Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About ElCicco

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Married, mom of two, history PhD, feminist. I've been participating in Cannonball Read since CBR4. I love to read, and writing reviews keeps me from reading without thinking. I feel like I owe it to the authors who entertain me to savor their creations. It's like slowing down and enjoying a delicious meal instead of bolting your food. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: ElCicco's Quick Questions interview.)

ElCicco's Reviews:

Get to know Bob Mortimer

And Away… by Bob Mortimer

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Cbr16bingo bananas If you know who Bob Mortimer is, “bananas” as a bingo square choice needs no explanation. Mortimer is a British comedian who has had a decades-long successful career performing live and on TV with his partner Vic Reeves (Jim Moir). My husband bought me Mortimer’s autobiography last year because we are both big fans of his from seeing him on British panel shows such as Would I Lie To You (WILTY) and on Taskmaster. Mortimer is a master storyteller— some of them true, […]

Trust me when I say you need to read this book

Elena Knows: A Novel by Claudia Pineiro

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Cbr16bingo Liberate (bingo)  This is a short but very powerful story that deals with women, their bodies and bodily autonomy. This is the kind of book that is difficult to review because saying too much spoils it for the next reader. Elena Knows was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. It was originally published in 2007, but the English translation by Frances Riddle came out in 2021. While set in Buenos Aires, the subject matter will resonate with readers the world over.  Elena is […]

“You just have to roll with the abuse, otherwise you’re a crazy bitch.”

I Have Some Questions For You: A Novel by Rebecca Makkai

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Cbr16bingo Scandal This is a brilliant, riveting novel that deals with predators, sexual abuse, childhood trauma, bullying, and complicity. It also has an interesting narrative point of view. The main character Bodie Kane tells the story but not to us; she is talking to someone specific and we learn at the end of the first chapter that it is Mr. Bloch. Who Mr. Bloch is and why Bodie addresses him will become more obvious as the story progresses. This is a fictional story that deals […]

“That’s life. Short and stupid.”

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark

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Cbr16bingo Rage This short novel could fit several different bingo squares: tech, because P. Djeli Clark creates steampunk worlds with amazing machines and inventions; bananas, because all kinds of wild stuff happens in this story. But I have decided to go with Rage because much of what drives the action is rooted in the rage of an anonymous entity intent on murder and the rage of a goddess named Aeril, Matron of Assassins and big-time foodie. This is a bloody, action-packed and immensely entertaining story […]

“You have to be very strong to live close to God or a mountain, or you’ll turn a little mad.”

Black Narcissus: A Novel by Rumer Godden

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Cbr16bingo Dun dun This is my first foray into Rumer Godden’s works. Black Narcissus was published in 1939 and was turned into a movie in 1947. Apparently it was made into a 3-part miniseries on FX a few years back, too. I was aware that Godden’s work often touched on matters of religion and spirituality but I was not prepared for the suspense and foreboding that haunt the pages of this story. It reminded me a bit of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca — an innocent […]

I hope we don’t wait 7 years for a Book 3

My Favorite Thing is Monsters Book 2 by Emil Ferris

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Cbr16bingo Pride (Emil Ferris is bisexual and several of her characters are LGBTQIA2S+) Book 2 of My Favorite Thing is Monsters (MFTIM) finally dropped this year, 7 years after Emil Ferris’ outstanding and much acclaimed debut graphic novel. As ever the art is stunning — colorful ballpoint pen on lined notebook paper with amazing detail and homages to horror comics on every page. MFTIM is 10-year-old Karen Reyes’ story of events from spring and summer of 1968 in Chicago. It’s the story of her family’s […]



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