Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Little less insta-love, little more plot, please

Off Balance by Aileen Erin

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“Off balance” is definitely an apt description of how Amihanna is feeling as she’s trying to adjust to life on Sel’Ani. This book picks up directly where Off Planet left off, so this review will contain spoilers for that book. Amihanna is safely on Sel’Ani, but that doesn’t mean things are getting any easier for her. The trauma of the past few months is catching up with her and she’s not quite sure what’s expected of her as Lorne’s betrothed. Amihanna’s more used to staying […]

It’s like Cinderella, but with more spaceships and a love triangle

Off Planet by Aileen Erin

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This is one of those young adult science fiction books that hit the fairy tale retelling itch for me. So while this isn’t the most innovative book ever, it’s immensely fun. Thirteen years ago, Maité and her mother escaped being killed with the rest of the alien Aunare on Earth when SpaceTech, the giant corporate conglomerate that runs Earth, decided to break their peace treaty. After years on the run, they’ve spent the past almost decade in Albuquerque, where they both work at a diner. […]

For Three!

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Vera Kelly Is Not A Mystery by Rosalie Knecht

Never Easy, Never Pretty: A Fan, A Team, A Championship Season by Dean Bartoli Smith

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Knocked out three books this weekend, all of which I enjoyed to varying degrees…   The Book of Three A cute, charming fantasy novel. Perhaps a little too derivative of LOTR (the wolf-like character might as well have been called “Gollum”) but still entertaining and occasionally refreshing when compared to the rest of the genre. I also enjoyed a compelling female character that had autonomy without having to be everyone’s Hashtag Badass Woman (in other words: I appreciate a male writer who can write a […]

Growing up brown in Norway is no picnic

Hør Her'a! (Listen here!) by Gulraiz Sharif

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CBR13 Bingo: Free (borrowed at the library) Official book description (translated by me): It is summer vacation and fifteen-year-old Mahmoud is imagining long days on the bench outside his building with his friend, one-eyed Arif. This summer will be different, however, because the family is getting a visit from Uncle-ji from Pakistan and Mahmoud’s job will be to show his uncle around. Uncle-ji is very surprised at what he sees in Norway, and what is going on with Ali, Mahmoud’s little brother, who is not […]

Long Love The King

American Royals by Katharine McPhee

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I read this as part of a library reading challenge: genre I don’t read. I don’t read a lot of romance and, while this won’t change my mind on that, I can appreciate why people like this. Being a mystery fan, I expect that there’s a certain amount of cynicism with the genre. Cynicism towards governance, relationships, general human behavior. I feel like the best mysteries and crime novels tell us about ourselves, as if holding up a cracked but clean mirror. Romance has kind […]

Literally not what I hoped it would be.

Literally by Lucy Keating

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  “Sorry,” I stutter. “It’s just that…she’s describing my life.” In response to this statement, Lucy watched me coolly, her head slightly tilted to one side. It made me uncomfortable. Annabelle likes things to be ordered. Like color coded calendar ordered. So when her parents announce that they are separating the selling the family home, Annabelle’s perfectly ordered life becomes decidedly disordered. To make matters worse, Annabelle discovers that her entire life, ordered and disordered is actually just a character plot written and controlled by […]



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