Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Pumpkins, Fall, Growing up, and Young Love or Why Fall is a Great Metaphor for Senior Year

Pumpkin Heads by Ranbow Rowell

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Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell My rating: 5 of 5 stars Josiah and Deja work at a pumpkin patch. Not just any pumpkin patch. This place has rides, attractions, multiple fall themed food booths and a corn maze. When you get to see this pumpkin patch think of the harvest festival from Parks and Rec. Josiah and Deja are both high school seniors and it’s their last night of the last season at the patch. They’ve worked at the pumpkin patch for multiple seasons and […]

I never actually wrote a review of this, so here are some thoughts I typed up to a Goodreads friend instead.

Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2) by Rainbow Rowell

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I just never got myself together enough to write more than “THOUGHTS” as a review on Goodreads, so here are some disjointed notes (edited for clarity) I sent over to a Goodreads friend instead: 1. In response to everyone going into this book assuming it was a duology: I thought about this, too, but ultimately it doesn’t bother me too much. I had been going in expecting this to be the end of the story as well, and it very much wasn’t. Maybe on a […]

A timely review for a book about Halloween.

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks

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Short and sweet 🙂 I really want to go to an effing pumpkin patch now. (I’ve never been! It’s not really a thing in the Southwest.) I actually read this back in September after it was first released, and I read it in about an hour in one sitting as I was drinking some coffee at Barnes & Noble. I didn’t remember much more than my major impressions, so I went ahead and re-read it just now ahead of writing this review. Some impressions: The […]

It’s the same story on repeat but still pretty fun

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

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Apparently the multi-narrator thing is now a trend in certain types of fiction. I heard this a while ago, but hadn’t thought on it much until I picked up Carry On. I’ve read Fangirl, so I had a basic idea but what I hadn’t realized was that Carry On uses one of my least favorite narrative styles, first person present, and the multi-narrator story. Together these things drag down what would otherwise be a great fan fic/twist on the “Chosen One” brand of hero story. […]

A Most Entertaining Magical Road Trip, But Missing the Runzas

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

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The Simon Snow books are fan fiction of fan fiction, from a fan fiction about fan fiction (or something like that), meaning that they are both adherents to and parodies of the Chosen One genre of fantasy story. They do this very well, and are very entertaining reads. In addition to clearly having fun with tropes and stereotypes, Wayward Son in particular adds what could almost be called a brand of emotional realism to the character and story types. In stories like Harry Potter (which […]

“This will end in flames”

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

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Simon Snow won. But he also lost. A lot. And now he’s lying on a couch barely living and his best friend is worried about him. His boyfriend wonders what’s going on in their relationship and everyone is walking on eggshells a bit. So Penelope decides they all need a holiday. In America! What better way to brush off the cobwebs and escape their normal (but never Normal) lives than a road trip across the U.S. of A? It starts out grand of course, these […]



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