Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About esmemoria

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Eager to get back on the horse this year! In my walking around life, I miss my old, blind pug (the Ancient Mariner), help amazing college students become teachers, and tie an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: esmemoria's Quick Questions interview.)

esmemoria's Reviews:

Brat Packer Writes Charming Story About Mice

She Was Nice to Mice by Ally Sheedy

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CBR Bingo – Fauna When she was 12 years old, 80s movie star Ally Sheedy wrote the book She Was Nice to Mice about Queen Elizabeth I and a genteel mouse living in her palace. One of the best things about the book is the drawings, which were done by another young woman named Jessica Ann Levy. The cover shown here features Elizabeth and a small mouse dressed in exquisite Elizabethan garb. Adorbs! The story depicts Queen Elizabeth as a fiery, temperamental ruler who loves […]

This White Whale Almost Did Me In

The Plague by Albert Camus

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CBR Bingo – White Whale The truth is that nothing is less sensational than pestilence. – The Plague My reading froze up completely as I tried to read Camus’ The Plague. I think I’ve been trying to get through this book for a month. It’s not because it isn’t good (it’s really good) or too slow (a bit slow in places, but so worth it) or triggering me (nice time to read about a plague). It’s….I don’t know why. For weeks I just stopped reading […]

A Totally Biased Review

Giving Back by Edward A. Joseph

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CBR Bingo: Home. In which I return home and find my father. Giving Back was written by my father, Edward Joseph. It’s a series of essays that he’s written and published over the years about family, memories, moments of human connection and advice for living. It’s a great book and I’m so proud of him. The way my father came into writing is intricately tied to my own story. I had been living in San Francisco but returned to my home city in New York […]

Inert Magic

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

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CBR Bingo – New Series A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, Book No. 1 in the Scholomance series, was a disappointment. It had an interesting premise: a sorcery school that is crawling with creatures who are set on injuring and killing the students. Unfortunately, the book didn’t live up to the premise. The book centers around Galadriel, an extremely powerful wizard who has the capability to cause mass destruction. She has kept her power hidden from her fellow students and the prestigious enclaves that sit […]

It Took 37 Years to Finish This Book

The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey

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CBR – Cityscape (London) When I was 15, I went to a choral camp in Pennsylvania. I lived in a city just outside the Bronx and hadn’t traveled very much; mostly to my grandparents’ houses in New Jersey and Massachusetts. I remember being just terrified on the ride there and overcome with shyness once I arrived. I was an alto, but a poor one. While I played the flute and could read music, I couldn’t read music when I sang. The camp was directed by […]

Breaking Free from Zebra Thinking

50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers

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CBR Bingo – Self Care 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food is a helpful book by Susan Albers to assist those of us who overeat from stress, emotional difficulties, loneliness, or other reasons. I chose this book as my self-care Bingo book as I am in the process of losing weight and I am a big-time stress/emotional eater. I needed some guidance on how to handle my issues without automatically turning to food. Food is indeed a pleasure and can be used for comfort, […]



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