Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Red Velvet reps NY?

Baking Across America by B. Dylan Hollis

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I’m starting to think I might be getting a little old to appreciate late Gen Z/early Gen Alpha influencer-types. I wasn’t the hugest fan of Dylan Hollis’ first book, although I applaud the premise. I was thusly a bit unsure about the second book, but this one has some things going for it the first one did not. Our author hit the big time as a YouTube/social media foodie influencer with a focus on vintage Americana cookery. Baking Across America is framed as a “vintage” […]

“If you happen to pass by 84 Charing Cross Road, kiss it for me? I owe it so much.”

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

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When I started writing this review, I could not have told you what made me put 84, Charing Cross Road onto my to-read list back in August 2015. So, then I did what I usually do in that scenario and checked the Cannonball Read archives to see if there was a review that launched it onto my list and sure enough, there were two in 2015 – one by scootsa1000 and another by yesknopemaybe that sealed the deal for me. While it took me 9 years […]

Who’s Holding The Phone?

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

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I had a couple of reasons for finally trying to track down Boy Swallows Universe. A friend of mine had been asking about Australian Lit last year, and and I had to shamefully admit to her that I hadn’t read this one yet. Then I heard an adaption was going to be released on Netflix. Then I listened to an interview with the author who mentioned the semi-biographical elements to it. (Richard Fidler strikes again.) And that’s the bit that kind of tipped me over; […]

Cats don’t really feature prominently in this narrative (Bingo)

Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart

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Nowhere Book Bingo: From the decade I was born (1970s) Smart Bitches Book Bingo: Published in 2000 or earlier (first published 1976) CBR16 Bingo: Vintage (published 48 years ago) Briony Ashley is working in Portugal when she recieves word that her father has died, in what appears to be a hit-and-run accident. Her father didn’t die instantly, but had time to ramble some strange and slightly mysterious things, among them a warning that Briony needs to be careful. She goes home to what is now […]

Brotherly Shove

Blood on the Mink by Robert Silverberg

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Read as part of CBR16 Bingo: vintage. This book was originally published as a serialized story in a magazine in 1959. When I learned I had to read a book that was over 40 years old for a reading challenge, I knew it would be a Hard Case Crime one. Hard Case Crime is great at bringing to life authors that are little known or have fallen out of vogue. There was so much in the way of pulp publication in the 50s and 60s […]

An important book that you’ve probably never heard of

How Do You Live? by Genzaburo Yoshino

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Cbr16bingo Vintage  This book, published in Japan in 1937, is a classic of Japanese literature and served as the inspiration for the Hayao Miyazaki film “The Boy and The Heron”. This translation by Bruno Navasky is the first time How Do You Live? has been translated into English, and it features an introduction by Neil Gaiman. Genzaburo Yoshino was born in 1899 and earned a degree in philosophy from Tokyo Imperial University. The Japan of his youth was becoming increasingly militaristic and even had “thought […]



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