Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

My friend wrote a book and it’s really good! Why did it take me so long to read it?

Hot Rabbi by Aviva Blakeman

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CBR14 Bingo: Hot (hot features in the title, and a lot of the contents are also decidedly spicy) Official book description: For fifteen years, Shoshana Goldman has avoided her childhood synagogue. Her successful custom-furniture store keeps her busy enough, and the synagogue brings bad memories not peace. It will take nothing short of a minor miracle to change her mind. Intrigued by her friends’ convictions that the new “hot Rabbi” is that minor miracle, Shoshana agrees to attend a service. It’s only one service, right? […]

What’s in a name?

Spear by Nicola Griffith

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The last few years I try to read at least one or two things that I would not normally read. I have done horror graphic novels, manga, and adult novels. I did not do great (but not horrible) this year (that horror manga comic alone would have been enough), but I figured Spear by Nicola Griffith might work. It was adult, and science-fiction/fantasy (heavier on the fantasy). And it was short. I find that if you are tackling a subject/genre you do not normally, short […]

Name. Time. Hell.

The Hellbound Volume one by Yeon San-Ho

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This, to say the least, is an unusual book.  What is/was the point? Who are these people that grace the pages? Why do they do what they do? (Okay, the officer who had his wife murdered, and his son, make sense, but still). When is this book taking place? (Is it now? Or a future timeline? Or even an alternative timeline?) So many questions, so few answers in The Hellbound Volume one manga graphic novel. The creators, Yeon San-Ho, Choi Gyu-Seok, Danny Lim (translation) and […]

“The Bible becomes a confusing mess when we expect it to function as a rulebook for faith. But when we allow the Bible to determine our expectations, we see that Wisdom, not answers, is the Bible’s true subject matter.”

How the Bible Actually Works: In Which I Explain How An Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom Rather Than Answers--and Why That's Great News by Peter Enns

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How the Bible Actually Works: In Which I Explain How An Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom Rather Than Answers—and Why That’s Great News by Peter Enns My rating: 5 of 5 stars I first heard of Peter “Pete” Enns on the “Bible for Normal People” podcast and greatly appreciated not only his own commentary but also the guests and discussions that he hosts on each episode. This lead me to hearing that he had written a book. So I went out […]

Pilgrim’s Progress, Or Why It’s Important to Follow Directions

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

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The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan My rating: 3 of 5 stars Growing up in a Christian faith-community, I had heard off and on of “Pilgrim’s Progress”. No one I knew had actually read it, but the gist of the story was passed around. I’ve been trying to revamp my British literature course and my Enlightenment/Interregnum period needs some work. This book happens to fall into that period and since I teach at a Christian private school I figured it might be a good fit. […]

Preparing for Easter

Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis by C.S. Lewis

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Preparing for Easter: Fifty Devotional Readings from C. S. Lewis by C.S. Lewis My rating: 4 of 5 stars “Preparing for Easter” by C.S. Lewis is a thought-a-day for Lent. There’s a theme for each week and each selection from Lewis’s works ties in to this theme. When I first picked up the book, I thought it was actually written by C.S. Lewis. It does not take long to realize that this is not the case. Instead, the publishers have taken short pieces from the […]



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