Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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ardaigle

I am a born and bred southerner and recent transplant to the Midwest. I read because I want to, because I NEED to, and because I'm possibly ignoring the frigid temperatures. Until spring, and then I may read outside. I also enjoy cooking, witty banter, and cheese. All the cheese.

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ardaigle's Reviews:

Educated – The ultimate in “fish out of water” life experience

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

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If you liked The Glass Castle or Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis or Sarah Smarsh’s Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth Growing Up Poor then you just might like Educated. And “like” is not the appropriate word for any of these books really. Appreciated is a better sentiment. Because each of these is a tough read, hearing about someone’s struggles to fit in when everything about them sticks out, and is an affront to polite company. But Educated preeeeeeeetty much blows all of them out of […]

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Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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6/20/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:23 |

Daisy Jones & The Six – Best. Audiobook Everrrrr.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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A number of folks at my work suggested this book, and specifically said it was great on audio and since my commute is grossss (hour or hour 15 one way) I’m always on the look for not just any audiobook, but one that makes my time on the road worth it. In addition, it’s a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and I’m a sucker for her choices that I’ve read so far: see also The Library Book, Eleanor Oliphant is perfectly fine. This was a really delightful and fun read! Reid has written the true story of the break-up of […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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6/8/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:22 |

The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place – A Fine Mystery in a fine series

The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley

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Whenever someone posts a generic “what should I read” status on social media, and if mystery is a genre they enjoy, I often to go this Alan Bradley series. Flavia de Luce, the youthful Angela Fletcher of 1950s England, is fun to follow on her exploits. It is just refreshing to have a fun female character to follow! Bradley has done a good job of keeping it fresh – though the murder mystery portion is formulaic, we have watched Flavia grow as she has faced family adversity and tragedy. The main characters have changed as the years have passed, but […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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6/6/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:21 |

The Dreamers – Wait, What?

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

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A mysterious sleeping sickness hits a small town in California. This is the first act of an apocalyptic novel that doesn’t quite get off the ground, or at least, doesn’t get off the ground in the way I have come to expect from an apocalyptic novel. I couldn’t put this down and read the whole thing in two days because I was excited to see what happened.  I picked it up to begin with because the front cover has praise from Emily St. John Mandel, the writer of “Station Eleven,” an excellent apocalyptic novel. That might have prejudiced me though. […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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5/18/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:20 |

A Visit from the Goon Squad – A study in character development

A Visit form the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

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I’m a bit late to this 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner but those prize giver outters definitely know their stuff. Egan’s work is true mastery of character development and a triumph of the non-linear form. It seems there is little method to her madness, as she jumps to different characters, and different points in history. At times you are puzzled as to how someone relates to the story, and you learn that they used to work for a main character, or a former flame, etc. It’s a bit of a tangled web, but a fun read, to learn the ins and […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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5/17/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:19 |

Circe – Mic Drop

Circe by Madeline Miller

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My knowledge of Greek mythology is minimal: I know only the broadest of strokes. I mean, I’ve read the Odyssey (bits of it at least?) and I’ve seen “O Brother Where Art Thou.” I was a bit skeptical that I would enjoy this book, but it had such rave reviews and a lot of ladies I know really enjoyed it, so I joined the pack and I’m glad I did. In fact, not really knowing about mythology made it even more fun to read and preserved the twists and turns of the story. Circe is the daughter of Helios, the […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

  • Circe by Madeline Miller

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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5/17/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:18 |

My Best Friend’s Exorcism – A nostalgic and wild ride

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

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What a wild and crazy ride this book was! Equal parts, horror, humor, coming of age, and a nostalgic love letter to the 1980s. Looking back at that sentence it is clear that Hendrix was being a bit ambitious in scope, as this is a lot to balance, but he does so with ease. I don’t remember ever vacillating so quickly and constantly from laughter to terror, but the pendulum swings back and forth again and again over the course of this book. What starts out as a sweet story of friendship between Gretchen and Abby takes a quick turn […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

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5/15/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:17 |

There, There – Good, but bleak, debut novel

There There by Tommy Orange

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I learned of this new (summer 2018) book in a recent podcast episode of Literary Disco, but it has made an impression having received props (technical term) from a bajillion publications, such as The Washington Post, NPR, Time, O, The Oprah Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, GQ, The Dallas Morning News, Buzzfeed, BookPage, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews. Suffice it to say, Mr Orange was on a lot of lists for his debut novel. I found it to be a little chaotic at points, but with a definite strong message to deliver, and a unique literary […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

Share the post "There, There – Good, but bleak, debut novel"

5/1/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:16 |


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