Biography/Memoir – Page 74 – Cannonball Read 17

Relatable or One really long acid trip or One Last Selfish Act or What do I know? I’m a cartoonist or the Monologue that got away

It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood

October 6, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I am not giving It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood a rating of 5 because I absolutely loved it, or thought it was the best thing in the world, or even because I found it original. Actually, I don’t really like the author or her life choices. However, she is a freaking genius and can paint a story in a way that is relatable and a bunch of hooey. And you love her for it. She tells us she is […]

“My pain was never more valuable than his potential.”

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

October 4, 2023 by Sophia Leave a Comment

I saw Know My Name (2019) by Chanel Miller available at the library on audiobook, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to listen to it. I had heard the story of the Stanford swimmer who had sexually assaulted an unconscious woman. I knew that even with two witnesses, he received a light jail sentence. I remembered the collective outrage from the sentencing, and I thought I already knew the story. Add to the fact that rape isn’t exactly a fun topic, and I was leaning against reading […]

Rogues, the whole lot of them.

Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks by Patrick Radden Keefe

October 4, 2023 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

Last year I did a Patrick Radden Keefe double-header: Say Nothing and Empire of Pain. It was… a doozy. Keefe writes incredibly well (he’s got a slew of awards to prove it) and excels at deep dives into larger-than-life personalities. When Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks went on sale on Chirp I scooped it up. Rogues is a collection of Keefe’s previous writings for The New Yorker. Keefe describes in his preface how journalists often develop a lane, and while he […]

“Sometimes I feel like my brain is a machine built by someone who lost the instruction manual.”

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

October 4, 2023 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

I haven’t often re-read books in the past decade as I’ve gone on my Cannonball journey. But sometimes I revisit an old favorite, or earlier books in a series before continuing with the newly published. Due to my personal commitment to reading banned and challenged books it has also meant that our Banned Book Week book clubs have included re-reads. I try to review the re-reads on their own merits – what was the reading experience this time. But in the case of Gender Queer my […]

Painting makes her fly

Woodpecker Girl by I-Tsun Chiang and Chingyen Liu

October 3, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

A while back I found a book from Reycraft Books that (at the time) was a future publication. And since I enjoyed it and the person I was dealing with was so delightful to work with (I had asked for a reader copy and we conversed via email for a bit), I have found myself wanting to read more Reycraft Books. I found the title Woodpecker Girl in my research. Locating an online sample of the book, I realized that was not enough. I said, Pretty Please Library Loan Please, to […]

One small step for a woman, a giant leap for all she inspired

To Boldly God, How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton

October 3, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Once upon a time there was a little girl who watched a show called Star Trek. She had no idea what was going on and didn’t like the monsters/aliens. But when she became an adult and realized that an actor called Leonard Nimoy was playing the handsome character called Mr. Spock, she started to watch again. (I admit, it is all about the ears!) But as this more “worldly person” (she had gone to college, which was all of two hours away from her home […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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