Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

When I grow up I want to be…..

Lola Dutch When I Grow Up by Kenneth Wright

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Lola Dutch is a modern-day Madeline meets Eloise with a generous dash of Olivia and Fancy Nancy thrown in. Due to Lola being a “bit much” for some (a nice way of saying she has way too much energy and ideas and ability to act them out), she seems to have her heart in the right place. You will either enjoy her antics or not.  And, you might not have liked her in her first book (Lola Dutch), but this second picture book might be […]

Fine, but what’s in it for me?

The Stench of Honolulu by Jack Handey

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A very funny book that’s mostly not racist! Which is pretty good considering Jack Handey is of a certain age and of a certain bent and could have made this a lot more racist. A low bar. This is a fake novel about a trip to Hawaii paid for by the narrator’s recently divorced friend. Hawaii is recreated as a kind of mid-colonial cesspit (hence the stench), full of mystery and intrigue.  So in some ways this is a kind of fake adventure novel ala […]

Am I a Dunce?

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

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I caught a little bit of the Great American Read from PBS which led me to their website.  I reserved several books at the library from the list to try and expand my reading.  Well the first one that came available from the list was a DNF (One Hundred Years of Solitude) and I am kind of torn on this one.  I snickered out loud all through this book but I cannot say I enjoyed it and I cannot reconcile in my brain not enjoying a […]

Also I just watched Girls Trip for the first time and it was pretty great.

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

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This was a pretty good listen. There were parts during the first third or so where I was actually laughing out loud, and I don’t do that very much. Mostly it’s just inward laughter or maybe a small noise of some sort to indicate my own amusement to myself. She was cracking me up, though (definitely do the audio if you’re going to do it at all; the swamp tour story alone is worth it). But then a single chapter had to go and ruin […]

Fables on the Run

Fox 8 by George Saunders

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This short and entertaining tale by the author of the (honestly, so much better) Lincoln on the Bardo goes by at a fast clip. Accompanied by cute fox drawings by Chelsea Cardinal, Fox 8 tells the story of Fox 8, a quick-learning inquisitive fox who learns to speak and read “yuman” by watching a family as they go about their daily business. As civilization begins to encroach on their forest home and the food supply begins to dwindle, Fox 8 (one of many numbered foxes […]

Hey Diddle Diddle the Dog and the Fiddle & the Bear played the Piano

The Bear, the Piano, the Dog, and the Fiddle by David Litchfield

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The Bear, the Piano, the Dog, and the Fiddle is not as strong as the first book, The Bear and the Piano. Which is not saying a lot, as I was not jumping for joy over the first one. However, David Litchfield introduces the theme of jealousy in a manner that is accessible for children. Fiddle-playing Hector and his dog, Hugo, are best friends. But since there is a new sensation happening (a bear that plays the piano) people no longer what to listen to […]



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