Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Sophia

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I love to read, and I love to learn. I wish I were retired so I could spend more time on my random hobbies!

Sophia's Reviews:

Important but disappointing

The Last Suttee by Madhu Bazaz Wangu

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CBR12 Bingo: “Book Club” A woman in my local book club picked The Last Suttee (2017) by Madhu Bazaz Wangu. None of us knew anything about it, but it had 4.5 stars on both Amazon and Goodreads, which was promising. Plus, our group is always up for a little international, feminist reading, and this novel sounded both disturbing and intriguing. Unfortunately, The Last Suttee was largely disappointing. Although I appreciate that Wangu was trying to bring attention to major injustice and cruelty, I found it […]

We can’t have change without loss

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

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My interest in psychology has increased recently, as I’ve wondered whether therapy might be good for me. I stumbled upon a Youtube channel called Psychology in Seattle with Dr. Kirk Honda. It was both interesting and informative, and Honda constantly reminds his listeners what a difference therapy can make in people’s lives. About the same time, I found Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb on NPR’s Best Books of 2019 List. This book gave me more insight into therapy and therapists. Finally, I have a relatively high-stress job, […]

A fun, original contemporary romance

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

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CBR12 Bingo: “I wish…” I first saw Evvie Drake Starts Over (2020) by Linda Holmes on the shelf at the library. I was intrigued. I’m a fan of good romance novels and this looked like one I’d enjoy. I’m also using this book for the Cannonball Bingo “I wish” category. Romance novels are wish fulfillment in writing. And I think it’d be nice to live in an idyllic Maine town and fall in love with a professional athlete. I did enjoy this novel. Evvie was a fun […]

Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.

Grit by Angela Duckworth

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CBR12 Bingo: How-To I procrastinate a lot. For example, I finished listening to the audiobook of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (2016) by Angela Duckworth months ago, but I’m only finally getting around to writing the review now. I always feel that I can be more efficient and accomplish so much more. Some of this dissatisfaction surely stems from unrealistic expectations, but a larger part comes from a lack of focus and follow through. I wondered if I could learn something from Grit. Angela Duckworth is […]

“I’ve been lonely my whole life, really.”

Normal People by Sally Rooney

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Cannonball Bingo – “Adaptation” (see below) Normal People (2016) by Sally Rooney has been on a number of lists, so I’d been aware of it for some time. However, some reviews had me wondering if I would enjoy it. Sometimes books are very well written but no fun to read. It wasn’t until Obama recommended Normal People as one of his favorite books of 2019 that I decided I needed to read it. And it also works for Cannonball Bingo! I am using Normal People to fill the “Adaptation” square […]

Immigrants–they get the job done

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

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Pachinko (2017) by Min Jin Lee is my second Cannonball Bingo entry. I am using Pachinko to fill the “Uncannon” entry–a book not written by an old, white man. Min Jin Lee is a woman who was born in South Korea before moving to the United States at age seven. Even better, her book is a four-generational story of Koreans living as immigrants in Japan before and after World War II. It certainly gave me a new perspective on the lives of people whose stories I previously knew nothing about. […]



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