Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Meet Booger Lizk’t of Elberon or Tommy Tomkins to you

Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy by Jonathan Hill

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I finished this book in a day, starting at the dentist, finishing as I enjoyed some cold pizza (shh don’t tell my dentist) from dinner, and it became a new favorite.  Granted, Tales of a Seventh-Grade Lizard Boy might not be an OMG BEST BOOK EVER, but I really enjoyed how we take the being different theme and make it (while specific to our hero Tommy) a generic idea. That is a favorite thing about science fiction/fantasy. You take the Idea You Want to Present […]

I want to try the dish and get a doll of our gal Anni!

Anni Dreams of Biryani by Namita Moolani Mehra

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Anni Dreams of Biryani has a bittersweet ending. And that colored my feelings about the story Namita Moolani Mehra tells. I was on board with our young hero, Anni, as she tries to figure out how to make biryani as well as Uncle (as the man who owns the café across the way is called) does. But no matter what she does, she cannot get the secret from this grumpy (but eyes shining) man. Oh, her biryani comes close, but is not exactly right. And […]

Came For The Recipes, Stayed for the Memoir

Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora by Reem Assil

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CBR 14 Bingo: Star The author is a well-known, award-winning chef. I am on a cooking spree these days – what can I say? It relaxes me. And I especially enjoyed this cookbook, not the least because I love Middle Eastern cuisine. Arabiyaa is a mix of cookbook and memoir, telling us the stories of the recipes but also of Assil’s life and her path toward becoming a chef (hint: it’s not straightforward). The book is divided into five sections that cover all the basics of […]

It’s Life

Spellbound: A Graphic Memoir by Bishakh Kumar Som

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At first, I found Spellbound: A Graphic Memoir by Bishakh Kumar Som a little confusing. You expect to get the story of Som, and while it starts off that way, you quickly go into a fictionalized version of who they are. With the character Anjali, we see who Som could be and in a way is, as their protagonist is a piece of them. This is a fun, informative and unique slice of life story that may not shatter the world but will rock it […]

Adventurous Eats for the Hungry Cook

Cook As You Are: Recipes for Real Life, Hungry Cooks and Messy Kitchens by Ruby Tandoh

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CBR 14 Bingo: Adapt (Camel) This book is chockfull of flexible recipes, easy to modify and adapt as you like. Ruby Tandoh introduces recipes from across the world with an eye to accessibility and ease of making. Before we go into this review, a caveat: I am a picky eater. A lot of foods don’t agree with me, whether due to taste or texture, and the only meat I eat is chicken. As such, I could not try out a lot of the recipes in […]

A story needed to be (but never should have had to be) told

Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel by Andrew Donkin

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Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel is a wow book! Adapted by Andrew Donkin, the Ruta Sepetys novel comes to life in a graphic novel format. The story of one family shows another side of world history, and how in World War II, the Soviet Union was not just fighting Germany, but its own people as well. It might not be for everyone as there is much in the way of concepts and content that might be difficult, even for adults. A little-known piece […]



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