Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Why are chemists great for solving problems? A: They have all the solutions.

Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure by Camille Andros

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First, I consider myself a feminist and for girl power and helping kids be their best. However, I also believe do not make things an “us and them” situation. The not subtle fact that our title character Charlotte, in Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure, is a girl doing science is great, but subconsciously it might turn off boys. Therefore, putting itself solidly in the “this is a girl book” category and boys might be less likely to pick it up. Camille Andros has created […]

Folies á Deux

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

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Happy Women’s History Month! John Carryrou’s Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup taught me a new phrase – folies á deux – a shared psychosis by two people in close proximity. Elizabeth Holmes and her (secret) boyfriend,  Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, ran the company she founded like their own fiefdom. They enforced Elizabeth’s version of reality, kept information siloed, and silenced anyone who questioned or criticized them. I do not know if Elizabeth Holmes started out with good intentions and then was derailed by […]

Why sing ONE song when you can sing four?

The Blue Songbird by  Vern Kousky

Bird Watch by Christie Matheson

Bird Builds a Nest: A First Science Storybook by Martin Jenkins

Warbler Wave by April Pulley Sayre

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Even though the weather has other plans, the calendar is saying that Spring is around the corner. Therefore, the Spring/Easter displays are in full bloom. And on said display for children’s books at work, we have several bird books. Therefore, a lovely theme of birds grace the below reviews. The first book I want to mention is The Blue Songbird by Vern Kousky is a sweet book about finding your “personal song”, it is obvious this story has been done before (cue: Happy Feet I and II). However, […]

Compelling And Satisfying

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

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Best for: Anyone who enjoys a true story about shady people who (for the most part) get what’s coming to them. In a nutshell: An experienced Elizabeth Holmes convinces a lot of people that she is on to the next big thing in biotechnology. She isn’t, and she gets VERY touchy when people point that out. Also, lots of powerful old white guys make some absurd financial decisions. Worth quoting: N/A Why I chose it: I listened to the podcast “The Drop Out,” which is […]

In the immortal words of Dorothy Zbornak, “If you have to ask, it does not matter.”

Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell

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I’ve never been the type to read more than one book at a time, but earlier this year, I decided I should both spend less time online and read more poetry and philosophy and mythology and the like. I kept one book on my nightstand to read before bed, another by my desk to read in downtime during work instead of picking up my phone. And it worked! I’ve spent much less time online and more time reading, but this success also led to an […]

Here a skull, there a skull, everywhere a skull-skull….

SKULLS! by Blair Thornburgh

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SKULLS!  Yes, you have one. Yes, I have one. Yes, your dog has one. Yes, even a pirate has one! Blair Thornburgh’s narrator takes you through the world of skulls in a very scientific but simplistic and story formatted, way. Follow the story along as she tells you all the great things skulls can do for you and things about skulls. The afterwards has interesting facts about skulls that do not lend themselves easily to the story itself. This would be a good book to […]



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