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:

Everyone likes a sexy bodyguard

Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai

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I found Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai from NPR’s Best Books of 2020 List. This was my first experience with Rai’s work, but Girl Gone Viral is actually the second book in her “Modern Love” series. This was an interesting and well-written, modern romance novel. I enjoyed it enough to read another of Rai’s books almost immediately after finishing this one. I also appreciate that NPR is recommending romance novels with a little diversity in their characters and authors. Katrina is sitting in a busy coffee shop lusting […]

It’s no Goon Squad, but Egan is an impressive writer

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

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My first experience with Jennifer Egan was A Visit From the Goon Squad. I loved that book; it’s one of my favorite books of all time. Well, my brother and his wife gave me Manhattan Beach (2017) by Jennifer Egan for Christmas awhile ago (probably in 2017). Even though I knew I wanted to read another Egan book, I kept putting off Manhattan Beach. I had trouble finding the time for a book I owned when there were always new library books to read. I felt kind of bad […]

“There’s room for different kinds of greatness. Even if you cry doing it.”

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

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Like many of the books I’ve read this year, I found The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa on NPR’s Best Books of 2020 List. This one didn’t end up being one of my favorites, but I remember reading it quickly and being entertained. Although there were a couple of problems with the book, there was plenty to like as well. Carolina Santos, or Lina, is a first-generation Brazilian-American, and a fantastic wedding planner. Unfortunately, she’s just found out that she’s losing her office space for her […]

Not as good as The Martian but still pretty good

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

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I’m not a big reader of science fiction, but when I stumbled on The Martian by Andy Weir about six years ago I was more than pleasantly surprised. I loved that book. So, when I eagerly picked up his second book, Artemis, I was disappointed. Thus it was with some trepidation that I started reading Project Hail Mary (2021)–Weir’s latest novel set in space. Fortunately, I’m putting Project Hail Mary firmly in second place. It’s not nearly as good as The Martian, but it’s much better than Artemis. Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship. There […]

“Some kindnesses you do not ever forget.”

Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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I read Americanah back in 2014 and I really enjoyed it. So when I saw that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie had written a short story, Zikora (2020), I picked it up. This is definitely only a short story, clocking in at about 30 pages or so. But Adichie has a way with words, and she explores a number of different themes including: family, pain, love, and motherhood in a very short amount of time. The story begins with Zikora, a successful lawyer in Washington D.C., in labor at the hospital. […]

How alcoholism (and many other things) can ruin a childhood

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

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I first saw Shuggie Bain on NPR’s Best Books of 2020 List. It also won the Booker Prize, and since I was ready to read some “real” literature, it seemed like a good choice. The story is of a working class boy growing up in the projects in Scotland with an alcoholic mother. I was a little worried when I saw the review by Kathryn A. Powers from Newsday. She said: “This is a hard, grim book, brilliantly written and, in the end, worth the pain which accompanies […]



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