Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About cheerbrarian

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I am a born and bred southerner and transplant to the Midwest. I read because I NEED to (as a former English major, it's in the DNA) and because I'm possibly ignoring frigid temperatures. Until summer, and then I'll just be reading outside. I also enjoy cooking, witty banter, and cheese. All the cheese. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: ardaigle's Quick Questions interview.)

cheerbrarian's Reviews:

“If you have any sort of personality, someone will eventually want to kill you.”

We Solve Murders (#1) by Richard Osman

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I am a huge, shouting, fervent fan of Richard Osman as he has fully captured his heart with the funny charming and heartwarming “Thursday Murder Club” book series. I was dismayed to learn he was taking a break from writing it, but obviously open to reading anything he wanted to put out there. As we often say to our son, I was “impressed, but not surprised” that I loved this first installment of a new series and will continue loudly telling everyone to read any […]

“I cannot say this frequently enough: the goal is not to clear your mind but to focus your mind—for a few nanoseconds at a time—and whenever you become distracted, just start again. Getting lost and starting over is not failing at meditation, it is succeeding.”

Meditations for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book by Dan Harris and Jeff Warren

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This book is one part Meditation how to, one part road trip, one part Dan Harris being cantankerous and introspective and just very frank about his own life. I featured it on my podcast “Advice from the Cheerbrarian” in the episode titled “The Power of Yes (Part 3) – Give meditation a whirl: how meditation has helped me and might help you.” Juuust had to get that icky self-promotion outta the way. And now onto the book! Firstly, who is Dan Harris? You may have […]

“You can forever remember the wrongs done to you as long as you live,” she said. “But if you forget ’em and go on living, it’s almost as good as forgiving.”

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

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This book was given to me as a CBR Book Exchange Gift last year (thanks, friend!) and had a lot of buzz about it last year; I finally got around to reading it this year, nudged by the fact that it was the November book club selection of my library book club. It was great for book club, in that overall reception to this novel was very divisive, which made for great discussion. This novel is about 1960s Americana, focused on the lives of Jewish […]

“He was a nobody. One of those shy kids who turned into social invalids when that first blast of adolescence hit, meekly accepted their fate, and became invisible.”

My Friend Dahmer: A Graphic Novel by Derk Backderf

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On a whim I grabbed this graphic novel back in spooky season, aka October aka why yes I am behind on reviews but committed to finishing out reviwing all the books I read in 2024 before the year is up. BUCKLE UP FOR LOADS OF REVIEWS, COMING AT YA. But I digress onto this review! Sometimes I feel like an outlier as a 40ish woman who does not have an affinity for true crime podcasts. In my 20s and 30s I had a long relationship […]

“Niceness is all about what we do when other people are looking. Kindness, on the other hand, runs deep. Kindness is what happens when no one’s looking.”

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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I have been in a bit of a slump lately..my life has felt heavy, and so did my books. Not physically, but both my monthly book club selection (Heaven and Earth Grocery) and a read along with a friend (Beartown) cover darker topics and I needed a break!  I was craving some whimsy and lightness and this book was just what I needed. It’s a cozy, warm, found family fantasy (alliteration) that will bring a smile to your face. Mika Moon is a witch in Britain, […]

“They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried.”

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

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Somehow, despite being an English major in college and a big reader my whole life, this is a classic I had never heard of or come across. I discovered it in a very weird way, which I’ll detail after my brief review. (Isn’t reviewing classics weird? What else can you add to the narrative?) This finalist for the Pulitzer is a vibrant, gripping meditation on war, specifically, the Vietnam War, and I’m glad it’s been a focus in the American education system over the years, […]



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