Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

An Ode to Cookies in Space, or Why We Fight

Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik

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I love the humanism of the domestic that Jessie Mihalik brings to her sci-fi romance adventures. Can it be cozy sci-fi if there are shootouts, kidnappings, and chases? Maybe cozy sci-fi is the wrong term, it certainly falls within soft sci-fi.  In addition to the romance at the center of this sci-fi adventure, there is care taking, affection, and a badass woman who cries when she is overwhelmed, but still gets the job done. The crew of Starlight’s Shadow cook real food, eat together, and […]

Why wait for the holidays to celebrate?

Everyday Celebrations From Scratch by Maria Provenzano

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Maria Provenzano shares a plethora of recipes and crafts to make every meal a special occasion. Since I graduated from college, I have gotten rather into cooking – it’s soothing, and it introduces some variety in my diet. I love trying new recipes, especially if I like them enough that I can add them to my weekly rotations. I definitely found some recipes that I liked in this book, but I doubt the entire thing would suit me. The book is divided up into five […]

Cult Revolt

Manhattan Cult Story: My Unbelievable True Story of Sex, Crimes, Chaos, and Survival by Spencer Schneider

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Spencer Schneider tells the story of his decades in School, “an esoteric school for inner development,” which was really just a cult. I love reading about cults – they’re fascinating in a horrifying, often voyeuristic way. Schneider was writing about his own story, about a cult I’d never heard of – two points in this book’s favor. I was excited to learn about how people could go about their daily business in New York City whilst having their lives held in a chokehold by a […]

Six Cases, Seven Deaths

The Ghosts That Haunt Me: Memories of a Homicide Detective by Steve Ryan

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Steve Ryan, a veteran of the Toronto homicide squad, tells the tales of six murder investigations among the many that have stuck with him from his time on the force. I enjoy true crime, and morbid as it is, I really enjoy true crime memoirs – there’s something very visceral about it, when the writer can bring their firsthand viewpoint to the table. And Steve Ryan does it well, with a sympathy and care toward the victims and their families that is badly missed in […]

Dark and Light and Lots of Greys

Spontaneous Human Combustion by Richard Thomas

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In this collection, Thomas presents fourteen short works of speculative fiction which blend science fiction, fantasy, and horror together in intriguing ways. It’s hard to write this review because of the diversity of the tales. The stories touch upon a plethora of genres and themes, including familial relationships, transformation, and atonement. A common device the author uses is cyclical time loops, which often lends a dream-like quality to the story that is enhanced by his deft prose. One thing I really liked about the collection […]

Faith and Deprivation on the Channel Islands

An Island At War by Deborah Carr

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Estelle has sent her younger sister Rosie away from their home just in time, for days later the Germans occupy the Channel Islands. Now both sisters must survive their respective environments as best as they can. I picked up this book despite the tiring similarity of many WW2 historicals because it had an unusual setting – the Channel Islands, which were occupied by Germans for much of the war. I had hoped that this unique experience would lend itself to a more memorable tale. Unfortunately, […]



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