Cannonball Read 12

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Check out the first ever CBR Book Sale! Look through the list of books, and see if there's something for you.

About KStar

CBR12 participantCBR11 participant

Avid reader, but I tend to get stuck in a genre rut. Hoping this will force me out of my narrow comfort zones. Not to mention, I've been a Pajiba lurker since 2004, so it's about time I actually participated in the community discourse.

KStar's Reviews:

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Rejoice and Be Glad, Because Great is Your Reward in Heaven

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

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In the 1850s, America gained control of New Mexico Territory following the Mexican-American War. Subsequently, the Catholic Church decided to make a new diocese out of this new slice of rugged frontier America, populated for generations by Mexican settlers and many, many more generations by the local American Indian tribes. Closely based on historical figures, Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather tells a fictionalized account of two French priests sent to bring the far-flung and neglected territory back under the umbrella of Catholic […]

A Literary Dystopia with a Humorous Twist

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

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In the alternate universe of The Eyre Affair, classic art and literature are Serious Business. Gangs of Raphaelites brawl in the street with their Surrealist arch-nemeses, Shakespeare performances are met with the same level of audience participation and enthusiasm as a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the Literary Detectives exist as a special branch of law enforcement to handle all crimes relating to books. Our heroine Thursday Next is one such detective. However, this alternate universe is hardly a book-lover’s paradise. […]

Oh, Look. Intelligent, Attractive Romance Novel Protagonists Are Insecure About Their Obvious Mutual Feelings.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

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I have been reading romance since I was approximately 12, raiding my mom’s bookshelves for old Nora Roberts paperbacks. However, I tend to avoid straight-up contemporary romances. Romantic suspense? Hell yes. Paranormal romance? Bring on the werewolves. Historical romance? As long as it’s not too misogynistic, I am down. I want to read about people falling in love and getting their HEA, but I want a murder mystery, a jewel heist, or some werewolves to spice things up a bit and keep the plot moving. […]

Band-Aids Don’t Fix Bullet Holes, and Delusions Don’t Fix Dysfunctional Startups

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

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How does Bad Blood, John Carreyrou’s #1 NYT nonfiction bestseller about Elizabeth Holmes, compare to the music video of “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift’s #1 Billboard single about her beef with Katy Perry? Metric 1: Quality of Prose John Carreyrou is a functional and effective writer. Though lacks he flourishes or lyricism that would make the prose memorable, he is writing a nonfiction account, and he can effectively convey information as a journalist. Taylor Swift rhymes ‘bad blood’ with both ‘mad love’ and ‘deep cut,’ which […]

All Y’all’s Rave Reviews Finally Got Me

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

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Red, White, & Royal Blue had been on my radar for a few months now, but when I picked up a copy at the bookstore and flipped through the first few pages, I thought it was a case of misplaced hype. Alex acts like such a dick to Henry in the first chapter, for seemingly no good reason, that I was turned off by the whole dynamic. Not to mention, the adult son of the president should know better than to get drunk at an […]



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