Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The Right Read at the Right Time, almost

The Black God's Drums by P. Djeli Clark

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Bingo Free Space Yes, I know Bingo technically was supposed to end two days ago, but since this is the extra free space I never ended up using, I’m still going to finish that off. I’ve been struggling to find a novella that I wanted to assign to an intro to lit class this coming spring (for reference, I’m at a regional state school) because I didn’t want to re-use anything too recent and I wanted to avoid something easily findable on the internet (either […]

“He looked as he always did: slightly underfed, terminally scholastic, and two weeks overdue for a haircut.” CBRBINGO – Pride

Evocation (The Summoner's Circle, #1) by S.T. Gibson

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Urban fantasy but not? The center of the plot here is actually the developing relationship between its three main characters: David, Moira, and Rhys. Really, the demon possession is just background. But it’s good background! Here’s the set-up: David and Rhys used to date in college. David comes from a family steeped in magic and has been groomed since the age of five to become the head of the secret society his family started, and his dad was abusive. David is an alcoholic and it […]

“Books were a dirty job, one of the black arts, along with witchcraft and printing.”

The Book of the Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran

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This was a fascinating read! I can see why it comes so highly recommended by people whose opinions on books I trust. This is also a genremash book, with a little bit of lot of stuff thrown in, and done very well. We’ve got horror, fantasy (on the dark end), literary fiction, and a bit of a mystery plot as well. I will not be talking hugely about the plot, because watching it unfold is too fun to spoil, but this starts off about a […]

“Is everyone really crazy but me?”

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson

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30 Books in 30 Days, Vol. 4 Book 25/30 This is one of the best short story collections I’ve ever read. 3.7 stars is the actual number averaging all the stories out, but that’s really high for me and short stories, especially literary ones. And also, I’m rounding up. Specific thoughts on all the stories in my updates, but overall this is a great collection of stories about the ways that arbitrary social rules degrade our humanity. Brief thoughts on each story below. [3.70, rounded […]

Like Sylvia Plath and the fig tree, basically.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

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My initial thoughts upon finishing this were mostly that it was a perfectly fine book but that it wouldn’t stick with me, and that has indeed turned out to be the case. It’s been a month since I’ve finished it, and it’s already almost fallen out of my head completely. But it was a short, entertaining read, so if that’s something you’re looking for, and you can stand some blatant emotional manipulation, this might be the book for you! What the blurb doesn’t tell you […]

The end of an era but not really

My Hero Academia Vigilantes, vols. 14-15 by Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court

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My Hero Academia Vigilantes is a side series, and it’s just wrapped up.  The main series is apparently in the process of winding up its final story but who knows how long that takes. The final two volumes of vigilantes show  the conclusion of the final epic battle and hints at the not too distant futures for those who survive (mostly). Koichi aka Crawler, the seemingly lucky idiot who wants to be a hero but not an official one, has been facing off against the […]



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