Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Mrs Smith Reads

Gin-soaked, mildly European democratic-socialist popinjay and avid curator of esoteric ephemera. I work in the future. US passport, Netherlands resident, global citizen. My goal this year is to read authors from diverse backgrounds, especially women, and non-western writers, particularly speculative fiction, political analysis and historical memoirs. (Occasional cursing.)

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Mrs Smith Reads's Reviews:

If you don’t understand women, don’t make one your main character.

Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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Labyrinth of the Spirits is the fourth and final novel in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It’s a fitting end to an enjoyable series, and does an admirable job of gathering up all the loose threads of the three previous books. Like The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel’s Game and The Prisoner of Heaven, Labyrinth of the Spirits tells a magical mystery story of the dark days of Franco’s Fascist Spain. It does not disappoint in the telling of the story, and I was (mostly) engrossed from beginning to end. More about that later. Though Zafón suggests that readers may start […]

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4/4/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 2 |

The Nobel committee doesn’t always get it right.

Democracy In Chains by Nancy MacLean

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I am so far behind on CBR reviews! So, I’m gonna try and get back in the game with this book that I finished just after Christmas 2018. I should probably say up front that if you aren’t into US politics, this probably isn’t for you. But, if you’d like a good historical view of the present-day GOP party and how we got here, well, dive into this one. You won’t be sorry. Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean is an in-depth examination of the early right-wing Libertarian movement as proposed by James McGill Buchanan, an economist at the University of Virginia. His […]

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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4/2/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No: 1 |

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back [Boxed Set] by Dr PL Travers

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[1/2 CANNONBALL!!!] [BINGO 4 & BINGO 5] After a steady stretch of some seriously challenging reading, I decided that to fill my final CBR10 Bingo square for “The Book Was Better,” I’d read something cheerful and pleasant. So, Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back by PL Travers it was! They were a perfect choice. Since I had only ever seen the Julie Andrews movie from 1964, and had never read any of the books in the series, this seemed a perfect opportunity to read the source material before Mary Poppins Returns comes out in December 2018. The 1964 film—even factoring in the limited special effects abilities of the […]

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11/30/2018 | Post by

…to wound the autumnal city.

Dhalgren by Samuel R Delany

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[BINGO 3] I’ve read Dhalgren so many times. Every time is different. Sometimes I devour it, blocking out everything else going on around me. Other times, I read it slowly, with long breaks, dipping in here and there, and savouring each section as I go, as if it was just a collection of stories. I’ve been reading it again in 2018, and not surprisingly, this time felt completely different. One thing is for sure about Dhalgren, it is regarded as Samuel R Delany’s masterpiece of science fiction, but from what I can tell, very few who read it actually like it. It’s weird, […]

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11/28/2018 | Post by

“Fear is Power”

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward

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I did not like reading Fear by Bob Woodward, and I suspect that no one else has either. I can’t say that I learned anything new about the Trump presidency—though my worst fears were confirmed. Trump is not smart. He is not thoughtful. He has no human emotions beyond greed and contempt. Trump is lazy and vengeful. The only *facts* Trump knows are the ones he makes up in his head. Trump’s administration are frankly more evil than Trump himself. Despite their belief that they are “protecting” the nation from DJT’s stupidity and toddler-level understanding of government and legislation, they are only worsening […]

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11/28/2018 | Post by

Add Friday Black to your Black Friday shopping list!

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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[BINGO #2!] In this most holy month of guerrilla bargain shopping which begins with the Happy Holiday season of Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays, I couldn’t think of a better book to review than Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Both Roxanne Gay and George Saunders are singing the praises of this fresh young author, and everyone should be reading this outstanding collection of short stories. Adjei-Brenyah’s tales whipsaw between dystopian near futures of shopping madness in “Friday Black,” where stores just pile up the dead bodies so shoppers can consume without disruption, to the boundary-pushing of legal justifications for *freedom* in the […]

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11/21/2018 | Post by

Sea Section seems like a perfectly reasonable name for a beach house.

Calypso by David Sedaris

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So I picked Calypso by David Sedaris as my “Brain Candy” square for CBR10 Bingo, which after reading it, seems like maybe not the best choice, because these short stories are a bit darker than usual. Sedaris’ sister Tiffany committed suicide in 2013, and this, his mother’s alcoholism, and a strange tumour growing on his side become the running topics in many of the stories in his first compilation in five years. Calypso is still hilariously funny, in exactly the ways you expect it to be. I’ve always had a soft spot for Sedaris and his entire family, mostly because they’re from North Carolina […]

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11/14/2018 | Post by

Love the guy, hated the book.

Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson

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OK, I’ll just say up front that if I had read Between the Bridge and the River when it came out in 2006, I’m pretty sure I would have loved it and written a rave review. Unfortunately reading it in 2018, I just didn’t have that reaction. I’ve always liked Craig Ferguson, and his sense of humour. He was my favourite part of “The Drew Carey Show,” and his most recent comedy special on Netflix, “Tickle Fight” made me laugh out loud. He’s a good guy, who’s been through some stuff and come out the better for it. Unfortunately, Ferguson’s first novel Between the […]

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11/1/2018 | Post by


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