Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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About Ellesfena

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I mostly read nonfiction (especially public health-related), mysteries, and fantasy. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: Ellesfena's Quick Questions interview.)

Ellesfena's Reviews:

Not Just History

January 1, 2017 by Ellesfena 1 Comment

I was raised in an interfaith household, and I read a lot of books about young Jewish girls when I was growing up. There was Judy Blume’s Sally and Margaret, Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars, and the All-of-a-Kind Family, of course, but there was also the lesser-known Rachel Bloom and Sashie from The Night Journey. The Night Journey is a simple story–Rachel is 13 years old, growing up in Minnesota with her parents and her great-grandmother, Nana Sashie, who lives with them. Sashie tells the story […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction Tagged With: children's lit, Jewish fiction, kathryn lasky, Russia

Ellesfena's CBR9 Review No:2 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction · Tags: children's lit, Jewish fiction, kathryn lasky, Russia ·
· 1 Comment

Manic Pixie Dream World

January 1, 2017 by Ellesfena 2 Comments

I knew nothing about Ready Player One when I picked it up. Somewhere along the way I had gotten the impression that it was in the Hunger Games/Running Man kinda book–this was way off. Ready Player One is the story of a dystopian future USA, dominated by a virtual reality universe called OASIS. James Halliday, the man who created OASIS, before he died, hid a series of clues within it. The person who finds and solves these clues (Easter eggs) will be rewarded with Halliday’s […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Science Fiction Tagged With: 80's pop culture, dystopia, Ernest Cline, science fiction

Ellesfena's CBR9 Review No:1 · Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction · Tags: 80's pop culture, dystopia, Ernest Cline, science fiction ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

Splash!

December 11, 2016 by Ellesfena 12 Comments

My first Cannonball, hooray! Housebroken is another collection of humor essays from Laurie Notaro. Throughout the years I’ve read all of her books. Some are hilarious, some are so-so. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Housebroken quickly became one of my favorites of hers. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. Notaro’s essays usually focus on domestic issues with her husband or family, or sometimes on the strange people she encounters in her day-to-day life (she now lives in Eugene, Oregon, which it […]

Filed Under: Comedy/Humor, Non-Fiction Tagged With: cannonball, humor, Laurie Notaro

Ellesfena's CBR8 Review No:52 · Genres: Comedy/Humor, Non-Fiction · Tags: cannonball, humor, Laurie Notaro ·
Rating:
· 12 Comments

Another Delight

December 5, 2016 by Ellesfena 2 Comments

Sarah Caudwell’s legal mysteries are just delightful. This is the third one I’ve reviewed this year, and I’ve been moving very slowly through the series because I wanted to savor it. Now I only have one left. The Sirens Sang of Murder, like the other two Professor Hilary Tamar mysteries before it, revolves around a group of young barristers in England who like to spend most of their free time either sitting around drinking, or going out on dates. In between they practice law and […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: England, hilary tamar, mystery

Ellesfena's CBR8 Review No:51 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery · Tags: England, hilary tamar, mystery ·
· 2 Comments

A Lot Less Special Than I Wanted it to Be

November 9, 2016 by Ellesfena Leave a Comment

Last year I went to Washington, DC for the first time as an adult, and I loved it. I’m not a huge fan of most cities, but I AM a huge fan of American history so I had a great time. When my mother-in-law loaned me this book, I was excited to read a mystery that took place in one of my favorite cities, written by the daughter of a president (actually I just read on Wikipedia that these were ghostwritten). What a disappointment this […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: mystery, Washington DC

Ellesfena's CBR8 Review No:50 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery · Tags: mystery, Washington DC ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

A Palate Cleanser

November 9, 2016 by Ellesfena 2 Comments

I read Charlotte’s Web a few weeks ago, just for fun. I wasn’t going to review it, but this week I felt like writing a review of something. . . just nice. Charlotte’s Web is just about the nicest book in the world. If you’ve never read it, it’s the story of a pig, Wilbur, the runt of the litter. He’s saved by the farmer’s daughter, Fern, and eventually goes to live on the farm of her uncle, Homer Zuckerman. There, he meets the spider […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction Tagged With: Children's Books, classics, Death, friendship

Ellesfena's CBR8 Review No:49 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction · Tags: Children's Books, classics, Death, friendship ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments
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Recent Comments

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