Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Why, oh, why did you have to give birth to a son who hasn’t given us a moment’s peace since the day he was born?” 

The Great Brain by John D Fitzgerald

More Adventures of the Great Brain by John D Fitzgerald

Me and My Little Brain by John D Fitzgerald

The Great Brain at the Academy by John D Fitzgerald

The Great Brain Reforms by John D Fitzgerald

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I know I have written about this magical place before, but I need to reiterate that for a kid who loved to read, there was no greater place on earth than The New England Mobile Book Fair. It was a huge wholesale book warehouse in my hometown, and my mom’s favorite place to go. While she browsed the aisles looking for paperbacks by Ngaio Marsh, Barbara Pym, Dorothy Sayers, and MC Beaton, I would sit on the concrete floor, way in the back corner of […]

What the Smuck?

Lisey's Story by Stephen King

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

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While I have been COVID telecommuting, I have tried to get out in the early afternoon for a nice 45 minute walk. I’ve been listening to a bit of Stephen King while I walk — I’ve already read all of his books, so listening (even to the scary stuff) is somewhat easy and comforting. If I lose my train of thought, no big deal. The story just goes on. This year, I listened to two books I had previously read, Lisey’s Story and ‘Salem’s Lot. […]

Sometimes a short story is just enough, but sometimes it leaves you wanting. CBR13 Reviews 7-9

The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell

The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman

If the Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell

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I have been a very bad reviewer in 2021. I have been an amazing reader, with a list longer than any year I can remember. But sitting down to review has not been easy for me. I thought maybe I would try writing “bundles” of reviews, putting similar items together and knocking a few paragraphs out. Lets see how that goes. In order of least liked, to most: The Prince and the Troll. Blurb: It’s fate when a man accidentally drops his phone off the […]

This is not the Deadspin writing I was expecting, and I am a million percent ok with that.

How Lucky by Will Leitch

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CBR13Bingo: Rep Daniel lives in Athens, Georgia. He has a job working in customer service for a regional airline, which lets him work at home and set his own hours. He likes his routine: visits with his best friend, football tailgates, and nice mornings out on his porch before work starts for the day. Early one morning, while out on his porch, Daniel sees something strange. He sees a young woman — he assumes she is a student — who doesn’t seem sure about where […]

“There is still a real life to be lived, there are still real things to be done.”

No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

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I knew nothing about this book when I bought it. I saw it on a list of new releases, thought the cover looked kind of cool, and added it to my cart from my local book store. I had never heard of Patricia Lockwood, had no idea what kind of writer she was (SPOILER ALERT: I STILL DON’T REALLY KNOW), and didn’t know anything about the plot. I started it, struggled hard with the format and writing style, and put it down. The streaming train […]

Not a bad way to spend a few hours, but I really could have done without those last few pages.

Later by Stephen King

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Like The Colorado Kid and JoyLand before it, Later is one of King’s Hard Crime Case releases – paperbacks made to look like pulp paperbacks with vibrant cover art (that doesn’t always match up to the story), that all come in on the short side for King, maybe about 250 pages. The main reason that I don’t think this one was quite as successful as the other two is that this one takes place pretty close to now. The main character, Jamie, is a young […]



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