Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The Title is (kind of) a Lie

The F*ck It Diet: Eating Should be Easy by Caroline Dooner

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  Two notes: First, I’m not interested in having the “fat = unhealthy” argument in the comments. BTDT. If you’re the type of person “worried” about fat people’s health, I know. Keep it to yourself, kthx. Second, this is apparently the year of reading books that heavily feature “the F-word” and I swear there was a book out there somewhere about that word in particular that I should probably find, buy, and close the year out by reviewing.   (And now, some filler to keep […]

I am a liability.

99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

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I read and loved “The Hating Game” based on many great reviews from fellow Cannonballers. I snatched this one up as soon as I saw it on the new book shelves at the library. It’s the perfect summer book and I devoured it in a few sittings out in my garden. Darcy and her twin brother, Jamie “adopted” the boy who lived across the street, Tom, when they were eight years old. Their close friendship has lasted into adulthood with Tom providing a much needed […]

Why do you build me up…just to let me down?

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

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George Washington “Wash” Black had spent all of his twelve years as a field slave on a plantation in Barbados when he and friend/protector Big Kit were suddenly summoned to the master’s house to serve at table. After the tense dinner at which the master quarreled with his brother Christopher and broke Big Kit’s nose with a plate, the main house slave tells Wash he’s to stay behind and tend Christopher in his room. Big Kit tries in vain to argue Wash’s way out of […]

All you ever were was a little bit of the universe, thinking to itself. Very specific; this bit, here, right now. All the rest was fantasy.

Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks

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This is going to be a tough review to write. First off, I loved it, and I find those reviews difficult. Second, it’s another big Culture novel from Iain M. Banks, and as I found last year with Matter, it’s hard to distill everything into a brief review. I’ll do my best on both counts, but I’ll just start with this: for anyone who loves hard science fiction in general and space opera in particular, the Culture novels are the absolute best I’ve read. Surface […]

You’re in a Cult — Call your dad! And other life advice from Karen and Georgia

Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

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Where my Murderinos at? Part self-help book (kinda), part memoir (mostly), and all kinds of things you didn’t know about Georgia and Karen (and probably weren’t afraid to ask), Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered is a breezy, easy read with some serious points underlying all the humor — a lot like the “My Favorite Murder” podcast only written down in a version you can hold! We have gone from living inside your headphones to pouring ourselves out onto the page like a couple of […]

“Just because you’re the same kind doesn’t mean you’re all one happy family. The important thing is to understand each other. That’s love!”

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly: A Novel by Sun-Mi Hwang

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This short and utterly beautiful story is about following one’s dreams and maintaining hope in the face of despair. It is a meditation on family, motherhood, and selfless love. Published in South Korea in 2000, it became a bestseller and a classic of Korean literature. Hwang has written dozens of books and she has received multiple awards for them. The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly is poignant and gorgeously written, with translation by Chi-Young Kim and illustrations by Japanese artist Nomoco. While this might […]



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