Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Archives for December 2021

Harry Potter and Abilities vs. Choices

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling My rating: 4 of 5 stars Compared to my re-reading of “The Sorcerer’s Stone”, I liked “The Chamber of Secrets a lot”. Maybe because the characters have all be established or they are a year older, I’m not sure. I just found that they weren’t as irritating to me as they were in Book 1. The movie adaptation of “Chamber of Secrets” is my least favorite out of the bunch. I find that the battle […]

Harry Potter and These Teachers Would Be Fired

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling My rating: 4 of 5 stars I started reading this book in an attempt to read all of the Harry Potter series with intention to look not only at the art of the writing but the message behind it all. What really stood out to me, instead, was the irresponsible, dangerous pedagogy at Hogwarts. Maybe starting out my twelfth year as a teacher, and the second year teaching during covid, really brought to light the pedagogy […]

A great Christmas read

If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell

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I never would’ve learned about Rainbow Rowell had I not joined Cannonball Read. Hell, I probably wouldn’t have read her if I wasn’t doing the database, and seeing her name pop up more than any other author except Stephen King (432), Neil Gaiman (269), and Robert Galbraith (243) with 238 reviews. You guys absolutely love Rainbow Rowell (average review had 4.3 stars, compared to 3.7 for King, 3.9 for Gaiman, and 4.2 for Galbraith). This love, I feel, is fully deserved. Rainbow Rowell is glorious. […]

A fantastical twist on the slave narrative

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates turns the slave narrative on its head. With his first fiction novel, Coates deftly melds together historical fiction with sci-fi fantasy. The novel follows the life of Hiram who we meet when he nearly drowns in the local river. Hiram is born a slave on a Virginia plantation, the son of the master. A story that’s all too common in history. His father made Hiram help his brother with his studies. Hiram has to hold his tongue and go […]

Drinks to Read By (and Watch Movies With Too)

Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist by Tim Federle, Lauren Mortimer (Illustrator)

Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist by Tim Federle, Lauren Mortimer (Illustrator)

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I’m a fan of a pun, and back when having a small New Years Eve gathering with friends was still a possibility, I requested Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist and Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist by Tim Federle from my library. My idea was to find a couple of options for fun literary and movie inspired beverages for a crowd that was intended to include no less than 5 current and former Cannonballers (if you’re my friend long enough […]

Bayou love and magical mischief

Love and Other Wild Things by Molly Harper

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Love and Other Wild Things is the second book in the Mystic Bayou series by Molly Harper. Said bayou deep in Louisana attracts magical beings. The town is near a mysterious rift that’s catnip to shifters, witches, and any other magic being that you name. Decades ago humans and magi settled in Mystic Bayou. They mostly live in harmony. Through the series, we meet scientists who have come to observe and research the unique place. In the first book, How to Date Your Dragon, an […]



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