Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Escape From the Present with… THE FUTURE!

Ark by Veronica Roth

Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin

The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

Randomize by Andy Weir

You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towlesl

Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

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And you know what? The future isn’t that bad! Well, it is full of disasters- pandemic, plague, asteroids, climate change, robot uprising -but there are always sparks of humanity ready to push through none the less. Amazon’s Forward collection, a group of five short stories from some big names, throw some big ideas out into the universe and let you, in a way, choose your own adventure! I suppose there is a “correct” order in which to read these, but I didn’t bother. I don’t think […]

I wasn’t expecting such a serious book based on the title

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks

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Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre is the story of of a group of yuppies fighting for survival against a tribe of starving Sasquatch after Mount Rainier erupts. Most of the novel is told from the point of view of Kate, a new resident to the western Washington planned village of Greenloop. Kate and her husband, Dan, have been having marital troubles, in part because Dan can’t find a job. Kate is hoping the tech and creative community in Greenloop will inspire Dan and […]

“My book-ordering history is definitely going to get me flagged by some evil government algorithm. Lots and lots of books about Vichy France and the French Resistance and more books than any civilian could possibly need about spy craft and fascism. Luckily, there is a Jean Rhys novel in there and a book for Eli called How to Draw Robots. That’ll throw them off the scent.”

Weather by Jenny Offill

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Jenny Offill’s latest exercise in approaching anxiety with compassion, Weather, kicks off right before the 2016 election. While she isn’t that exact- you come to realization through context clues- the time and feeling is accurate and thick in the air. Just like in Dept. of Speculation, Offill packs years worth of pathos into a collection close to just 200 pages. Her economy of vocabulary is something that I strive to possess. Our narrator is worried about wasting time; she sits on an unfinished masters while answering […]

No is a complete sentence

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

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I spend far too much time on Reddit threads about real life creepy encounters, which is how I learned about this book. Written by an apparent security expert, De Becker takes a look at the various ways in which we discount our intuition and how paying attention to it instead could save your life. While in some ways this book is kind of workday, and the advice can sometimes seem a little common sense, it’s also the kind of book I wish I’d read when […]

cbr12bingo – Shelfie!

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

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What a treat, to have had this Wayfairers series at my fingertips (thank you again, CannonBookClub)! Now, what a drag to have to wait another year for another entry! Oh well, that’s what I get for loving things. Once again we’ve been thrown back into the same universe, but with a new (and hinted at) cast of characters: the sister of a main from the first entry, a teen desperate to escape, a person who cares for the dead, an intellectual explorer, a new kid in town, […]

“The planet was beautiful. The planet was horrible. The planet was full of people, and they were beautiful and horrible, too.”

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

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A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, grabbed my attention and did not let go. It was immersive, inclusive, and filled with all sorts of sentient beings with whom I was delighted to spend my time. It was not a book that I would have picked up on my own, but now I find myself barreling head-first further into the series. I was so excited to learn that it was a series; reading is the only way that I comfortably spend any “down time” […]



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