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:

Another book-club-recommended-rip-your-heart-out read

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

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Neither this book nor Rebecca Makkai was on my radar but this is the March selection of the ANUW (Association for Northwestern University Women) book club and they have never steered me wrong before. This book club is the reason I read Hillbilly Elegy, Between the World and Me, the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, and Radium Girls (and if you haven’t read these, add them all to your “to read” pile! Anyhoo, I digress. The Great Believers was another in the long line of books […]

American Trilogy #2 – holds up to the first, but you don’t need me to tell you that Philip Roth knows what he is doing.

I Married a Communist by Philip Roth

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Philip Roth’s American Pastoral was one of my favorite reads of 2017, Pulitzer winning novels rarely let me down, and this was no exception. I did the audio of this book, and was riveted by the writing and the story. So, I had the second of his The American trilogy in my To Read pile when a wonderful CBR Book Exchange buddy gifted it to me…two year ago? Three? I’ve had it for a minute, but I decided this was the year! They say you […]

Couldn’t put it down, but had to cuz SCARY, but then had to pick it back up again.

Severance by Ling Ma

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I love post-apocalyptic literature. Don’t know why, haven’t pulled at that thread, but it is my jaaam. My bread and butter. And other sandwich metaphors. So, I was predisposed to like this (cuz it’s my favorite genre) but also NOT like it, if it wasn’t well done. And it was so so well done. The day after I finished it, I bought it for someone else to read because I need them to read it so I can talk about it. I can’t stop thinking […]

Prepare to shift allegiances…and take a look in the mirror.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

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This was the January book club pick for the Reese Witherspoon book club, and a fun read to get through. I enjoyed the “book club” aspect as well, following along with prompts on Instagram and the loads of other folks tackling this book at the same time. On to the book! This book is clever. It starts with an embarrassing and racist encounter in a grocery store, Emira who is babysitting for Briar is accused by a security guard of kidnapping her. Emira is black, […]

Frank was great, the rest, shrug

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

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I was looking for an audiobook for my beast of a commute to work (an hour/hour 15 each way) and checked for an audie award winner and this one won for best female narrator and that was good enough for me! I knew diddly about it, but figured it would be something to pass the time, and to that end, I was correct. Well-written, interesting, and filled with fun characters it had all the markings of a good novel but I didn’t like some of […]

Celeste Ng, I Stand Corrected

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

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Confession time: when the lovely Borisanne gifted me with this book in this year’s CBR Book Exchange, I was disappointed. In her defense, it was definitely in my “to read” pile on Goodreads; however, in my defense I forgot it was there. Last year I read Celeste Ng’s “Everything I Never Told You” and I did NOT care for it. I gave it a two. So, I went into reading “Little Fires Everywhere” ready to dislike it but was stunned to discover I really REALLY […]



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