Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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“It’s true on a technicality. I’m being held unlawfully. I didn’t commit the crime for which I’ve been convicted. But if you look at it another way, I deserve to be here. I did a lot of other shitty things, for which I wasn’t punished.”

The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

February 10, 2023 by narfna Leave a Comment

I wish I would have known this was a retelling of The Brothers Karamazov before I purchased this book and got all excited about it. I probably never would have picked it up. There is a reason that I have never read any of Dostoyevsky’s stuff (or Tolstoy for that matter). The Family Chao follows the titular family, owners of a Chinese restaurant in a small town in America. The parents of the family are immigrants from China, and there are three sons. When the […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Mystery Tagged With: Chinese American, family drama, Lan Samantha Chang, lit-fic, literary fiction, literary mystery, mystery, narfna, retellings, The Brothers Karamazov, The Family Chao

narfna's CBR15 Review No:23 · Genres: Fiction, Mystery · Tags: Chinese American, family drama, Lan Samantha Chang, lit-fic, literary fiction, literary mystery, mystery, narfna, retellings, The Brothers Karamazov, The Family Chao ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Art Is Power

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

January 10, 2023 by Owlizabeth 5 Comments

I’m not sure I can discuss this book coherently. I’ve started and stopped and rewritten this review so many times I’m starting to feel dizzy. How do I convey the perfect writing, the depth of emotion, the complex characters, the history and meaning and joy and sorrow Grace D. Li has managed? In a freaking heist novel??!? The audacity! Let’s start with the basic plot: steal back the five bronze zodiac animal heads that were looted after the burning of Beijing’s Old Summer Palace and are […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: art, Chinese American, Fiction, Grace D. Li, heist, Literature, novel, stand alone

Owlizabeth's CBR15 Review No:2 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: art, Chinese American, Fiction, Grace D. Li, heist, Literature, novel, stand alone ·
Rating:
· 5 Comments

Way Down to Chinatown

This Is A Bust by Ed Lin

May 19, 2022 by Jake Leave a Comment

One of the joys of reading is discovering a new author that you like and want to explore more into their catalog. I found that with Ed Lin. Wow what a book. This is one I’ve had on my shelf for a while that I decided to finally tackle. And I loved it. Yes in some sense it is a mystery but the mystery is only part of the story. The real story is Robert Chow, Chinese-American, Chinatown product, Vietnam washout, tokenized NYPD patrolman. Through […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: Chinatown, Chinese American, Ed Lin, historical fiction, mystery, New York City, This is a Bust

Jake's CBR14 Review No:83 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: Chinatown, Chinese American, Ed Lin, historical fiction, mystery, New York City, This is a Bust ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
The book "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo in front of two blooming lilies.

Beautiful story of sexual identity awakening and first love

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

May 11, 2022 by Dome'Loki 4 Comments

And then she asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: “Have you ever heard of such a thing?” Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a beautiful glimpse into a moment in time of a sexual identity awareness and first love, amidst the Red Scare of McCarthyism in 1950’s San Francisco.  Sexual feelings awaken for the first time within Lily Hu but everything she has been taught says it […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: CannonBookClub, cannonbookclub2022, cbr14, Chinese American, Chinese American author, Dome'Loki, historical fiction, lesbian, LGBTQ, Malinda Lo

Dome'Loki's CBR14 Review No:16 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: CannonBookClub, cannonbookclub2022, cbr14, Chinese American, Chinese American author, Dome'Loki, historical fiction, lesbian, LGBTQ, Malinda Lo ·
Rating:
· 4 Comments

Getting Steamy in San Francisco: #CannonBookClub2022!

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

May 2, 2022 by andtheIToldYouSos 2 Comments

Fog rolling in off the Pacific! Illicit kisses in smoky clubs! Steamed buns filled with jammy pork and spices! What can I say about Last Night at the Telegraph Club that Malinda Lo didn’t already say with total confidence and care when she wrote the book? She felt as if speaking would ruin everything-then they’d have to put a name to this feeling between them, this rapidly growing heat and longing that made the sliver of air between their bodies charged with electricity. She could swear […]

Filed Under: Book Club, Fiction, History, Romance, Young Adult Tagged With: AAPI, AAPI Heritage Month, AAPI voices, CannonBookClub, cannonbookclub2022, Chinese American, coming-of-age, LGTBQ, LGTBQ+ voices, Malinda Lo, midcentury America, National Book Award Winner, queer, queer love, San Francisco, young love

andtheIToldYouSos's CBR14 Review No:27 · Genres: Book Club, Fiction, History, Romance, Young Adult · Tags: AAPI, AAPI Heritage Month, AAPI voices, CannonBookClub, cannonbookclub2022, Chinese American, coming-of-age, LGTBQ, LGTBQ+ voices, Malinda Lo, midcentury America, National Book Award Winner, queer, queer love, San Francisco, young love ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments
The book, "Stargazing" by Jen Wang held up in front of black fabric with little stars on it.

Sweet story about the joys and challenges of friendship, identity, and privilege

Stargazing by Jen Wang

January 20, 2022 by Dome'Loki 2 Comments

Stargazing is the most recent graphic novel from Jen Wang of The Prince and the Dressmaker fame.  My 10 year old spotted Stargazing at San Diego Comic Con and we had to bring it home.  She read it in one sitting and then began insisting that I needed to read it.  The Prince and the Dressmaker blew me away so I had high expectations for Stargazing, and Wang did not disappoint.  Once again she explores themes of friendship, identity, and privilege. Christine Hong is Chinese American in a […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books Tagged With: All Ages, cbr14, Chinese American, Dome'Loki, friendship, jen wang, middle grade, semi-autobiographical

Dome'Loki's CBR14 Review No:3 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books · Tags: All Ages, cbr14, Chinese American, Dome'Loki, friendship, jen wang, middle grade, semi-autobiographical ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments
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