Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Did I ever imagine how things were going to turn out? No, thank God. Why thank God? Had it been that bad? No, of course not. Only quite, quite different. Just as well one didn’t know in advance.”

Change Lobsters and Dance by Lilli Palmer

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I had no recollection of why I purchased this book until about halfway through when David (Edward VIII) and Wallis showed up. Then I realized this must have been cited in some biography I read about him, Wallis, or Jimmy Donahue (as Jimmy is also in this book, and I remember the disastrous dinner party described here, where he jumps off the yacht twice and humilates them in front of Greta Garbo). But putting that whole grim group aside, this was a lovely surprise to […]

“I just pretended to be someone else…. And I won an Oscar!” Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn by Michele Botton

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When I started acting I didn’t have a method, on set and on stage. I just pretended to be someone else, like little girls can do for fun. And I won an Oscar!” – Audrey Hepburn I knew of Audrey Hepburn as a UNICEF ambassador more than as an actress when she first came on my radar. I was a fan of “the other Hepburn” (usually given to Audrey), but (not realizing it was her) enjoyed My Fair Lady. And I’m fairly certain I have […]

“I started out in a green house with a red door in a small town, where mysteries abounded.”

Born With Teeth by Kate Mulgrew

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Voyager is my favorite Star Trek series so I was interested to read this book and learn more about Kate Mulgrew’s life. She is a very lyrical writer with a great eye for detail — having read other celebrity memoirs before, you can tell when one is ghostwritten and this one read as if it was purely her own effort. She has a strong voice and is able to really capture a scene and the elements that make it powerful. Her writing elevates this beyond […]

‘I’ve got something more important to offer. Something I’m sure Mom cares about more than anything. “Mommy. I am . . . so skinny right now. I’m finally down to eighty-nine pounds.”’

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

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CBR 14 Bingo: Monster The author’s mother is rather a monstrous one, which is only compounded by the codependent relationship between the two of them. Jennette McCurdy was a household name as a child actress, but it was because her mother wanted it, not here. In the aftermath of her mother’s death, she faces a slide into eating disorders before she understands the complex relationship between her and her mother that led her there. I think everyone has an occasionally fractious relationship with their mother, […]

Should be listened to in audio format if at all possible

Still Just a Geek: An Annotated Memoir by Wil Wheaton

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I have wanted to listen to an audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton (of “Stand By Me” and Star Trek fame) for a while and when his annotated memoir Still Just a Geek came out it seemed like a good one to try.  Fellow Cannonballers, I did not expect the emotional journey I was about to take when starting this book.  In the opening, Wheaton says that he is going to try his best to make it seem as though he is sitting down having a conversation […]

Year of Penny? EXCUSE ME, LIFE of Penny!

The Wreckage of My Presence by Casey Wilson

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5/26 UPDATE: if you are curious and want to check out an excerpt, you can do so HERE! Do you miss Happy Endings? If you have seen the show, then the answer is obviously YES SO MUCH OH MY GOODNESS PLEASE COME BACK! If you have not seen the show, then what are you doing? Get out of here and inject all three seasons directly into your eyeballs before returning! Several days ago, the unfortunately canceled Happy Endings turned 10. 10! It seems like just yesterday, Alex […]



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