Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“You can check-out any time you like/But you can never leave!”

Hotel California by Don Bruns, Heather Graham, Andrew Child, John Gilstrap, Reed Farrel Coleman, Amanda Flower, Jennifer Dornbush, Rick Bleiweiss

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In this anthology of eight crime stories, the reader is introduced to a quite wide cast that includes multiple hitmen and detectives, a senator, an influencer – and a whole bunch of victims. I don’t read many anthologies, but I do make an exception for ones consisting of crime stories. I think the mystery genre is one of the most diverse when it comes to the way authors explore its common tropes. Hotel California‘s central theme is that each story is inspired by a song […]

It’s a friends-to-lovers sapphic murder mystery novella!

Partners in Crime by Rachel Bowdler

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I got drawn in by the adorable cover (ok but seriously why don’t they have EYES?) and then when I found out it was a friends-to-lovers? sapphic murder mystery novella? SOLD. Bryce and Thea have been best friends for years. They co-host a mildly popular weekly true crime podcast, though the rest of their lives is, well, mediocre at best. They’re both sort of treading water, with the podcast – and their friendship – being the bright spot in their lives. Bryce works six days […]

I read this book back in February, sorry for the rather lacklustre review

Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

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Hello, welcome back to Malin reviews things she read several months ago, in this case – FIVE whole months. Let’s start off with the official book description: Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no […]

More Like the Book of Old Cases, Right?

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

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Le sigh. I hate tearing into the work of a writer I normally enjoy. I’m going to do a non-spoiler one and include a spoiler below. While the spoiler does indeed reveal a major plot point (though not an essential one to the mystery of the murders), I do encourage you to read it as it deals with a trope that is common and very painful for a large group of people. It’s one I see repeated time-and-time again and I’m just tired of it. […]

The Bad Friend We Can’t Resist

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

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It had been years since I’d read anything by Jennifer Weiner. I’m not sure why, exactly. Years ago, I enjoyed Good In Bed quite a bit, a novel about a woman whose ex-boyfriend writes an article about loving someone plus-size, and In Her Shoes, a story about two very different sisters (which was made into a movie starring Cameron Diaz). I also admire the the writing shes’s done over the years about how the literary world doesn’t take women’s fiction seriously, relegating popular books written […]

‘“There is nothing to talk about” she said. “I’m just a freak that’s all.”’

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

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After being convicted of libel, Mikael Blomkvist is hired to investigate the decades-old disappearance of Harriet Vanger, a teenage heiress, with the help of Lisbeth Salander. I read this book a long while ago, but very few things clung in my mind. Certainly not the length, or the amount of time that was devoted to the financial intrigue aspect. Also all the pedantic sandwich making and eating! First, the good. The mystery of Harriet Vanger is a fascinating one and hard to guess the truth […]



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