Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Napoleon and Snowball have their own kind of Waterloo

Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel by Odry

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Considering the hype behind the novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell, and my love of graphics novels, I think I put too much pressure on this book, Animal Farm: The Graphic Novel adapted and illustrated by Odry. There is not much I can say about the theme of the book that hasn’t been already said (the animals of Manor Farm, in a coup, take over the farm and makes it Animal Farm. Here all animals are equal. Or are they?) At the time, this must […]

In which our reviewer contemplates the definition of nice, realizes she agrees with Tucker Carlson on one point, and learns that Scott Adams is batshit crazy

In Defense of Elitism: Why I'm Better Than You and You are Better Than Someone Who Didn't Buy This Book by Joel Stein

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On my last trip to Pennsylvania, my brother-in-law gave my husband and me a copy of In Defense of Elitism as a sort of minor dig. (Joke’s on him, for one thing, true elitists don’t feel any shame in being called elite). This is a book that feels as at home in the humor section as it does on the political science shelf. It pulls off the trick of making you laugh initially at the innate silliness of it all–an author who sports a monocle in his […]

The Report the Government Doesn’t Want you to Read

The Climate Report by U.S. Global Change Research Program

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This is the report that the current president of the US (aka Orange) doesn’t want you to read. Read it. Not only does it detail the effects of a changing climate, but the FAQ is basically a rebuttal to anyone who says the science doesn’t prove it. Apparently, the Orange is trying to recruit business people to say it is nothing but lies. Thankfully, it is written by people who know how to use words, do studies, research, and cite.  The FAQ section at the […]

We had no image of our own future

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The Feminine Mystique (1963) by Betty Friedan has been on my radar for years as a classic feminist tome that I should probably read. However, I was always intimidated by the length. I was also afraid that it would be dated and difficult to read. It wasn’t until I saw it on my 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40 List that I had the motivation I needed to pick it up. It’s easy for me to take the opportunities I have today for granted. […]

Who What When Where Why and How…..

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Who Was Mark Twain? He was an author, adventurer, tall-tale maker and the subject of this book by April Jones Prince. There are several different people in the Who Was/Who Is series. I read Mark Twain and Who Was Joan of Arc by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso last night. While each has its own author(s) each are illustrated by a different artist (John O’Brien and Andrew Thomson respectively). They are a non-fiction story about their subject. You can have everyone from Joan of Arc […]

If only we could get back to those eight years

We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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“Racism is not merely a simplistic hatred. It is, more often, broad sympathy toward some and broader skepticism toward others.” (123) I first discovered Ta-Nehisi Coates when a friend of mine recommended The Beautiful Struggle back in 2009. Since then, I’ve kept my eyes out for Coates, whether he’s speaking on The Daily Show, or writing a new book. When I noticed his latest book, We Were Eight Years in Power (2017), I immediately got on the wait list at the library. As a side note, I was a little […]



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