Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

We learned nothing.

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry

Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World by Laura Spinney

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I read The Great Influenza a few months ago after coming across it. I think I would have read it regardless of the current pandemic as I still believe my knowledge of the world in the WWI era to be lacking. The Great Influenza focuses on the Spanish Flu and its impact in the United States. It also details the history of medicine and virology, specifically as it pertains to the flu. The book is long and comprehensive but I really enjoyed it.  It really […]

BFL: Big Friendly Leviathan (Or not)

Doodleville V01 by Chad Sell

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Doodleville V01 by Chad Sell was a bit of a hard sell for me (okay got that out of my system). It is by the author of a book I felt was “Okay. Not OKAY!” (A small difference, but one nonetheless.) But I was in the mood for something that felt easy but knew would not be just fluffy and Doodleville seemed to fit. And the theme of dealing with the fears and emotions of one girl was not fluffy. But it was not “heavy” […]

Facts and Tips on Embarrassments

So Embarrassing: Awkward Moments and How to Get Through Them by Charise Mericle Harper

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A little while ago I read a book Screaming Hairy Armadillos from the publisher Workman. While, not usually a fan, I know they have some goodies. Therefore, when I got a chance to get a copy of So Embarrassing: Awkward Moments and How to Get Through Them by Charise Mericle Harper, I jumped at the chance. Okay, gold was not found twice. But perhaps it is bronze instead. Harper’s non-fiction book is a fun way to learn how to deal with your embarrassment. They combine […]

Getting My Body and Mind Right

Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar

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CANNONBALL Best for: Anyone interested in pursuing a serious yoga practice. In a nutshell: Iyengar provides a summary of the history of yoga, beyond what many folks consider when attending yoga classes or watching videos. Worth quoting: “The study of Yoga is not like work for a diploma or a university degree by someone desiring favourable results in a stipulated time.” Why I chose it: Part of my goal for 2021 is to live more of the life that I want, and building a consistent […]

“Guts” delivers and important message to younger readers about mind/body connection

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

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Raina Telgemeier returns to the autobiographical in Guts.  I’m late to the party on this book as my 13 and 9 year old have read it multiple times since its release in 2019.  For those familiar with Telgemeier’s autobiographical graphic novels, this is a story in which Raina is younger than in Smile or Sisters.  She’s in fifth grade and has begun having stomach troubles.  It started with a round of stomach flu going through her family and school.  But afterward Raina begins to obsess about the […]

Hard to digest through no fault of the book

Gulp by Mary Roach

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I’m a luddite where books are concerned. I have a kindle solely because the spousalthorp got lovingly irritated with me on our Hawaii honeymoon when I read all the books I had packed and we had to go the furthest away from our hotel on the island to the only bookstore, and THEN pack all the books to take with us. They took up a suitcase on their own. I begrudginly concede he may have had a point. That said, I accidentally bought Gulp on […]



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