Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Sophia

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I love to read, and I love to learn. I wish I were retired so I could spend more time on my random hobbies!

Sophia's Reviews:

Sometimes all you need is a nosy, old lady

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

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Once again, I was blindly looking for another audiobook to listen to in my car. This time I stumbled upon Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (2023) by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I had not heard of it, but it had some good reviews and I was a little desperate for something that was immediately available from my library. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. Although the mystery portion of the book was a little lacking, the characters and the storyline were engaging and fun. Vera Wong lives by […]

Why do we put these horrible people in positions of power?

A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan

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I read The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan about the American Dust Bowl many years ago, but it has stuck with me. I learned a lot, and I was very impressed by the writing. So when I saw A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Egan on NPR’s 2023 Books We Love, I knew I was going to read it. This book was very well written and eye-opening in many ways. I, of course, knew […]

“Getting dumped is never really about getting dumped.”

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

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I was seeing Good Material by Dolly Alderton all over the place. It felt like the “it” book of 2023, and I immediately had FOMO. This was my first book by Alderton. I started reading it under the impression that I was reading a romance novel. I’m not sure how I came to that conclusion, but I assume it had something to do with the cover and the advertising. As I read, I kept expecting the main character to either get back with his ex or for the […]

A new perspective

When Crack Was King by Donovan X. Ramsey

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I found When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era (2023) by Donovan X. Ramsey on NPR’s Favorite Books last year. I needed another audiobook for my commute and decided to give it a try. Ramsey grew up in the 80’s and 90’s during the worst of the crack cocaine epidemic. In this book, he delves into how it affected people’s lives, how it became such a problem, people’s perception of the crack epidemic, and the government’s response to it. Ramsey follows four people who suffered […]

“If a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.”

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

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I started A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) by Amor Towles with high expectations. When my book club chose this book, one of my friends (who often aligns with me as far as liking similar novels) said it was one of her favorite books. And then the New York Times had it high on its list of best books of the 21st Century. Even when I started the first chapter, I really liked the tone of the novel. Unfortunately, my expectations were a little too high. […]

Brooklyn and billionaires (maybe millionaires, but I like alliteration)

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

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I found Pineapple Street (2023) by Jenny Jackson when I was looking for another audiobook for my commute. I probably first saw it on NPR’s Favorite Books, but I can’t remember at this point. My brother lives in Brooklyn, and I thought it would be interesting to read a book set in his neighborhood. This book has love, heartbreak, class divisions, and humor. I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting. Sasha is a normal New York City artist who has married into the Stockton family–a family […]



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