ifs occasionally nag at the back of his head. But then, suddenly, Jason is abducted at gunpoint. His assailant stabs him with a syringe. […]

“It’s terrifying when you consider that every thought we have, every choice we could possibly make, branches off into a new world.”

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

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I had been telling people for years that I didn’t like this book. Recently when I asked a friend for a recommendation of something I could read when I ran, she suggested it and I again gave it a “meh, didn’t love it.” Imagine my surprise when I figured out I had not, in fact, read this book at all. (My sincerest apologies to Blake Crouch). I conflated this book (cover on the left) with Geek Love (cover on the right), about a family of […]

Enter the IKEA-verse

FINNA by Nino Cipri

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“Of course Jules was alive, they had never faced a challenge whose ass they couldn’t kick, and they had the stores of righteous rage that all retail employees collected.” ― Nino Cipri, Finna “It’s okay,” Jules said. They looked….not calm, exactly, but not scared. They looked, as they had for most of their trip, thrilled that they weren’t getting misgendered while answering customers’ stupid questions about how much weight a towel rod could really hold. ― Nino Cipri, Finna Ava works at LitenVärld and she […]

Triggers. Messed up humans. Realistic and fantastical and surreal situations.

Bolero by Wyatt Kennedy

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The rating I am giving for Bolero is a bit complicated. It is a 3 for the story and a 4 for art. There is a 2 for the obvious shock for shock value and a 2 for some oogy bits. There is another 4 for this is not an easy book, and I was not always in the moment, but I know I could be if the circumstances were more ideal towards reading. Therefore, it is a very solid three  that had its moments […]

A Satisfying Sc-Fi Read

Mysterium by Robert Charles Wilson

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CBR15Bingo: You Are Here (The characters have no clue where they are and have to figure it out.) Every year or so I pick up a used Robert Charles Wilson novel and spend an enjoyable time reading it. It’s almost always a satisfying read and I feel contented by the mystery being solved. He tends to do a good job of presenting an interesting sci-fi idea and then wrapping things up in a neat bow or a little twist. This one dealt with inter-dimensional travel […]



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