Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

To help create a more empathetic society, this should be mandatory reading for middle grade readers (and everyone else, honestly)

Melissa by Alex Gino

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CBR15 Bingo: Bodies, Bodies – When Melissa was born everyone assumed she was a boy because of her body. Melissa is a girl but no one else knows she is, as it was assumed at birth she was a boy.  As a result, she was given the name of George.  Melissa is her secret name, admitted only to herself.  We are introduced to Melissa while her 4th grade classroom is reading Charlotte’s Web.  Melissa is moved to tears when Charlotte dies and the boys in […]

The time-travel queer romance that stole my heart.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

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Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a love letter to New York, queer history, and believing in the impossible.  August moves to Brooklyn, New York, to disappear in the crowds and finish her degree. She switched majors and moved around, but feels like New York is meant for her. The book begins with August interviewing for an apartment. Her potential roommates are an intriguing couple, Myla and Niko. Niko is a psychic. Myla is a mixed-media artist. The third roommate Wes comes later, but we meet […]

To Thine Own Self Be True

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

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All Boys Aren’t Blue is George M. Johnson’s memoir manifesto. I’d been hearing about it since it was tragically banned in way too many US states. Well, jokes on those haters who are way too obsessed with censorship. It was picked in September for my Mocha Girls Read book club and our Cannon Book Club. Through a series of essay chapters, we learn about George’s life from childhood to now. We learn about their identity issues that started with their name. In early childhood, the […]

*slaps roof* This Thing Can Fit So Much Gay Sex In It

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

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Somewhere midway through the chapter two “Oh no my friend brought me to breakfast with my one night stand from last night and it’s her mom” scene of Mistakes Were Made I realised that Meryl Wilsner had sucked me in for the ride. It was truly an outstanding entry in the awkward reunion genre, a little awkward, a little sexy, a little funny. It set the tone for the rest of the book, and it was enough to get me over my general mistrust of […]

The Girl on the (Subway) Train

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

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A.k.a. the time that a weaponised use of Freddie Mercury had me sobbing at 1am with the book pressed against my forehead, begging for a happy ending. Yeah. In my defence, the reason I was doing that was that the book would not let me put it down until I have finished, after I had brazenly decided to start a reading session at 11:30pm in bed, knowing that I was heading into the climax. One Last Stop is Casey McQuiston’s follow up to Red, White and […]

“How does she explain that she used to be afraid to love anyone because there’s a well at the center of her chest and she doesn’t know where the bottom is?”

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Early last year I read and loved Casey McQuiston’s debut Red, White, & Royal Blue like many a Cannonballer before me. Upon its completion I knew McQuiston was an author to add to my must reads list – they were writing the kind of queer romance I was looking for in the world. Once announced I put One Last Stop on my to read list having faith in the author, […]



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