Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Winston Churchill was a real one

Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard

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  I should start this review by saying that I knew next to nothing about Winston Churchill before reading this book. I knew even less about the Boer War. That being said, Winston Churchill was a real badass. Other good descriptors would be, “arrogant”, “obnoxious”, “tenacious”, and “remarkably lucky”. He contained multitudes. This book profiles Churchill’s life during early war campaigns and through the end of the Boer War. He was interested in war not because of the righteousness of the cause but because he […]

A mixed bag

Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud by Anne Helen Petersen

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Anne Helen Petersen is a pretty great writer but as with any essay or short story collection, some are better than others. She’s trying to tackle all the biggest criticisms hurled at woman for daring to exist while not conforming to societal expections. Too Strong (Serena Williams), Too Fat (Melissa McCarthy), Too Gross (Abbi Jacobson & Illana Glazer), Too Slutty (Nicki Minaj), Too Old (Madonna), Too Pregnant (Kim Kardashian), Too Shrill (Hillary Clinton), Too Queer (Caitlyn Jenner), Too Loud (Jennifer Weiner), & Too Naked (Lena […]

Remind me never to go back in time

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott

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This was a pretty well written, interesting look into a part of Civil War history that we don’t always get. Abbott warns at the beginning that some of the stories were told by the characters themselves and may have been exaggerated for the public and I definitely think that’s true at several points in the narrative. That caveat aside, it was really fascinating reading about these women’s lives. It was uncomfortable reading about the confederate characters, O’Neale and Boyd, but I think it’s important to […]

I’m just calling up to tell you something terrible has happened

War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow

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I’m really only familiar with Ronan Farrow in his current incarnation as a reporter, so I was surprised to learn that journalism was actually his second career – before that, he worked in the State Department as part of the Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.   The book is a dive into the State Department and America’s unsteady history of diplomacy. While the gutting of State under the Trump administration is of course part of the narrative, we look at how […]

…a place of knowledge, that is nonjudgmental, inclusive, and fundamentally kind.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

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I need some more non fiction in my life.  I generally like to read things that take me away from myself and my world when possible. It’s not that I don’t ever read challenging material or books that might make me uncomfortable. I do that as well, but I tend to pick things that transport me from my “real world” to fictional alternative worlds or historical worlds. I often associate non fiction with biographies, self help and dry textbooks  even though I know that is […]

Not Every Essay Resonated

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay

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I feel like a bad person for not totally loving this book. It was just hard to get through and some of the stories didn’t really move me one way or the other. I ended up just feeling sad while reading and finally finishing this book off with some wine. I think also that looking at rape culture is a huge undertaking, and so the stories could have flowed a bit better between them to the next story. Also I wish that things were not […]



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