Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The Story Is Interesting, But the Writing Is Not Good

My Story by Lewis Hamilton (Timothy Collings ghostwriter)

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Best for: I cannot imagine anyone other than a new Lewis Hamilton fan finding this book interesting. In a nutshell: Lewis Hamilton shares his journey to Formula One, ending at the end of his very first season as a Formula 1 driver (so 1985-2007, essentially). Worth quoting: “But I do not want to be the Tiger Woods of motor racing – just being the Lewis Hamilton of motor racing will be cool enough for me.” “It is mostly mental energy that you are losing; you […]

A story that needs to be told more often

The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande

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“There is something more powerful than La Llorona – a power that takes away parents not children. It is called the United States.” This book is the other one we read in our English unit along with Messy Roots, and I generally enjoyed it more (also, thinking about it now it would probably have been smart to do them as a joint review but it’s too late now so I’ll just link my Messy Roots review here). The Distance Between Us is a memoir by […]

A daring and brilliant escape

Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo

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I found Master Slave Husband Wife (2023) by Ilyon Woo on NPR’s Favorite Books List. It is the true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped from slavery in Georgia in 1848. I thought this book was solely about their escape, but Woo also describes the families of Ellen and William, their enslavers, as well as a significant time period after their escape. On the whole, I thought this book was well-written and interesting–although the pace lags in a couple of places. If you’ve only taken U.S. […]

Taking women’s healthcare seriously

Grown Woman Talk by Sharon Malone

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I’ve read Michelle Obama’s books, but it’s usually Barack Obama’s book recommendations that I pay attention to every year. However, I noticed Grown Woman Talk: Your Guide to Getting and Staying Healthy (2024) by Sharon Malone had a glowing recommendation from Michelle Obama. Now that I’m forty-five years old, I’ve become a little more aware of my health and the upcoming challenges that may occur with perimenopause and menopause. I’d rather not get my all of my health information from Instagram, so I thought this book might […]

Suffering on the high seas

The Wager by David Grann

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I first saw The Wager (2023) by David Grann on Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2023 list. I’m a big fan of Obama, and I read a number of his recommended books every year. I also read The Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann about five years ago. It was a deep dive into a little corner of history that I knew almost nothing about, and I found it very interesting. The Wager is also something of a deep dive into a little corner of history. The Wager was […]

Psychopaths need love, too

Sociopath by Patric Gagne

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Once again, I was looking for an audiobook to read when I found Sociopath: A Memoir (2024) by Patric Gagne. It sounded unique and interesting, so I put it on hold at my library. Patric Gagne knew she was different from a very young age. She says that no matter how hard she tried to fit in, her classmates could sense that there was something “off” about her. Patric’s mother also sometimes found her difficult to figure out. When Patric’s beloved pet ferret died, her mom was […]



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