Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“You’re the reason for for the word wonderful. It really shouldn’t be used for anything else.”

Funny Story by Emily Henry

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CBR16 Sweet Books: Exciting Daphne used to have the perfect life. Working as a children’s librarian, living in a beautiful house with her fiancée Peter, Then, returning from his bachelor party, a shame-faced Peter confesses that he is in fact in love with his best friend Petra, and Daphne has one week to move all her things out of the house (which is owned entirely by Peter). Concluding that Petra’s equally dumped boyfriend Miles probably has some free space in his flat, Daphne moves in […]

“…but the losses were as solid and dependable as the Earth itself.”

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

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My book club chose Commonwealth (2016) by Ann Patchett ages ago, but it was a meeting I couldn’t make. So when I ran out of time, I skipped the book entirely. However, because I’ve enjoyed other books by Patchett, I decided to pick this one up as an Audiobook. I’ve enjoyed every book by Patchett that I’ve read, and Commonwealth is no exception. Although, this one is not quite at the top of my Patchett list, it is memorable. I appreciate Patchett’s realistically drawn characters and nuanced family drama. […]

Great Idea and Strong Execution

T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories From Being Fat in a World of Thin People by Ian Karmel and Alisa Karmel, PsyD

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Best for: Fans of Ian Karmel’s work, people interested in hearing from siblings who have been fat most of their lives, people interested in learning more about how anti-fat bias impacts the lives of fat people. In a nutshell: In this clever set-up, comedian, comedy writer and podcast host Ian Karmel shares what is essentially a memoir, told through the eyes of his life as a fat child, fat teen, and fat adult. His sister Alisa Karmel, who has a doctorate and is a nutritionist, […]

“Sometimes the only way to find the route forward is to grumble about all the paths that have closed.”

After the Wedding by Courtney Milan

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The second novel in the Worth saga. Plot: Camille’s father and brother betrayed the British Crown and paid for it with their lives. She chose comfort over keeping what was left of her family, and paid for it by never being loved again. In fact, while they’ve had each other, she’s lost more and more and more of the life of her youth, until it felt more like a dream than a memory. She’s working for half-wages in the middle of nowhere, constantly on the […]

“That’s a terrible argument. The side of proper English morality also has pastries and tea. They practically invented it.”

Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan

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The hero’s name is Crash and somehow this is heartwarming. That’s Milan for ya. Plot: Daisy’s got a dream that shit will suck less at some point. It hasn’t happened yet but there’s always tomorrow, right? And right now, she’s on the precipice of a new goal – her own business. All she has to do is win a contest no woman has ever entered and convince an audience of people who believe women belong in the home to believe her more competent than a bunch of […]

“It sounded like the first line of a poem: They never stop, these Stepford Wives, they something, something all their lives. Work like robots? Yes, that would fit. They work like robots all their lives.”

The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

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Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the audio ARC. It hasn’t affected the contents of my review. Another banger from Ira Levin. I didn’t love it quite as much as Rosemary’s Baby, but you can clearly tell that this dude could write, and was waaay ahead of his time. And the actual book is much more subtle and impressive than its pop culture residue would have you believe. (Don’t even get me started on the bastardization that is the 2004 film. Now that I’ve read […]



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