Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Fragile Things A Solid Collection of Stories from Gaiman

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

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So, and interesting story on why I re-read this collection. Being the Gaiman nerd I am, I purchased a 1st edition immediately when it came out and then had Neil sign it for my son who was very young at the time. That son is going to college in a few weeks and I decided to read the collection again before he leaves as a reminder of days gone by. My impression of the work has not changed, it is a good short story collection […]

Also suitable for reading on your comfy couch

Campfire Stories: Tales from America’s National Parks by Dave Kyu and Ilyssa Kyu

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Cbr14bingo Verse — because many of the selections in this tome are poems, and because our National Parks seem to be a ‘verse unto themselves.                       Full disclosure — I have never visited any of the parks featured in this book and I do not camp. I have zero interest in camping or even glamping. When I go on vacation, I want to stay someplace more comfortable than my own house, and I am not […]

Finally read this classic children’s book!

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

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CBR BINGO 14: Verse, because it’s a collection of classic children’s poetry My father likes to send me little Brain Teaser quizzes, and recently we had one about matching the covers of classic books to their titles. I told him I got all of them correct, but I had read only 7 out of 10. I jokingly blamed him for my never having read Where the Sidewalk Ends, because for some reason I never owned that book as a child. A few days later, I […]

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends— It gives a lovely light!

Rapture and Melancholy: The Diaries of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Daniel Mark Epstein (Editor)

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Starting in 1907 as a teenager, Edna St Vincent Millay began documenting her life in a series of diaries, ending in 1949. These diaries chart her early hopes and dreams, her rise to fame as one of the most prominent American contemporary poets, her farm life with her husband Eugen, and her struggles with alcohol and morphine addiction. I am not a reader of poetry – it simply doesn’t appeal to me terribly. Consequently my knowledge of all but the most well-known poets is a […]

What kind of poem would a bird carry in its pocket?

If This Bird Had Pockets by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

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Cute and fun poems to celebrate all types of critters (even human ones) and sweet illustrations fill If This Bird Had Pockets by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. These (as said) cute and fun poems are told by the creatures themselves about themselves. They celebrate all types of animals from giraffes to ants to adorable otters with their pockets. The fuzzy, furry, feathery, and even a little odd, will give quick and interesting facts about themselves. Set against simple, but detailed images that are created by Emma […]

“I expect you’ve heard of the Trojan War and how it was caused by Norma Jeane Baker, harlot of Troy”

Norma Jeane Baker of Troy by Anne Carson

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The past few vacations I’ve gone on, whenever the official tchotchke-hunting time comes up with the friends/family I’m traveling with, I’ve taken to seeking out the nearest local bookstore for my souvenir-hunting. I’ve found it to be a great alternative to buying something made of plastic that will collect dust and eventually get thrown away – instead, I purchase a book and write the bookstore name/location/date on the inside jacket, and whenever I pick up that book I can take a trip down memory lane […]



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