Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“But afterwards you went on remembering.”

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

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Confession time: this is the first Agatha Christie novel I have read. I know, I’m surprised too. When thinking about where I wanted to jump in one of her standalone novels felt like the right choice, and since I had watched the adaptation of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans and remembered the plot I figured going into one without any preconceived notions was probably for the best. As it was the end of October one with spooky vibes (a group of strangers invited to an […]

A little history–with many asides and jokes

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

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Many months ago, I was getting ready for a short road trip to New Mexico and Texas, and I needed something to listen to. I’ve read a couple of history books by Sarah Vowell, and I enjoyed her take and irreverent style. When I saw, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States (2015) by Vowell, I decided to read it. Before reading this book, everything I knew about Lafayette was from Hamilton. In fact, I imagined Daveed Diggs, the original Lafayette from Hamilton, as I read this book. First, I […]

“In these islands there is no certainty. Bring your own food, your own gods, your own flowers and fruits and concepts. “

Hawaii by James A. Michener

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CBR16 Bingo: Détente – This book is all about all the different peoples and cultures that came to settle the Hawaiian Islands, and ends at the point that they really begin to comfortably and fairly coexist. Hawaii is a beautiful place with a complicated history, having over the course of more than one thousand years been settled by many peoples from many places, all of which have wrestled over its lands and wealth and made their indelible mark. This book is over a thousand pages long […]

“Bourgeois fistula! Bourgeois fistula!” the rest of the dolphins chimed in unison.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

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John Scalzi can usually be relied on to deliver some delightfully silly good fun, and Starter Villain is no exception.  Much in the same vein as one of his other more recent books, The Kaiju Preservation Society, Starter Villain starts with some down in the dumps protagonist whose life is suddenly shaken upside down and they are suddenly swept away to a secret, parallel part of society that we regular schlubs never get to see. A hidden section of society that’s a little fun, a little […]

Some Minds are Better Off Not Read

The Journey by Isobelle Carmody

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What a perfect pick for the ‘And Also…’ bingo  square. I started bingo this year with the ‘Part 1’  because I decided to re-read the Obernewtyn Chronicles, and it really helped me get out of a rut.  Now as part of my re-read, I’ve leant about a very short Obernewtyn prequel story available on Audible and now I guess I have a new ‘Part 1’ to review? The Journey is set before the Great White and it gives us a glimpse of  what the world was […]

Sitcoms opening people’s minds and hearts

Hi Honey, I'm Homo! by Matt Baume

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I like to listen to audiobooks in my car, and I found Hi Honey, I’m Homo!: Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture (2023) by Matt Baume on NPR’s Favorite Books List. Baume discusses how sitcoms used characters and plots involving gay/trans characters or lightly disguised allegory that may have helped middle America become a little more tolerant than before. Because this book generally goes in chronological order, many of the shows that Baume begins writing about were ones I was not familiar with. These included Soap and All in […]



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