Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The incredible ending to one of the greatest modern speculative fiction stories

Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

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Sticking the landing is difficult in stories. Hyperion built up so many mysteries and threw so much at the reader, it would take a monumental achievement to have a satisfying conclusion. Dan Simmons accomplished that ending so beautifully that even an East German judge would score it a 10 (kids, ask your parents to explain that, if necessary). There are so many disparate stories in this book that are woven together: the pilgrims on their way to the Shrike to either have their one wish […]

Hyperion – a modern classic

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

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Some books make you think and force you to challenge long held concepts. Some books affect you emotionally and can force you to weep during social situations where it may be inappropriate (reading on the bus, for example). Only a true classic can achieve both of those objectives and Simmons’ Hyperion certainly qualifies. This is a book that has won many awards and been hailed as a classic for over two decades and I am now realizing how influential it is when I watch shows […]

“all girls should have a poem written for them even if we have to turn this God-damn world upside down to do it”

Rommel Drives Deep into Egypt by Richard Brautigan

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My mother first introduced me to Richard Brautigan when I was too young and too stubborn to enjoy him. I was that “but it doesn’t rhyme” brat. Who needs rhyming? Brautigan is my favorite poet, and I often find myself reading others and thinking “hmmm. I’d prefer Brautigan’s take on this”. Allow me to present you with one of my all-time favorites, “Nice Ass” There is so much lost and so much gained in these words. I mean, what else do you need? I recently […]

Little pep talks that made me feel better

Gmorning, Gnight!: Little pep talks for me & you by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jonny Sun

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4.5 stars Official book description: “Good morning. Do NOT get stuck in the comments section of life today. Make, do, create the things. Let others tussle it out. Vamos!” Before he inspired the world with Hamilton and was catapulted to international fame, Lin-Manuel Miranda was inspiring his Twitter followers with words of encouragement at the beginning and end of each day. He wrote these original sayings, aphorisms, and poetry for himself as much as for others. But as Miranda’s audience grew, these messages took on a life […]

“Your heart is beating, isn’t it? You’re not in chains, are you?”

Felicity by Mary Oliver

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This is one of those books I never would have picked up on my own, so thanks, Read Harder, for doing your job. I do not read much poetry at all, and that is because some that I have read in the past has been pretentious as hell or impenetrable, or both, but even when it hasn’t been, my favorite thing about reading is narrative, and most poetry doesn’t have that, so. I’d just rather spend my reading time on novels, and the very occasional […]

“i’m pretty sure you have s t a r d u s t running through those v e i n s. – women are some kind of magic.”

The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace

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In my review of Crimes of the Heart I took a potshot at Poetry as a genre, mostly because it has had a high barrier of entry to me in the past (graphic novels/comics has been my other major hurdle) but in fairness I have gotten better at finding poetry that works for me in at least part due to all the reading challenges I do that require poetry. In 2018 I read two collections I quite enjoyed, No Matter the Wreckage and Depression & […]



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