Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I just can’t with this book

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

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Reasons why this book grated on me (mild spoilers but I don’t care, you shouldn’t read it anyway): Copious boob descriptions. Behold: The twin peaks that strain against the middle buttons of her blouse Her soaked T-shirt leaving her as good as naked from the waist up.  But even though her breasts were resplendent – small but perfect, with nipples standing up like finials in the pelting rain… The nipples inert in the heat of the day The way she let it all hang out […]

Another Chronicle About Our Terrible Past

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

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I came away from this one seeing the forest more than the trees. The overall story is interesting, but I wasn’t really interested in the details along the way. At the end of the day, I’m glad I read the book, because this seems like an important story in terms of American history. But I often found my mind wandering while going through it. Did you know that the Osage Native Americans in Oklahoma were among the (if not THE) richest people in the world […]

A Cozy Story that Won’t Stress You Out

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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I must have felt like I needed a book hug, since I chose this one, which was described as a cozy read. I’ve heard of cozy mysteries and have been curious about the quaint worlds they inhabit. To be clear this is not a cozy mystery, it’s a cozy story – a gateway drug of sorts into cozy mysteries. This is a story about Mika, a witch who lives in England. Mike meets with other witches, in a sort of bi-monthly support group, but members […]

A great debut novel

Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo

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This is one of those books about what could very well be about normal life. But it’s told in such an engaging and intriguing way. Adebayo is able to take the things that we all deal with – longing, loss, infidelity, belief – and show us how extraordinary we all really are. In a lot of ways, Stay With Me is a mirror reflecting our own desires, shortcomings, and struggles. We learn this by experiencing the lives of Yejide and Akin, who live in Nigeria […]

Formulaic, but somehow still original

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

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If you haven’t tired of The Girl on the Train, or Gone Girl, or The Woman in the Window (which, to be fair, I haven’t read), and even Ghost 19, then this is your book! Female narrator? check. Possibly unreliable? Check check. Voyeurism? Triple check. Timeframe shifts from chapter to chapter? checkity check check check. Twists and turns? Hopefully you’ll think so like I did – but I’m not one to try too hard to figure things out. I’m just along for the ride. This […]

This novella is about as short as my review

The Witch Must Burn by Danielle Paige

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Well color me surprised. I thought this book was about Glinda but it’s mostly about Jellia – although she and Glinda spend the book together. So I guess it’s a two-fer. So far, this is the shortest of the Dorothy Must Die series and two prequel novellas at 67 pages. And to be fair, not a lot happens in this book. Jellia is working in Dorothy’s palace…I realize “working” might be a misnomer, as she really doesn’t have much of a choice at this point, […]



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