Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“I took a step toward her. ‘It is my right to reside in my own mind. It is my right,’ I said.” (CBR11Bingo)

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

by 1 Comment

Her Body and Other Parties is all about expectations – both the ones on the page for the characters Machado created and for the reader as they come to the much hyped but little described work. I knew going in that the book was pushing boundaries, igniting conversations (the husband stitch, for example), and refused to stick to one genre at any given time, let alone for the entire collection. Having completed the book I understand why reviewers have, one the whole, been relatively mute […]

“Honey girl, I don’t care what you do, as long as you’re kind to everyone you meet.”

Saga, Volume 9 by Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples

by 3 Comments

I’ve been putting off reading the latest volume of Saga since I had heard it was devastating and that there would be at least a year hiatus until Vaughan and Staples picked back up working on this. Why sit with whatever terrible, soul crushing experience was waiting for me for over a year when I could just live with not knowing for the same amount of time? Well, I abandoned that perfectly solid plan and gave in to temptation. It was just sitting there in […]

You know your love keeps on lifting me, lifting me higher and higher

by 2 Comments

CBR10Bingo: Fahrenheit 451 (BINGO!) When I named Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon as one of my three desert island books earlier this year, I realized two things: (1) I’ve only read it once, and that was about 15 years ago, and (2) I haven’t even owned a copy for half that time, having lost track of my original through several big moves (I blame my ex). I bought a fresh copy this spring, and when CBR10Bingo rolled around, I had this book in mind for […]

The book that inspired the Metallica video that freaked you the hell out in 1988

by 2 Comments

CBR 10 Bingo: Fahrenheit 451! (banned and challenged books) There’s no shortage of books that have been turned into movies, but relatively few have been turned into music videos by heavy metal bands. To be more accurate, the 1939 novel Johnny Got His Gun, which was itself inspired by the true story of a Canadian soldier brutally injured in World War I, inspired a 1971 film by the same name, which inspired the Metallica song “One,” whose video features cuts from the film. Coincidentally, the book was […]

“You’ll never understand the way the worlds really work until you surround yourself with people from all sorts of weird backgrounds.”

Saga: Volumes Five through Eight by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Fiona Staples (artist)

by 1 Comment

I’ve finally finished the remaining available volumes of Saga. At the end of Four I was devastated, I both simultaneously wanted to start the next volume immediately and knew I wasn’t emotionally ready for it. Instead, I went on vacation, came back, and then slowly continued my journey through Hazel’s story. These books continue to be fantastic and I am in awe of what Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples partnership has managed to accomplish. *As a note, I am refusing to grade these against […]

“There are only three forms of high art: the symphony, the illustrated children’s book and the board game.” (CBR10Bingo)

Saga: Volumes One through Four by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Fiona Staples (artist)

by 2 Comments

Other than clocking everyone’s rave reviews (nope not Cannonballer Says square yet) I have been staying away from the world of Saga on purpose. I have an inclination to wait for series to be near its conclusion before I pick it up. But I’m not made of stone. My friend Gina hand delivered the first eight volumes to me while we were on vacation last month. It seemed Saga’s time had arrived. These books are *fantastic*.  I always knew they would be: the swath of […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo