Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

California Dreamin’

Now and On Earth by Jim Thompson

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If they accumulate a catalog of work large enough, every author/artist will have what are considered to be “lesser works.” And while occasionally, there’s a hidden gem buried in there or something that appeals specifically to the client, they’re called “lesser works” for a reason. I know a lot about Jim Thompson’s life and works but I didn’t know that Now And On Earth is 1. a semi-autobiography and 2. his very first book. It shows. We have an author with talent who doesn’t quite know what […]

Requiem for the Aughts

Cherry by Nico Walker

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I have a feeling this is one of those books that will fall strictly in the love/hate divide. With major caveats, I’m in the former. I’m the same age as the lead character. Born in the 80s, bored in the 90s, bombed in the 00s. 9/11. The recession. And though I’ve never done drugs or served in the military, I could relate to this story. Because this is the story of too many people I know. People whose lives were used and abused overseas. People […]

Folies á Deux

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

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Happy Women’s History Month! John Carryrou’s Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup taught me a new phrase – folies á deux – a shared psychosis by two people in close proximity. Elizabeth Holmes and her (secret) boyfriend,  Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, ran the company she founded like their own fiefdom. They enforced Elizabeth’s version of reality, kept information siloed, and silenced anyone who questioned or criticized them. I do not know if Elizabeth Holmes started out with good intentions and then was derailed by […]

Compelling And Satisfying

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

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Best for: Anyone who enjoys a true story about shady people who (for the most part) get what’s coming to them. In a nutshell: An experienced Elizabeth Holmes convinces a lot of people that she is on to the next big thing in biotechnology. She isn’t, and she gets VERY touchy when people point that out. Also, lots of powerful old white guys make some absurd financial decisions. Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I listened to the podcast “The Drop Out,” which is […]

I go down into black water. It is dark and silent, but not — never, any more — deserted.

Gnomon by Nick Harkaway

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After a bit of a slow start to the year, my reading took off. I finished seven books in three weeks and started to entertain the possibility of an elusive Double Cannonball. Then two things happened: I found a renewed sense of dedication and spent more of my time actually writing — FINALLY — and I also decided it was time to tackle Nick Harkaway’s monster of a book, Gnomon. Farewell, Double Cannonball. Maybe someday . . . In the not-too-distant future the UK has […]

Out in April

Charged by Emily Bazelon

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Disclaimer: ARC via the publisher and Netgalley. The last time I did my civic duty of jury duty it was either the day after or day that Larry Krasner fired several lawyers for the DA’s office. It was an interesting day. I’m not sure why they didn’t just cancel us coming in. I tell you this so you know that I live in one of the cities that Bazelon writes about in her new book. According to the studies that Bazelon cites in her book, […]



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