Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The rent eats first.

Evicted by Matthew Desmond

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I cannot believe it took me this long to read Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (2017) by Matthew Desmond. Years ago, my book club read this book, but for some reason I didn’t get around to it before the meeting. I was always planning on reading it anyway. It won the Pulitzer Prize, it’s on NPR’s Best Books of 2016 List, and even Obama recommended it. But there were always other books to read, and I was afraid it might be tedious. And then I […]

You can change the law but you can’t change people and how they treat each other.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

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My first experience with Colson Whitehead was almost two years ago when I read The Underground Railroad and was very impressed. So when I saw a new book by Whitehead, The Nickel Boys (2019), I knew I was going to read it. Once again I had help from the “Lucky Day” shelf at my library. Whitehead tells the fictional story of The Nickel Academy, based on a real reform school in Florida: the Dozier School that was open from 1900 until 2011. The story follows a teenage boy named […]

Hockey love!

Superfan by Sarina Bowen

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My attraction to hockey players began in high school when my dad somehow obtained front row seats for my very first NHL game. After being dragged to my brothers’ hockey games throughout my childhood, I was not prepared for the speed and intensity of the professionals. Their power and skill were intoxicating, and my little teenage heart immediately fell for Peter Forsberg, the blue-eyed, Swedish star of the team. I’d like to think I’ve matured since then, and I have in many ways, but I […]

Back to Gilead

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

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I had planned on reading The Testaments (2019) as soon as I’d heard there was a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, but I figured I’d have to wait some time before I could get it from the library. Fortunately, I found it on my library’s “Lucky Day” shelf and was able to grab a copy right away. I’m very glad I read this book. I found it an interesting addition to the story. However, I think The Handmaid’s Tale is still a step above. I loved the beginning and middle […]

In the end, the courage of women can’t be stamped out

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow

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I heard about Catch and Kill (2019) by Ronan Farrow when it was first published. However, I wasn’t planning on reading it. It had all just happened so recently that I felt I already knew the story. I had my definite opinions on Harvey Weinstein. I’d listened to the audio tape with Ambra Gutierrez, and I didn’t think I’d learn much more from reading a book about it. But one day I was in my local library, and they had Catch and Kill on the “Lucky Day” shelf. I […]

Much of life is timing and circumstance

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

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I first found An American Marriage (2018) by Tayari Jones on NPR’s Best Books of 2018 List. It was also an Oprah’s book club selection. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at the readability and relatability of this story. I read this quite a while ago, but I still remember the characters and their lives very clearly. Roy and Celestial have been married for a year and a half. The two love each other, but their relationship has always had some heat […]



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