Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

…every single beautiful lie he had been told during the course of his childhood…

Werewolves in their Youth by Michael Chabon

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CBR11 BINGO: The Collection (BINGO! Remix corner to Summer Read corner) I don’t generally read very many short story collections. I like to dig into a story and often short fiction robs me of that a little bit. I’m invested and then it’s over. I think that’s why I tend to gravitate towards short story collections that are somehow linked by character or place. The connection is more satisfying for me. While Chabon’s collection here is not linked in that way, the stories are linked, in many […]

They hammer, they slash. They do not study.

Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt

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CBR11 BINGO: Remix (Retelling of Norse Myths) A.S. Byatt is an author that I find difficult and I can only tackle one of her novels every so often when I feel I am up to the task. It’s always worth the effort, but it takes a lot of concentration to deal with the richness of her language and the scope of her thoughts. It’s a little like reading philosophy, mythology, psychology, poetry and historical fiction all at once. This little book of only 171 pages […]

“Nobody was really surprised when it happened, not really, not on the subconscious level where savage things grow.”

Carrie by Stephen King

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#CBR11Bingo — #bannedbooks The first time I read this book was the summer before I went into 8th grade. A friend at camp had her mom’s copy of The Shining, which we all read, and became obsessed with. The next time I went to the library, I headed right over to the Adult “K” section, and found a paperback of Carrie, sitting along with Firestarter, ‘Salem’s Lot, The Cycle of the Werewolf, Night Shift, and a few other King titles. I read them all that […]

The best opening line since The Martian

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

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“It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size.” Seriously, y’all, read that and tell me you don’t want to devour this book whole because that how how Red Sister starts. It’s been YEARS since an opening line hooked me like this and I am still completely shook. Goddamn that’s good. Okay. On to the meat of the book, because it does not disappoint. Red Sister takes place in a world that exists between two encroaching sheets of ice. […]

Then you shoulda put a ring on it (or not)

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister

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#cbr11bingo – Not My Wheelhouse My usual reading is children and teen fiction or comic books, so I figured adult non-fiction would be a good opposite for me.  But in order to get through that I did pick a subject I am interested in. I have been quite single for most of my life, and lately I’ve been feeling particularly odd-woman out amongst my throngs of married friends and acquaintances.  I tried Kate Bolick’s Spinster and sort of hated it.  But this one held more promise […]

Michelle Obama is my hero

Becoming by Michelle Obama

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I have loved Michelle Obama for years and Becoming just scratched this itch.  This woman! Hard working, humble, gracious, driven, smart, caring and full of so much integrity.  She almost makes me want to be American (and then I remember the health care issues and hug my Canadian passport like a security blanket).  Had Hillary Clinton won the last election I might have read Obama’s memoir in a different light- inspiring yes, but in a world where inspiring things were still relatively common.  Since the […]



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