Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A non-fiction catch all, although these books aren’t really related to one another in any way…

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Issacson

Humble Pi: A Comedy of Math Errors by Matt Parker

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King

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The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race These are usually the only types of non-fiction that I will read: non-fiction about science or math or healthcare, doubling down on my nerdy persona. This book in particular was recommended to me by a colleague who mentioned reading it during a meeting. This is a long book, and as another colleague said, it might not be his best. My rationale for why is this: I think that the combination of […]

The snark is strong in this one

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

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“How did you get out of the 90s without knowing who David Sedaris is?”  Such was the comment in a text conversation I had with fellow Cannonballer, Emmalita, when I mentioned I had just started this book.  A few days later, the text went like this: Me: “Really enjoying David Sedaris. Super snarky.” Emmalita: “Honestly, that’s why I was surprised you hadn’t read him yet. He is so up your alley.” And that exchange tells you a lot about the book. And also about me, […]

Let’s pretend this was never published

The Best of Me by David Sedaris

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I’ve been a fan of David Sedaris’s writing for a very long time; Me Talk Pretty One Day was the first book of his that I read, and I quickly blew through his back catalogue at the time. Since then, I’ve bought and read every new book he has released, including his latest, The Best of Me. I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut this year, so when trying to decide what to read next, I was confident Sedaris’s latest release would break […]

David Sedaris might finally be growing on me

Theft by Finding, Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris

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I have a confession to make: I’m not much of a David Sedaris fan. I vehemently disliked Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. I think I read Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and thought it was ok, but since I can’t remember a single essay or joke, I don’t think that qualifies me as much of a fan. This lack of enthusiasm is unsettling to me, because I am very white, and David Sedaris is #25 on the  Stuff White People Like blog, the bible of all things I’m […]

I am trying to look on the bright side.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunks by David Sedaris

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Holidays on Ice I feel like I could write a whole essay on things I’ve been told how much I would like and then the actual experience of reading or experiencing those things and how it’s not always let down, but something. I think that’s true about most of my experience with David Sedaris. I like a lot of his stuff, but haven’t read a single thing. What I mean by this is that I don’t think I could imagine sitting down and reading anything […]

The sea section

Calypso by David sedaris

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I feel compelled to quote not the book but the back cover blurb because Lauren Hubbard said it best: “Age and family occupy beloved humorist Sedaris’s latest collection of essays. His observations feel sharper and often darker than in previous collections, as he ponders the inevitable breakdown of the human body, the shame attendant with illness and age, the nature of addiction, and the eccentricities of his family. Though middle age may have made his shades of gray blacker, the wit and incisiveness that make […]



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