Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”

All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles

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I am ever so pleased with my first Aardvark book! Only my third 5-star rating of the year (although a couple have been close).  I chose this one on vibes – I was partway through Band Sinister and enjoying myself, loved the cover, and was in the mood to say yes to some gothic mystery goodness. All of Us Murderers is KJ Charles playing with all the gothic novel tropes and putting her own spin on making the queer textual in a genre where it was subtext for most of its history.  The book starts with […]

“Lies are as dangerous as a sword. They can cut to the bone.”

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

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I am so torn about the rating of The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton. Part of me was won over by the interesting world Clayton created where people are born alike, with red eyes and grey skin, and hair the texture of straw. What is considered “beauty” – a variety of skin tones, hair colors and types, and body shapes – does not come naturally unless they are a Belle. The Belles have the ability through their arcana (think natural magic ability) to change people’s appearances, but not their own. All varieties are considered various degrees of beautiful, but of course like […]

“Now you understand not every story shares the whole truth.”

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

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By about 10% into the book, I was reminded viscerally of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. When reviewing that book I focused on the idea of there being a special power in taking a known story and envisioning it in a new way. I’m firmly of the opinion that approaching storytelling that way – taking what has existed previously and viewing it another way – can lead to some inventive storytelling. There are any number of ways to approach it, and The Maiden […]

“Isn’t that all we ever want? To be seen and heard? Validated, even when we’re not able to ask for it.”

Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young

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Playing around with tropes is part of the fun of reading in any given genre. Seeing how an author chooses to put the pieces together, which ones they decide to leave out of the equation entirely, how they create an entirely new thing using components that are eminently familiar is what keeps us coming back.  Following reading Next of Kin earlier this year I trusted Hannah Bonam-Young to play around with the romance tropes in unexpected ways, and in reading Out on a Limb rewarded […]

“Hope was such a sticky thing. And it was sneaky too. Always showing up in the moments it was least welcome.”

In a Jam by Kate Canterbary

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I spent two weeks traveling earlier this month and decided a hefty 450-page romance would be an excellent choice to keep me company on planes and in hotel rooms. I was very right. I have spent the past three years adding Kate Canterbary books to my to read list thanks to a review by emmalita of The Worst Guy. Unfortunately for me, her books aren’t available through my library system so when I came across a sale, I decided that In a Jam would be […]

“resting is a more important craft than writing”

Nerve: Unlearning Workshop Ableism to Develop Your Disabled Writing Practice by Sarah Fawn Montgomery

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Many of my hobbies are word-based. I read books, I review them, and I write short form narratives. The writing is for fun, something that I’ve reclaimed as enjoyable following academic writing. I have a group of friends that get together and workshop what we’re working on a few times a year – although most of our time is spent visiting as we don’t see each other much outside of these meetups anymore.   My writing has always been in fits and starts. If my brain […]



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