Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Hickey jokes, messy eating, and bubble baths.

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

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There have been several coincidences lately. The most recent is I just found my Sarah’s Scribbles books by Sarah Andersen, then a few days later I found Fangs by them. Now that might not seem like a big deal, but I had not even thought about Andersen’s books in months (though I do have her weekly planner), and here I am getting bombarded by their wonderful work. I have not felt well for a few days (just the “summer blues” not due to sickness), but […]

My revenge is just begun! I spread it over centuries, and time is on my side.

Blood Sisters: Vampire Stories by Women by Paula Guran, editor

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As a reminder, I was really interested in reading vampire fiction before Halloween, and this book of short stories, cobbled together by Paula Guran, was a really wonderful sampler. There are about 25 stories ranging in eras from the early 1600s with Catherine of Aragon and Henry VII, vampire slayers, to a dystopian future where teenagers decide to ‘just do it’ and become vampires to rush the inevitable. The anthology is organized by era and showcases a wide variety of world-building concepts, tones, geographies, and […]

Cinnamon rolls, cinnamon rolls, cinnamon rolls

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

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Shortly before Halloween, I was struck by the desire to read vampire books. I don’t think I had read any for years (although I have read many of the ‘classics’ including Dracula (obviously), Interview with a Vampire, Salem’s Lot, etc.), so I wanted a ‘fresh’ approach when I was searching. I was limited by what was available to download from our library, but ended up scratching this particular itch quite satisfactorily. Sunshine came several weeks after Halloween and I had completely forgotten why it attracted […]

“You ladies read a strange assortment of books,” James Harris said. “We’re a strange assortment of broads,” Kitty replied.”

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

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In one word: Disappointing Cannonball Read Bingo: Libations Alright y’all. I am here with a story of heartbreak. I absolutely ADORED Grady Hendrix’s 2016 “My Best Friend’s Exorcism.” I judged it by its cover immediately as it was styled to look like an old VHS tape, so I was sold from jump. Set in the 80s, it was a seamless blend of horror, humor, and coming of age, a book that I fell into completely and had on my best of the year list. I […]

World War V: Part III

City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin

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This is the third and final novel in Cronin’s vampire trilogy (or as I like to think of it: Cronin’s vampire trilogy for people who actually aren’t too fussed on vampires but just enjoy a big epic story). The first novel, ‘The Passage’, introduced us to the vampire plague and then jumped forward 100 years as the last vestiges of humanity desperately try to hold on to their grip on the world. The second novel, ‘The Twelve’, showed how the best and worst of humanity […]

World War V: Part II

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

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The first book in this series, The Passage (my previous review), has forced me to do something I haven’t done in a long time: commit to a trilogy. A proper, lengthy, complex trilogy. I can’t remember the last time a series got its hooks into me so well. Quite a few of my cannonball reviews over the years have covered off on the first of a series. Gideon the Ninth, The Hatching, The Mummy Bloggers… None of these compelled me to continue. But Cronin’s epic vampire epidemic series […]



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