Sophia – Page 37 – Cannonball Read 17

History and drama on Mount Everest

The Third Pole by Mark Synnott

February 23, 2022 by Sophia 2 Comments

I first noticed The Third Pole (2021) by Mark Synnott on NPR’s Best Books List. I love climbing and mountaineering, and I’ve already read a couple of books on Mount Everest. But what really made me read this book (or listen to it on audiobook) was that I recognized Mark Synnott from some North Face expedition presentations that I’d seen on Youtube. Synnott had been onstage with Jimmy Chin and Hazel Findley, some amazing athletes and adventurers. What made me remember him, though, was that he was a very […]

A little disappointing…

It's Not Me, It's You by Mhairi McFarlane

February 12, 2022 by Sophia Leave a Comment

Mhairi McFarlane has become one of my favorite romance authors. I’ve read a number of her books, and I’m working through her whole collection. I ended up buying It’s Not Me, It’s You (2015) because it was not available at my library. I’ve always enjoyed McFarlane’s writing even though the English slang sometimes confounds me, but this one was a little disappointing. Delia Moss has a job that seems very much like The Office except there is no Jim around to make it bearable. Yet she enjoys her life […]

“This is weird, Madison. You want me to raise your husband’s fire children.”

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

February 2, 2022 by Sophia Leave a Comment

My book club chose Nothing to See Here (2019) by Kevin Wilson as our next read. I knew nothing about it and had no expectations. In fact, in my head I had it confused with another book I’d seen on some list. So when I began, I was very confused that the protagonist/narrator was a present-day woman living with her mom. However, I quickly figured out my mistake, and I thoroughly enjoyed this quick, humorous, yet still touching novel. Lillian is 28 years old and living […]

“Don’t offend the gays and don’t inflame the homophobes.”

And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts

February 2, 2022 by Sophia 2 Comments

My boyfriend recommended that we watch And the Band Played On together. It looked like a good movie, but I knew I wanted to read the book first. Initially I was intimidated by the lengthy six hundred-some-odd pages, but I eventually bought And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts. Originally published in 1987, I read the 20th Anniversary edition. I was quite young when AIDS broke out in the United States, and the epidemic has never affected me personally. I vaguely remember […]

“Never quit, but sometimes do quit, ’cause you simply might not be that good at some shit.”

Yearbook by Seth Rogen

January 25, 2022 by Sophia 1 Comment

I was looking for another good audiobook and saw Yearbook by Seth Rogen on NPR’s Best Books List of 2021. I’ve found that comedians write very entertaining memoirs, and they are often even better audiobooks–especially when they read it themselves. Seth Rogan’s book was no different. Yearbook is a relatively short compilation of moments in Rogen’s life. He talks about wanting a girlfriend in eighth grade, his training for and the multiple bar mitzvahs he attended when he was thirteen, being a child stand-up comedian, moving to Los […]

Stoic self-help book

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

January 22, 2022 by Sophia 1 Comment

This was a long time ago now, but I think I’d just read Grit, and I was interested in finding some more books that explored mental toughness. I saw The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living (2016) by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman and decided that I needed a hardcover copy. I began in January, and for the next year, I read The Daily Stoic’s little blurb of the day. The book begins by explaining that Stoicism was a school of philosophy founded […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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