Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A lot to unpack in this short, supernatural mystery

The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

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There is nothing in this book that I relate to. I am not a 16-year old, gay, black, male. And I definitely don’t see ghosts or ghouls. But Jake is and does. And as extraordinary as he is, he still deals with all the other ordinary things a teenager deals with. So Jake’s life is…complicated…to say the least. Jake’s ordinary life concerns living in the shadow of his big brother, growing apart from friends, and getting to know the cute new student at his school […]

A literary murder mystery that didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

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I was doing so good in the first of January at being on top of my reviews, and then I hit this book, and the mehness of it has caused a back-up that I’m trying to get back under control before February hits. Anyway, I was really excited about this book, but it didn’t quite do it for me. It was perfectly fine! But I will never read it again (a litmus test I have been using more and more when deciding if I want […]

You Had Me at Braineater

Braineater Jones by Stephen Kozeniewski

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Braineater Jones (as he calls himself), has a problem. He woke up dead in a swimming pool and he has no idea who he was before he was undead. He also doesn’t know why he’s undead and why there are a whole bunch of undead people around these days…these are just some of the many mysteries that our self-described private dick has to tackle. Taking place in the 1930’s this is a fun little play on a noir novel as Jones deals with the “dames”, […]

Love, Death, Murder, Justice

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

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CBR15Passport Book I own Everybody loves this book, the first in a series, and I am no different. Richard Osman is always entertaining whenever he appears on British TV shows like Taskmaster or Would I Lie To You, and his wit, intelligence and humor are evident throughout this delightful murder mystery set in a bucolic retirement community. The  murders and sleuthing are expertly written and the characters are completely charming. Especially impressive though is Osman’s portrayal of love amongst senior citizens trying to keep meaning […]

“Hello, Hart-ache.” “Hello, Merciless”.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

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CBR Passport Challenge: New to Me author In a world very unlike our own, most people live on islands and when people die, they are not buried in coffins, but rather placed in boats and sent out to sea (like when we bury someone in the ground) or the boats are cremated. So undertakers don’t just need to know the rituals of cleaning and treating a body, there are rituals to follow and sacred words to be spoken – but they need to be able […]

Kate’s back, baby!

Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews

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4.5 stars While this book is the start of a new chapter in the lives of Kate Daniels and her family, I suspect this book will work a lot better if you’ve read at least some of the previous thirteen books and various novellas. As always, I would recommend strongly skipping the first book (as do the authors themselves). Start with book 2, Magic Burns. Set seven years after Magic Triumphs (and about two years before the events of Blood Heir), Kate, her former Beast-Lord […]



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