Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A little SNL escapist romance

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

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I’ve read Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, which I enjoyed. So when I began seeing Romantic Comedy (2023) around, I figured I’d like that one as well. Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls [basically, SNL]. She’s been working at the show for nine years and loves the frantic energy of it all. After an early failed marriage and an unrequited crush on another SNL writer, she’s dedicated to staying single. But Sally has noticed how many of the male writers on the show have ended up dating some […]

Coming Soon to a Streaming Service Near You

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

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Sally Milz (sidenote: what an annoying authorial choice, just make it Mills), 36, is living out her dream as a staff writer on The Night Owls, a late night comedy institution that just so happens to air on Saturdays at 11:30pm, feature a celebrity host and a musical guest, and is run by a legendary figure who is good friends with all the big-name ’70s rockstars. Any resemblance to real people or television shows is purely coincidental, I’m sure. Sally is used to the crazy […]

“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.”

I Would be Doing this Anyway by Jia Tolentino

Rewards by Emma Cline

Crewelwork by Justin Torres

The Tomorrow Box by Curtis Sittenfeld

If You Are Lonely and You Know It by Yiyun Li

The Summer House by Cristina Henriquez

Me and Carlos by Tom Perrotta

Simplexity by Kiley Reid

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Ahh, Lester Bangs. Or at least, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lester Bangs via Cameron Crowe in Almost Famous. Did I just grab this quote because it features the word “currency”? Well…yes and no. Currency, my latest dive into Amazon Original Stories (but not the latest collection released) describes itself as being about “friends, trends, and dividends”. The link between these eight stories is the currency between people; social, professional, and personal transactions made when money is too much to offer or not enough to cover. The players […]

“I have not the pleasure of understanding you.”

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

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There was a lot about Curtis Sittenfeld’s reimagining of Pride and Prejudice that I liked, and a lot that I felt fell flat. In the pro column: The whole conceit about Bingley being well known as being in want of a wife due to his being on Eligible – the obvious stand in for The Bachelor – and walking away from the finale not ready to marry any of the finalists. Cute! Aging the characters up: teenagers being obsessed with getting married just sits differently […]

Two Stories, Rethought

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Thor Vol 1: The Goddess of Thunder by Jason Aaron

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  I’m a big Jane Austen fan and Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of her works. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld is a modern-day retelling of this classic story that stays pretty faithful to the spirit of the original. Elizabeth Bennet is here re-imagined as a writer for a women’s magazine. She is 38 and living in New York City. She and her elder sister, Jane, unexpectedly return to Cincinnati after their father has a heart attack. They find their family and their childhood home […]

Yes, I Will Read Anything Related to P&P

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

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  Bingo Notes: This is my Remix square. It’s a modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Eligible tells the story of a modern Bennet family, set in Cincinnati, Ohio and updated to include things like Reality TV, CrossFit, and the trans community. In this telling, Liz is a magazine writer, Jane is a yoga instructor, Kitty & Lydia both work at a CrossFit gym, and Mary is hiding away completing one Master’s Degree after another. This story opens with the sisters more spread out (Jane […]



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