Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About ElCicco

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Married, mom of two, history PhD, feminist. I've been participating in Cannonball Read since CBR4. I love to read, and writing reviews keeps me from reading without thinking. I feel like I owe it to the authors who entertain me to savor their creations. It's like slowing down and enjoying a delicious meal instead of bolting your food. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: ElCicco's Quick Questions interview.)

ElCicco's Reviews:

It’s about the Monkey Trial but so much more

Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

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Cbr11bingo History/schmistory Inherit the Wind, the play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, was inspired by the “Scopes Monkey Trial” of 1925. That real historic event brought the attention of the nation to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, as two titans — William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow — battled in a courtroom over the place of Darwin’s theory of evolution in the classroom. This matter, sadly, is still debated today, which makes the play as timely as ever. Yet, Inherit the Wind […]

Do you believe in Magic?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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Cbr11bingo Youths I’m not sure I ever read this century-old classic of children’s literature when I was a kid, but I can understand why readers have loved it over the decades. It’s got everything: orphans, woodland creatures, an immense mansion on the moors of Yorkshire, and lots of secrets! And the overall message is a timeless one that really can’t be repeated enough — mental health and physical health are closely related and spending time in the natural world is good for the soul. The […]

Not my wheelhouse, but it could be (Bingo #2)

Carrie by Stephen King

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Cbr11bingo Not my wheelhouse I don’t like being scared. Never have. When I was a kid, I had to leave the room if a commercial for a scary movie or show came on. I never wanted to go to haunted houses at Halloween, and I would avoid trick or treating at houses where it looked like someone was going to try to scare me. A few cannonballs ago, I reviewed Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, which is a dark story but […]

I can’t say it improved with age

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

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Cbr11bingo Back to School Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage was one of the assigned texts for my 11th grade American Literature course some 37 years ago. I don’t remember much about the novel other than that I hated it and relied heavily on Cliffs Notes to get through it. Having now re-read it, I still don’t care for it. I can appreciate that this novel was probably shocking for its time (published in 1895) due to its realistic depiction of the violence of […]

Far and Away

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

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Cbr11bingo Far and Away I checked the antipodes map to see what the opposite end of the world from Pennsylvania would be. Turns out, it’s in the Indian Ocean, with the closest land mass being Australia. Picnic at Hanging Rock is a classic of Australian literature. Published in 1967, the novel tells the story of three teenaged girls and a teacher who go missing while on a picnic in 1900. This fictional story is famous for being an unsolved mystery, but it is so much more […]

No, her name ain’t baby, it’s Charlotte. Sherlock Holmes if you’re nasty!

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas

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Cbr11bingo Remix This remix of Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet is clever and ingenious. It’s a fun read with interesting and sympathetic characters, most notably a female Sherlock Holmes. Sherry Thomas does an amazing job of reimagining this classic. Those familiar with Doyle’s first Holmes mystery will recognize certain traits of Sherlock and plot points in common, but this is a story with something original to say about women, class, justice and independence. It’s also a fine mystery. Charlotte Holmes is about 25 […]



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