Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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blauracke

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“It has been said that a specialist is a barbarian whose ignorance is not well-rounded.”

His Master's Voice by Stanislaw Lem

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When a neutrino beam with a possible message from an advanced civilization is discovered, scientists from many different fields try to decode the letter from the stars. Impeded by political and military interests, and limited by their own narrow-mindedness and hubris, they struggle to make sense of the transmission and to gain any useful knowledge from it. This is a deeply philosophical book, and Lem’s reasoning is absolutely sound. Since it is told from the viewpoint of one of the leading scientists, a mathematician, it is also often dry and technical, even unwieldy, although, on the other hand, there are […]

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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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9/14/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:48 |

“I shall tell you where we are. We’re in Hell.”

From Hell by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell

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I own very few graphic novels, and this one about Jack the Ripper and his crimes I’ve had for years but never read it. Someone gave it to me, but it seemed unappealing because I’ve grown tired of the serial killer who mutilates women. I can stomach it if it is more about the discovering of the murderer’s identity than the actual deeds themselves, which this book, as I understood it, was not about. To just dive into the sick psyche of such a man, and to take an in-depth look at the horror he inflicts does not interest me […]

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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9/6/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:47 |

It Is the Innocence Which Constitutes the Crime

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

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This book consists of two letters, one that is addressed to Baldwin’s nephew on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and a longer one that he calls ‘A Letter from a Region in My Mind’. They concern themselves with the history and the state of race relations in the US in the 1960s, both from a very personal and a more general perspective. I put this on my TBR when I read an article in my local newspaper earlier this year, in which they praised this essay immensely and called it unforgettable. And that it is. It is singularly […]

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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9/2/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:46 |

So Much For Romance

The Miracle at St. Bruno's (The Daughters of England Book 1) by Philippa Carr

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In 16th century England, Damask Farland falls in love with the orphan Bruno who was raised by monks and hailed as a miracle child. The historical background is mostly formed by the tumultuous reign of Henry VIII, but continues on until the coronation of Elizabeth I. The history of the time is explained in great detail, the intrigues at court, Henry’s many wives, religious conflict, etc., but while some events affect the characters, others don’t. Damask’s father, for instance, is denounced as a traitor and executed, or the abbey in which Bruno grew up is raided by Cromwell’s men 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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8/31/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:45 |

Weep For What Is Lost Forever

The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey

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What is a triumph? As the Romans understood the word, a triumph was not just a victory, but an annihilation, and this is exactly what happened to a lot of the Classical World when Christianity took over. Statues, temples, books, religious sites, philosophy, science, everything had to be destroyed and/or desecrated in the name of the new god. Catherine Nixey tells the story of the rise of Christianity and the devastation it left in its path. I was sure that this book would make me extremely angry and sad at the same time because I love the classical era. It […]

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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8/28/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:44 |

“Maple thought optimistically that human beings, on their good days, weren’t much dimmer than sheep.”

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann

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When a shepherd is killed in a little Irish village, his sheep decide to solve his murder themselves. The investigation is led by the wise Miss Maple who soon discovers that everything may be much more complicated than it seemed at first. The premise is great, and there are some very cute ideas in this book. What I liked especially was that Swann didn’t make the sheep humans in sheep bodies but that she tried to give them their own way of thinking. Supposedly, they are smarter than the average sheep because their shepherd often read books, especially romance novels, […]

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 "“Maple thought optimistically that human beings, on their good days, weren’t much dimmer than sheep.”"

8/26/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:43 |

Not Just Problems, But Solutions.

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

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This has been on my radar since I first read ASKReviews’ great review in the best/worst of CBR10 post. Now that I have finally read it, I can say that I should have done that sooner. I don’t know that any book examines racism and its facets as clearly and concisely as this one does it, while also effortlessly uncovering one’s own biases and prejudices. First of all, the author discusses the definition of racism that should be used, and it is one of institutional racism, because this is the one that exposes the foundation that is supporting a system […]

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 "Not Just Problems, But Solutions."

8/24/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:42 |

If you must break the law, do it to seize power.

SPQR I: The King's Gambit by John Maddox Roberts

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In the year 70 BC, highborn Roman official Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger tries to solve two murders, the disembowelment of a foreign merchant and the garroting of an ex-gladiator, and an arson that were all committed in his district. Organised crime has an unbreakable hold on the city, and corruption, intrigues, and brutality run rampant, but these crimes seem much more than business as usual. The book seems to be well researched and contains a wealth of information about the Rome of this particular time. Roberts explains food (deep-fried sow’s udder stuffed with Libyan mice anyone?), society, politics, slavery, […]

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 "If you must break the law, do it to seize power."

8/18/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:41 |


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