Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

What’s a tortilla? And what to put in it?

Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple by Jorge Gaviria

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I’ve started trying to have a new cookbook at the beginning of the year and try to work my way through all or most of it; there’s a bit of a backlog on this and I’m finally getting into a Mexican vegan book I got (and reviewed) last year. Before starting into it, I saw Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple on some ‘top books of …’ lists, and I figured that might be a good accompaniment to really get into some […]

The People Make the Place

The New Yorkers: 31 Remarkable People, 400 Years, and the Untold Biography of the World's Greatest City by Sam Roberts

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New York City has seen nearly a billion inhabitants in its 400 year long history, and a great many of them have been very remarkable. But there are also many how had an indelible impact on the city, even if they are mostly forgotten today. I do not like New York City. I am a Bostonian through and through. But I’ve been there many times, and I must admit that there is really no other place like it. The city has a strange essence to […]

Two Truths Diverged in the Shadow of Cape Horn

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

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In 1740, the Wager set off on a journey around the world with a secret mission to capture Spanish silver and gold. Two years later, a leaking longboat lands in Brazil full of desperate men. But these are not the only survivors of the Wager, and both captain and crew end up on trial as England attempts to determine the truth. I love a good survival story, but for some reason shipwrecks have always left me underwhelmed. Maybe it’s because I don’t like the beach. But I […]

The Randomness of Food Trends Past at the Antique Store

The Southern Junior League Cookbook by Ann Seranne

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I don’t especially care for antique stores, but sometimes they do have interesting books, especially things like The Southern Junior League Cookbook. This book dates to the late seventies, and has recipes from about 30 different Junior League cookbooks from North Carolina to Florida, and Georgia to Texas. A lot of it is the sort of thing you’d expect, home cookery recipes and what we might now call ‘hacks’ for most of your basic categories from Appetizers and Soup to Meat and Poultry to Grains-Beans-Peas […]

“There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it is true, then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong person.”

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

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When I was looking at the 2022 Read Harder Challenge for the first time and saw #9: “Read the book that’s been on your TBR the longest”, I knew without looking what that book would be, even though I haven’t looked at the beginning of my list in years. And that’s because I’ve been avoiding this book for as long as I’ve wanted to read it. Just one word for you: supervolcano. In Bryson’s signature breezy, humorous, yet intelligent style, he will explain to you […]

December 2022 Leftovers

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly

Nineteen Eighty Three by David Peace

Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder by Steve Hodel

And There He Kept Her by Josh Moehling

The Crossing by Michael Connelly

The Nice Guys by Charles Ardai

What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 by Daniel Walker Howe

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Happy Holidays! Here are the books I finished this month that didn’t merit full reviews due to time constraints and/or a lack of 250 words to describe them… The Burning Room**** Usually with Bosch books, I can tell within the first 30 pages if they’re gonna be good or not. This one was different. I didn’t have a sense for it at first and had a little trouble connecting with it but it turned out to be great. I liked Connelly’s integration of Lucia Soto, […]



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