Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About The Chancellor

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(Learn more about this Cannonballer: The Chancellor's Quick Questions interview.)

The Chancellor's Reviews:

The Importance of Stories

An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine

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An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine My rating: 5 of 5 stars “An Unnecessary Woman” is the stream-of-consciousness story of Aaliyah. We first meet in her twilight years. She’s old enough to tell us the raucous history of Lebanon while not so old that there’s no new adventures on her horizon. She was married off young to a guy who didn’t know how to be a husband. He divorces her and she ends up keeping the apartment. In the interim she works in a bookstore […]

A #MeToo-summer Night’s Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

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A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare My rating: 3 of 5 stars “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is the story of a love quadrangle gone awry. Hermia loves Lysander, but her father wants her marry Demetrius. Helena, Hermia’s best friend, is in love with Demetrius but he can’t stand Helena. Hermia and Lysander decide to escape to the forest (read green world) so they can be together. Helena is made aware of the plans but is angry with Hermia so she tells Demetrius in order […]

Why Did I Not Read This Sooner

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

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Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow. I’m trying to think of another book that introduces several different characters, makes me care about each one in different ways, somehow brings them all together without seeming too coincidental and leaves me wanting to read the next two books in the trilogy. In a very Dickensian manner, Mr. Ghosh introduces us to Dheeti, Zachary, Paulette, and Jodu. They serve as the four main characters in the book. The supporting characters are […]

A Gritty Young Adult Family Drama

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The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell My rating: 3 of 5 stars Marnie and Nelly live in a rough neighborhood in Glasgow, Scotland. Their parents are drug addicts, alcoholics, and there’s hints that their dad has been abusing the girls. Early on something happens to the parents and the girls cover it up so that they won’t be placed into the foster care system and split up. Marnie is the oldest and she’s very smart. Her smarts are what can help her escape the […]

A Quick, Intense Read

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Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick My rating: 3 of 5 stars Set in the turn of the century, “Revolver” is the story of the gold rush. Or is it? It’s told in flashbacks starting in the “current” time of 1910 Giron (modern Kiruna) Sweden, and flashing back to Nome Alaska in the late 1890’s. The plot is not complicated although the flashbacks do add a depth to it I wasn’t expecting. It’s a mystery, or a crime novel, depending on how you look at it. Sig […]

Toxic Family Secrets

August: Osage County by Tracy Letts

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August: Osage County by Tracy Letts My rating: 4 of 5 stars Not since reading “A Long Day’s Journey Into Night” have I come across a play that is so uncomfortable and beautiful all at the same time. “August: Osage County” centers on the Weston family living out in the plains of Oklahoma. There’s a death in the family and first part of the play is the family arriving to prepare for the funeral. Then the real action starts as the family is together for […]



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