Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

You have a deeply strange soul, and it’s pretty incredible

Season of Love by Helena Greer

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Do you like the idea of those Christmas movies where someone returns to a small town and finds the Spirit of Christmas, but you wish they were gayer and Jewish? Helena Greer’s Season of Love is for you. Season of Love is also for you if you ever wanted to read about a Jewish family trying to save the family Christmas tree farm while grappling with grief and trauma, but in a way that leaves you feeling like someone just handed you the best cup […]

Electra Complex

Moonlight and the Pearler's Daughter by Lizzie Pook

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CBR 14 Bingo: Bird Birds populate the landscape of this book – and Eliza’s father is prophesied to be found in a white place surrounded by many birds. When Eliza’s father’s ship returns from a pearling expedition without him, everyone but her seems to accept that he is dead. But Eliza is certain there is more to the story, and she is determined to find him. I am rather annoyed with this book. It was so relentlessly depressing, and once I had gotten through the […]

The Necessity of Violence

Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators Revolution by R.F. Kuang

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I think my mixed feelings are going to come out so I’ll say up front that this is way outside of what I usually read, and while I appreciated that it is a very good book, I often didn’t enjoy reading it. I appreciate it more than I love it. But, I think it’s a worthwhile read. Maybe don’t pick it up right after you put down a book that owns your whole heart. This book is also in conversation with The Secret History and […]

‘“Nonsense, my dear! It is the 1920s, you know.” She squeezed Bella’s hand. “The world is changing. For the better, I hope.”’

Hotel Portofino by J.P. O'Connell

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CBR 14 Bingo: Hot We are on the Italian Riviera in high summer, and the characters lavish in beach days and garden parties. Bella Ainsworth has just opened her hotel in Portofino, but she is already facing trouble – unruly guests, blackmail, and some business about a Rubens… This was my second stab at this book. I received an audiobook ARC originally, but I found it could not keep my attention so I went with an ebook for the library instead and it coasted by […]

‘… and to the women of science whose names we will never know -‘

The Physicists’ Daughter by Mary Anna Evans

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CBR 14 Bingo: Minds Justine’s true weapon is her mind, the things she learned from her parents, and her ability to solve problems and crack codes. Justine, a physicists’ daughter who lives in New Orleans, suspects that someone at her factory is a saboteur trying to thwart the war effort. But even she doesn’t know that she is the crosshairs of a spy. I really thought very hard about my rating for this book – I was torn between three stars and four, because while […]

The Title is a Bit of a Spoiler

Court of the Vampire Queen by Katee Robert

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Three things before I get into the review. The term “reverse harem” is racist and I won’t be using it. It’s based on a racist understanding of what a harem actually is. If you have questions, google “harem is racist” and you’ll get better deep dives into Orientalism and hypersexualization than I could possibly give. Court of the Vampire Queen was previously released as three novellas in the Bloodline Vampires series – Sacrifice, Heir, and Queen. There is a lot of blood, drinking blood, and […]



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