Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About NewlyWest

CBR11 participant

I've been a lover of books since a teacher handed me The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in the 5th grade. After moving to the west coast for the second time, I find myself with a promising work/life balance, robust library system, and a desire to read obsessively. (And I love the cause!)

NewlyWest's Reviews:

Lions, and Soldiers, and Pies…oh my

The Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers by Sara Ackerman

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This one was a treat of a library find, meandering down the aisles. Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers is a beautiful story that unfolds during World War II in Hawaii. This book is many things and all of them simply gorgeous. Early on we are introduced to a missing persons case that has gone cold. It is a war story full of lovers separated by duty, suspicion, xenophobia, the oppressive threat of attack, and the harsh realities of martial law. It is also a […]

We three kings (not /those/ three kings)…

A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness by Gene Edwards

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This one was for work reading….at first my post-Christmas brain went to the three kings from the East, but the book was definitely about a different set of three kings: namely Saul, David, and Absalom. It was a quick read and interesting, though I found  Edwards’ arguments a bit forced towards the end. It is a study of brokenness as the title states, but specifically about how that brokenness plays out in the leadership roles of the first three kings of Israel…and by extraction in […]

A Journey Through Adolescence and Apartheid

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

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I read this book last November before a return mission trip to South Africa, but I really wanted to hear it in Trevor Noah’s own voice. He is a born story teller and he has an amazingly compelling story to tell. It is strange to think how young he is. I don’t remember apartheid, but it was happening in my lifetime. The beautiful way he unravels the narrative is more like the way you learn a friends life story – bits and pieces that tie […]

NOT a user’s manual…

How to be Human by Paula Cocozza

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We are told not to judge a book by it’s cover, but hey, we feast with our eyes, don’t we? This sweet little novel caught my eye while strolling down the aisles of the library. I’m usually more for sprawling fictional worlds, but something intrigued me that this was her Paula Cocozza’s debut novel. I just wanted to cheer her on. I didn’t quite know what to expect based on the description on the back but I was feeling daring, so I took it home […]

If it makes you happy…

The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

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I was new to the North West and wanted something comfortable to slip into book-wise and so made this one my first choice for the year. I’m always in the middle of a couple books at the same time and had finished this first so it is my first review for this awesome group!! The Magnolia Story, as with all things Magnolia –  Chip and Joanna Gains branding – is pretty much what you would expect. They write about themself which is also what they portray […]



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