Cannonball Read 15

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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I'm TAing in creative writing, and I'm in the midst of editing my first novel. Along with CBR, I have book reviews published with "The Literary Review," short essay with "Fiction Southeast" and a forthcoming publication with "The Book Smuggler's Den." CBR has definitely helped my writing skills since now I know what readers are looking for for in their works. So, thank you, CBR! Hopefully someday, we'll be able to review my novel on this blog. :) (Learn more about this Cannonballer: Ale's Quick Questions interview.)

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Why Have I Waited So Long to Read This?

Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes Volume I by Neil Gaiman

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Since the show came out on Netflix, about six different people have asked me if I’m watching “Sandman,” since they know I’m a huge Gaiman fanatic. But I have not. Mostly because I don’t have Netflix, but also because I’ve never read the source material, and I’m a stickler for reading the book before seeing the media. So I finally started Sandman. Why did I wait so long???? My guess, personally, is being a little afraid of the Graphic Novel. It’s an irrational fear, and when […]

Do People Who Ban Books Even Read Them?

James & the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

by 5 Comments

This book was in the “Banned Books” display at my library, so I picked it up on my way to the check-out counter. The last time I read James and the Giant Peach, I think I may have been in the 4th grade, so this was really like reading it for the first time. As an adult, I have to say the descriptions of the child abuse inflicted on James by his aunts was really disturbing, so I was shocked to find out that’s not why […]

Choosing What We Care About

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

by 2 Comments

My sister is going through a difficult time, and because books always make me feel better, I went looking for a self-help book that I thought she would like. I stumbled across The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and mostly because of its catchy title, I decided to give it a whirl. I honestly didn’t think it would be as good as the ‘bestseller’ sticker purported, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Subtle Art feels like a giant demotivational poster for all the […]

First Bingo!!!!

The Book of Night by Holly Black

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I saw The Book of Night sitting in the “New This Month!” display at the library when I went to pick up something else. And I love Holly Black, so I took it out on a whim. The Book of Night follows Charlie, a woman who’s spent her whole life making all the wrong decisions. In Charlie’s world, shadows are magic and with the right formulas, can be manipulated, stolen, reattached, or end up as sentient beings. At a young age, Charlie got into the world of […]

The Importance of Talking About Our Feelings

Fat, Crazy, and Tired: Tales from the Trenches of Transformation by Van Lathan Jr.

by 1 Comment

I’d never heard of Van Lathan Jr. before faintingviolet asked me to return his memoir to the library for her. As I’m wont to do, I read the first few chapters the night before I returned it, and was hooked and had to take it out for myself. The title (and first few chapters) lead one to believe this book is about diets and food and all the usual struggles people face in trying to get healthy. And part of this memoir is about Lathan […]

History is Made by Persistence and Knowing the Right People

A Woman of Valor: Clara Barton & the Civil War by Stephen B. Oates

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Clara Barton is one of those historical figures that sits as a vaguely understood fact in my mind. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know about her existence, but beyond being the founder of the American Red Cross, she never bore much significance to me. But then I wrote a little article about visiting small historical sites and the “Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office” came up in my search. A cursory perusal of the website had me fascinated, and I needed to know […]



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