Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A book that’s just as good as everyone says it is.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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This was very well done. I can see why it’s so popular, and how it could easily mean a lot to a lot of people. I’ve actually had this on my TBR for years, but since I was set to read Anderson’s memoir SHOUT for the Read Harder Challenge this year, I figured it would be a good idea to finally pick it up, since the subject matter is closely related. Spoilers for the premise below, if you somehow don’t know it. This was a […]

A World In Which Magicians Can Also be Hackers

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason

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I saw a familiar cover in a bookstore, went to look at it, and realized that it was in fact the sequel of something sitting on a TBR shelf that I’d kind of forgotten about. Thus, I had to read the one I had before getting the next one because what if I didn’t like the first one? And the first one would probably be necessary to pick up and follow the new one. Thus, I took How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse off my […]

Charming and fun

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

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Join Lord Henry “Monty” Montague, his bookish sister Felicity and best friend/crush Percy as they embark on a Grand Tour of Europe.  The trip is intended to expose Monty to culture, or at least take his embarassing behaviour out of the sight of his father and anyone else important in England.  When he returns he is expected to pick up the reins and be the dutiful son and heir. The sensible well laid plans of  minder Lockwood have no chance against Monty’s recklessness.  Percy is […]

“Guts” delivers and important message to younger readers about mind/body connection

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

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Raina Telgemeier returns to the autobiographical in Guts.  I’m late to the party on this book as my 13 and 9 year old have read it multiple times since its release in 2019.  For those familiar with Telgemeier’s autobiographical graphic novels, this is a story in which Raina is younger than in Smile or Sisters.  She’s in fifth grade and has begun having stomach troubles.  It started with a round of stomach flu going through her family and school.  But afterward Raina begins to obsess about the […]

I found this dull, and won’t be continuing the series.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress, #1) by Julie C. Dao

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Honestly not sure I can milk 250 words out of this one. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns didn’t really spark my attention back when it first came out, but when Read Harder wanted me to read a retelling by an author of color, this was on one of the lists I looked at, and picking YA fantasy seemed a good idea at the time. And honestly, it wasn’t bad, I just didn’t find it interesting, at all. It doesn’t help that I didn’t realize this […]

What if your school was always trying to kill you?

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1) by Naomi Novik

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Semi-brief review because I read this back in October, and my memory of it has faded. I remember being engrossed in it. I love the concept of a magic school that runs itself. And I love the horror aspect of this, that all these kids are trapped in this school because it’s too dangerous outside for them, even though it’s dangerous inside the school as well. I really liked the protagonist, El (short for Galadriel). She is so grouchy and anti-social, but as with all […]



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