Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

There’s something about Mary

Allegedly: A Novel by Tiffany D. Jackson

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Cbr17bingo White (bingo #1) I’ve previously read and favorably reviewed two of Tiffany D. Jackson’s novels: Monday’s Not Coming and Grown. Jackson is an outstanding YA novelist, taking on challenging topics such as murder, sexual predation and mental illness. Her novels feature black girls who are sexualized and viewed as adults even though they are children. Allegedly, Jackson’s 2017 debut novel, involves all of the above: a black girl accused of murdering a white baby, her abuse while incarcerated, teenaged pregnancy, and lots of undiagnosed […]

Among the Stars

The Georgian Star by Michael D. Lemonick

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Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: migrant. William Herschel, the main focus of this book, was born and raised in Germany but eventually migrated to England due to military commitments. He settled in England, where his migration was most beneficial as he turned to astronomy and discovered great things in the name of the King. I’m not a big science guy but astronomy has always been a curiosity of mine. What I know about it could fit in a thimble — and this book probably […]

Whose House? Bauhaus!

Bauhaus by Frank Whitford

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Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: art. This is a book based on the art school and architectural/artistic movement called bauhaus. I don’t always like getting pushed out of my reading comfort zone except when I do. For both CBR17 Bingo AND my local library reading game respectively, I had to read a book on art. And like other subjects where I don’t have much of an interest in, I grab something that’s quick and digestible. This one clocked in under 200 pages and had […]

Tough Conversations

Do You Still Talk to Grandma? by Brit Barron

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Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: borrowed. I borrowed this book from the library. When I picked up this book, I admit I assumed it was written by a white person. The vibe I got was one of those “Here’s how to have tough talks around the Thanksgiving dinner table” pieces I see every year mostly from white people on how they are supposed to indulge their racist uncle’s FOX-inspired rant. I had no idea Brit Barron is a queer Black woman. That’s 100% my […]

Gothic mystery novel at it’s most just finest

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

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While on a trip to Montreal, I had a back up book in the suitcase, but the mood just wasn’t right for The Haunting of Hill House – hot, humid holidays do not call for scary, dense, chilly horror novels. So, while wandering through Old Montreal, we found a multi-lingual bookstore a few minutes before closing. Feeling rushed, I picked one of the staff recommendations, a mystery novel with a very bright cover. I had never heard of Riley Sager before but I do seem […]

Come Fly With Me

Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life we Breathe by Carl Zimmer

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Taking a quick step away from genetics and genetic engineering for a moment to write about a slightly different field of biology—aerobiology. A somewhat obscure field of biology that really should not be; if aerobiology had been a more widely recognized and respected field in the 20th and 21st centuries, a major event from five years ago may have played out very differently. I am, of course, talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea that diseases like COVID could spread so easily through the air […]



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