Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A humorous and insightful exhortation

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell by W. Kamau Bell

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Cbr11bingo Listicles (From Roxane Gay Book Recommendations) Bingo #8 The full title of this book is The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6’4”, African-American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmantic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama’s Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian. And all of that detailed identity is covered in this collection of funny, provocative, thoughtful essays that are part memoir and part cultural/political commentary. I have to admit that the only thing I knew about Bell before reading these essays is that he […]

Do you like Fall? Do you like snacks? Do you like being happy? Yes? Then this is the graphic novel for you.

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks

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This was, without a doubt, the most enjoyable reading experience I’ve had this year. Every single page was a god-damned delight. Do I need to say more? OK. Well. This is Rainbow Rowell, so if you love her, you’re going to need to read this. It reminded me a lot of her short story “Midnights,” except that this is about best friends who love Halloween instead of Best Friends who love New Years Eve. Deja and Josie work at an amazing Pumpkin Patch (honestly, if […]

I Love This. Always.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

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Cbr11bingo I love this. When the first Harry Potter book came out, I read a review of it in the New York Times and thought it sounded like a fun series for kids. After The Chamber of Secrets came out, the Quality Paperback Book Club (of which I was a card carrying member) offered a deal to get both volumes in hard cover, so I took advantage of it. Like millions of people around the world, I fell in love the the stories and their […]

So many bad tropes (Bingo: Youths!)

Dragon Called (Deadweed Dragons, Book 1) by Ava Richardson

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If the dragons from this book call you, reject the call and change your number. Actually, that’s not entirely fair. The dragons, from what I read, were fine. It was everything else that needed a lot of work. I gave up on page 139, read the last three or four pages (kind of like I did with Jane Eyre in high school, tbh) and tossed this on the “read” virtual shelf. It needs a good line editor for a start.

If You go into The Hazel Woods Today… (Bingo: Travel square)

The Hazel Wood: A Novel by Melissa Albert

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When Alice was born, her eyes were black from end to end, and the midwife didn’t stay long enough to wash her. (Kindle loc. 221) My mother was raised on fairy tales, but I was raised on highways. (loc. 37) Holy cats, you guys. This book and my reaction to it are probably going to fall down around my ears like a pack of playing cards or a straw house, but for the moment I am in love.

We get it, they’re out to get you.

The Trespasser by Tana French

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When Aislinn Murray is found dead in her home, alongside a table set for a romantic dinner, it seems like a classic case of “the boyfriend did it” to Detective Antoinette Conway. But further exploration of Aislinn’s past and cryptic clues from her close friends seem to point to something more sinister, along with the nagging feeling Antoinette had met the victim before. The core story of The Trespasser was a decently engaging mystery, with an end that I didn’t fully see coming, but didn’t […]



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