Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Funny, Sweet, Escapist Delight

Hand Picked by May Archer

by 1 Comment

Hand Picked is a breezy, sweet Hallmark movie of a romance novel. You know the kind I’m talking about: an idyllic small town, adorably over-invested and wacky townsfolks, from first kiss to marriage in a matter of weeks. It’s all formulaic and absurdist, but somehow manages to work.  Luke, a first grade teacher with nipple rings under his sweatervest and an inability to swear like an adult (Oh, sugar!) has moved to Little Pippen Hollow, Vermont after winning his dream house in a fiber magazine […]

The reality I would gladly trade in for our own.

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

by Leave a Comment

On the book itself (or at least the Amazon page itself) this book is labeled as “pure love, pure joy, a pure escapist read.” YES. YES AND YEEEEEES. I received this gem of a book from my CBR Book Exchange buddy this year (thanks Bonnie!!) and was delighted. It is a GREAT book to be gifted. It was vaguely on my radar, but I didn’t have a real intention of reading it as I’m newer to romance but I read it in two freaking days […]

Educated – The ultimate in “fish out of water” life experience

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

by Leave a Comment

If you liked The Glass Castle or Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis or Sarah Smarsh’s Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth Growing Up Poor then you just might like Educated. And “like” is not the appropriate word for any of these books really. Appreciated is a better sentiment. Because each of these is a tough read, hearing about someone’s struggles to fit in when everything about them sticks out, and is […]

The Rosie Project – Charming new take on a classic “will they won’t they”

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

by 1 Comment

The monthly selection for my local library book club was new to me, and I went into it with an arched eyebrow and a prepared groan: a romance. Not my chosen genre, and one often prone to crazy plot climaxes and “will they won’t they but you know they will” feet dragging. So, I entered prepared and preordained not to like this book, but was pleasantly surprised to find it charming and a new take on an old standard. Through subtle plot devices we are, […]

“There’s no better investment than your cleavage.”

by 1 Comment

I really liked this one!  I’m a big fan of Pride and Prejudice, and I’ve been known to pick up a Pride and Prejudice “sequel” or two. (I’ve even gone as far as reading the fanfiction.  Because I’m that person.)  I tend to shy away from the “modern” retellings of the Austen tale, though. Usually because they’re poorly written.  But I was pleasantly surprised with this one!   Many of the characters from the original are here, and our core cast even have the same […]

Great American Novel, This is Not

by 8 Comments

I picked up Purity because I heard that it had a great female character, and in that regard I was not let down. I would actually argue that there are two. From what I know of his other books (which I’ve never read, but The Corrections is in that ever-growing pile of books-I-own-and-will-definitely-maybe-someday-read), Franzen is incredibly talented at filling his books with fully realized characters. Purity features a main cast of five very complex characters who you get to know very well and I really wish that I […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo