Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

My love for Seanan McGuire continues

Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire

Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

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I’m slowly working my way through Seanan McGuire’s body of work. Her books are exactly the kind of urban fantasy I love. She has a way of writing witty heroines who put their lives on the line for others. I decided to put the InCryptid series into the rotation. I bought the first book on audiobook on sale ages ago. I also have been desperate to read novels I already own. It was a win-win. Discount Armageddon introduces us to Verity Price. She comes from a long […]

“They were supposed to grow up with their hands in each other’s pockets, compensating for one another’s weaknesses, encouraging one another’s strengths.”

Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, #1) by Seanan McGuire

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This was my first Seanan McGuire book, which is a little unbelievable, both because she writes in genres I love, and because she writes so very prolifically. And I started with a really good one. I’m not against spoilers and frequently spoil myself for things, but I went into this book almost completely unspoiled, even for the premise, and I think that’s the way to go. The book is so weird it’s almost impossible to really sum up in a blurb anyway. So, how to […]

You’re a cold-hearted snake…

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire

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CBR14 Bingo: Series (this is book 17 in an ongoing series, do NOT start here). Could easily also have used this book for Snake and New.  Spoiler warning! This is book 17 in the series. It’s impossible to review the book without referring to events in earlier books, so if you want to remain completely unspoiled, skip this one. I’ll try to avoid any big spoilers for this book. October “Toby” Daye not only survived her wedding, but so did her husband, Tybalt, King of Cats, and all […]

Oh Look—It’s a Payoff!

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire

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Same disclaimer as per usual; if you are reading a review of a long-running series—and Be the Serpent is entry number 16—you know what to expect spoiler-wise. I’ll try not to mention too much in this book, but the others are all fair game.  Another thing with long running book series is that there is a lot of potential for very long plot arcs. While most books in the October Daye series have a little surprise or two, there was something set up in A […]

Where the Drowned Girls Go- Hark! A Big Bad Appears!

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

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Plot: Welcome to the Whitethorn Institute. The first step is always admitting you need help, and you’ve already taken that step by requesting a transfer into our company. There is another school for children who fall through doors and fall back out again. It isn’t as friendly as Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. And it isn’t as safe. When Eleanor West decided to open her school, her sanctuary, her Home for Wayward Children, she knew from the beginning that there would be children she […]

the december rush

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

The Haunting of Gillespie House by Darcy Coates

Your Fathers, Where Are They? And Your Prophets, Do They Live Forever? by Dave Eggers

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens

The Lightness by Emily Temple

The Very Nice Box by Eve Gleichman, Laura Blackett

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

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Franny, Jet, and Vincent Owens take special joy in disobeying their mother’s rules. They wear red shoes and black clothes. They read books about magic. They fall in love. It’s the Lower East Side in the 60s. Who can blame them? I didn’t realize this was a prequel. I just picked it up at an airport bookstore when I had 3 hours to kill and a low phone battery. I’m grateful this is the only book that called out to me. I’m always drawn to […]



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