Cannonball Read 14 Book Discussions
We encourage everyone to try to get their review posted sometime before each Book Club convenes. Make sure to tag your post with the CannonBookClub tag to make your review findable with the other book club reviews.
September 16-17 – Banned and Challenged Books
In honor of Banned Books Week’s 40th birthday we read:
- The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Cannonballers were encouraged to read any of the selections above, and write and post reviews.
May 20-21 – The Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo was the selection for the May AAPI-themed Cannon Book Club. You can still visit the discussion post to read and comment or see what else was discussed. You can also comment on a question in the Cannonball Read Book Chat Facebook group.
Cannonball Read 13 Book Discussions
September 17-18 – Fairytales and Adaptations; Zoom discussion September 18
Continuing our feel-good goals with #CannonBookClub in 2021 our Book Club team decided on a shortlist of four books to choose from and the original fairytales. Select from one or more of the following four adaptations and/or their originals:
- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (Rumplestiltskin by Grimm Bros.)
- Deerskin by Robin McKinley (Donkeyskin by Charles Perrault)
- Sea Witch by Sarah Henning (The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen)
- Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson (Stories of the Jinn, The Thousand and One Nights)
May 21-22 – Young at Heart: Reading Childhood Favorites
For our first #CannonBookClub of 2021, we revisited books that made us think of childhood. We also held our first Zoom book club discussion. You can still comment on a question in the Cannonball Read Book Chat Facebook group or any of the three book-specific discussion posts below.
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
Cannonball Read 12 Book Discussions
October 16-17 – The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Our third and final book club of the year circled back around to Emily St. John Mandel and her newest book, The Glass Hotel, released on March 24, 2020. You can still visit the discussion post to read and comment or see what else was discussed. You can also comment on a question in the Cannonball Read Book Chat Facebook group.
June 19-20 – The Future is Queer theme
We celebrated Pride Month the Cannonball way with a The Future is Queer book club focusing on speculative and science fiction written by and/or featuring LGBTQ+ characters. The books we chose among to read were:
- The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
- The Disasters by M.K. England
- I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi
- An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
You can still visit the discussion post to read and comment or see what else was discussed. You can also comment on a question in the Cannonball Read Book Chat Facebook group.
March 20-21 – Station Eleven Re-read
We celebrated five years of #CannonBookClub by revisiting our first book – Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. We had a lively discussion about airplanes, Shakespeare, and fish ghosts. You can also still visit the discussion post to read and comment or see what else was discussed. You can also comment on a question in the Cannonball Read Book Chat Facebook group.
Cannonball Read 11 Book Discussions
Classic and Retellings – A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Original Book Discussion August 16-17 and Retelling Discussion September 20-21
Retelling/Adaptation – September 20-21, 2019
Cannonballers read many different Holmes-related titles, and numerous reviews. Visit the discussion post to see what else was discussed. You can also still comment on a question in the Cannonball Read Book Chat Facebook group.
Classic – August 16-17, 2019
We had an excellent discussion about Sherlock Holmes and A Study in Scarlet in August. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
Good Omens, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
TV Series Discussion – June 14-15, 2019
We had a great time with our first Facebook Live event, featuring mswas and faintingviolet. You can still watch the video of the discussion in the CBR Facebook group, or comment on the group blog discussion post.
Book Discussion – May 17-18, 2019
The discussion of the book, Good Omens, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, was held on May 17-18, 2019. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
Cannonball Read 10 Book Discussions
Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson – led by faintingviolet – November 2-3, 2018
This book is one of eleven books that AlabamaPink read in the very first Cannonball Read in 2008, before she passed away from leukemia. Learn more about Amanda “AlabamaPink” Amos and how she inspired so many people to read, read, read. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
Kindred by Octavia Butler – led by faintingviolet – June 8-9, 2018
Kindred is one of CBR’s most popular books. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – led by MsWas- February 23-24, 2018
The first #CannonBookClub of 2018 was A Wrinkle in Time, in honor of the Ava DuVernay-directed movie. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
Cannonball Read 9 Book Discussions
The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard – led by faintingviolet- December 13, 2017
The discussion of the play The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard was Wednesday, December 13, 2017. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
In Praise of Hatred by Khaled Khalifa – led by faintingviolet – September 13, 2017
The discussion of Khaled Khalifa’s In Praise of Hatred for the Non-Western Literary Fiction #CannonBookClub was held on September 13, 2017. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies by Hadley Freeman – Discussion – June 14, 2017
The discussion for Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies by Hadley Freeman for the Non-Fiction #CannonBookClub was held on June 14, 2017. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
The Devourers by Indra Das – Discussion – March 8, 2017
The discussion for The Devourers by Indra Das for the Fantasy #CannonBookClub meeting was held on on March 8, 2017. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
Cannonball Read 8 Book Discussions
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Discussion – led by faintingviolet – December 1, 2016
The discussion for the classic novel, The Count of Monte Cristo was held on December 1. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie – led by faintingviolet – September 1, 2016
The Young Adult Book Club Discussion of the YA novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was held on September 1. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or comment on a question in the CBR Facebook group.
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis – led by faintingviolet – June 1, 2016
The Sci-Fi Book Club Discussion was held on June 1. You can still read and comment on the discussion post for Doomsday Book by Connie Willis or join us in the CBR Facebook group.
The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev – led by faintingviolet – March 1, 2016
CBR8 Book Club Romance Discussion of The Bollywood Bride by Sonali Dev was held on March 1. You can still read and comment on the discussion post or in our new Facebook group!
Cannonball Read 7 Book Discussions
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel – led by faintingviolet – March 9, 2015
On March 9, faintingviolet moderated the blog post group discussion of the popular 2014 novel, Station Eleven. Comments are still open on the post, so post to your heart’s content. Emily St. John Mandel’s fourth book, Station Eleven was nominated for the National Book Award. Check out faintiviolet’s book club introduction, and her review of the book, but we recommend you dive into the book knowing very little about the plot.
Pajiba Book Club Discussions
Pajiba hosted several book discussions over the years. Although the comments are gone from the earlier posts (Damn Disqus!), we’ve managed to find some archived content at Archive.org’s Wayback Machine. Note – those links may have broken images or other formatting issues, but the comment text should be there.
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman – led by Steven Lloyd Wilson and Joanna Robinson – October 2013
- Introducing A Seriously Pajiban Book Club
- The inaugural meeting of the Faintest Inklings
- The Faintest Inklings Discussion Questions: The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
Shift by Hugh Howey – led by lgesin – July 2013
- Previewing Summer 2013 Pajiba Book Club Selection: Shift by Hugh Howey
- Pajiba Book Club Discussion: Shift by Hugh Howey
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – led by mswas – July 2010
- Previewing July’s Pajiba Book Club Selection | The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- The Pajiba Book Club Discussion | The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison – led by Snuggiepants – June 2010
- The Invisible Man – A Pajiba Book Club Preview (led by Snuggiepants)
- The Pajiba Book Club Discusses Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood – led by JenK – April 2010
- The Blind Assassin Preview by Margaret Atwood
- Pajiba Book Club Discussion: Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – led by Yossarian – March 2010
- The Pajiba Book Club Announces The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- Pajiba Book Club Discussion: The Graveyard Book
The First Pajiba Book Club: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov – led by Yossarian – February 2010