Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Life is the thing you bring with you inside your own head.”

Normal People by Sally Rooney

by 2 Comments

This book damn near killed me. And I’m still not quite sure what to say about it. On the surface the plot is simple; two people from different walks of life come together, don’t always communicate great and life ensues. The book is told in alternating chapters from Connell and Marianne’s perspective, jumping in time with each chapter. They meet as teenagers and start having sex and (maybe) falling in love. Connell feels like he is truly himself when Marianne is around. Marianne falls under […]

The museum adventure I always wanted as a child (bonus review from Ysakitty)

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

by 3 Comments

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was a favorite book of mine as a child.  But as I grew older I slowly forgot about the message of the story and only remembered the adventure.  When I saw that it could be ordered for only a dollar as part of a larger Scholastic book order, I knew I had to get it for my 11 year old.  It was delightful to find that she was as enchanted with the story as I was. […]

An Eden of dangerous things.

Florida by Lauren Groff

by Leave a Comment

I don’t generally read a lot of short story collections. When I do, I prefer the ones that have some kind of thread that tie them together. This book fit that particular bill. While each of the stories in this collection have something to do with the state of Florida, the thread that I found the most intriguing was parenthood. What does it mean to parent? How much of one’s identity is tied up in the role of parent? Is there a limit to what […]

I’ve discovered Anthony Horowitz, and I couldn’t be happier

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz

by 4 Comments

That’s right, I’ve discovered this wonderful mystery writer. Granted, it’s in much the same way that Columbus discovered the New World, and I imagine my fellow Cannonballers looking at me with bemused expressions and saying, “Blimey, mate, he’s been here for ages if you’d bothered to look.” My fellow Cannonballers are all British in this scenario, and they are also correct. Name recognition, which came from reading several reviews on this site, was responsible for my interest in these novels as much as the intriguing […]

I can barely remember having read this one. Not a great selling point, I know.

Love in the Time of Scandal by Caroline Linden

by 1 Comment

From Goodreads: Penelope Weston does not like Benedict Lennox, Lord Atherton. He may be the suave and charming heir to an earl, as well as the most handsome man on earth, but she can’t forget how he abandoned a friend in need—nor how he once courted her sister, Abigail. He’s the last man she would ever marry. If only she didn’t feel so attracted to the arrogant scoundrel… Once upon a time, Benedict thought he and Penelope got along rather well. Though he needs a […]

My first DNF in years

Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science - and the World by Rachel Swaby

by Leave a Comment

From Goodreads: Fifty-two inspiring and insightful profiles of history’s brightest female scientists. In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise three children.” It wasn’t until the second paragraph that readers discovered why the Times had devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion system to keep communications satellites […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo