Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

They’re Out!

Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series by Eliot Asinof

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Read as part of CBR14Bingo: Scandal. The 1919 World Series was scandalized by eight members of the Chicago White Sox agreeing to throw it as part of a gambling conspiracy.  Bill James is a legend among baseball fans. His greatest rep is as the Analytics Guy but my first taste of his work was his text on the Hall of Fame, in which he critiques the process by which people enter. James devoted a chapter to baseball’s most famous banned people: Pete Rose and Shoeless […]

Double Play

Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original by Howard Bryant

The House that Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankee Championship, and the Redemption of 1923 by Robert Weintraub

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Thanks to watching The Captain, I’ve been on a baseball kick lately. This past week, I read two really good books that deserved to be fleshed out here. Rickey I’ve always been fascinated with Rickey Henderson, the player. A combination of speed and power made him the best leadoff hitter and stolen base champ in history. I always admired how instead of acting too proud to end his career with some hokey narrative, he kept playing independent ball, hoping to be signed.  I know less about […]

“I want someone who can be satisfied with me as I am”

Line Drive by E.M. Lindsey

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CBR14Bingo – Series: The second in a series, James’ time constraints from participation in the baseball series is a key part of the romance This is the second book in E.M. Lindsey’s baseball romance series, and hey! I still don’t care about baseball, but luckily the skillful way the author handles relationships makes me willing to pretend I understand the difference between various pitches. Pietro’s best friend James is one of the main characters in this book, and as I really liked him in that […]

Thou Shalt Check Thy Grammar Before Offering Running Advice

The Marathon Method by Tom Holland

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Overall The Marathon Method seems to be a pretty decent guide for long-distance running. It’s got specifics, both practical and theoretical. It explains not just the ‘how’ but also in most cases, the ‘why’. For example, why do a lot of runners use those gels packets no one seems to like? Because the body’s carb stores are likely to run out around mile 20 of a marathon’s 26.something, and those gel packets are a potable way to not run into the near total body shut […]

It’s about being there for your team

Just Show Up: And Other Enduring Values from Baseball's Iron Man by Cal Ripkin, Jr.

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When I was a kid, I loved baseball. I played it, I collected cards, I watched the games on tv and at the Astrodome, I read about it in magazines, I prepped my glove like it was Excalibur. You name it. The early 90s MLB strike ruined the game for me and I haven’t really been back. However, even as an outsider, I was aware of Cal Ripken, Jr.’s amazing streak of playing in over 2,600 games. Can you imagine doing anything 2,600 times in a row? I […]

Merry Christmas!

The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem

The Girl With the Long Green Heart by Lawrence Block

Cold Shot to the Heart by Wallace Stroby

Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League by Britni de la Cretaz and Lyndsey D'Arcangelo

All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortune and Misfortune of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty by Jonathan Pearson

The Blonde on the Street Corner by David Goodis

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Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! Having been busy with Christmas prep, avoiding Delta and Omicron, and other various things, I haven’t had the time to write long, 250+ reviews for these books. I figured I’d just cram them all here since I know I won’t finish Robert Caro’s Master of the Senate before New Year’s Eve. The Fortress of Solitude *** This clears the 3-star threshold but just barely. I appreciate what Lethem is trying to do here and I usually enjoy his work. But this was a […]



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