Cannonball Read 14

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About Pooja

CBR14 Participant

Ardent reader of pretty much anything, including the backs of shampoo bottles.

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Claustrophobia

Choosing Light: When an Earthquake Buried Me and My Family for 5 Days, I Learned to Fully Live by Viral Dalal

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On vacation with his family in the coastal town of Bhuj, Viral Dalal is buried under the rubble of an eight-storey building as an earthquake hits the town. And there he must wait, for five long days, never knowing if his family is safe or he himself will survive. An important thing to know going into this review is that I am severely claustrophobic. I cannot imagine staying calm in the space that Dalal was trapped in for more than five minutes, let alone five […]

Home Is a Lonely, Wind-Lashed Isle

The Lost Lights of St Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford

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‘I had no idea where we were headed, no idea what lay before us. All I knew was I was ready to travel the length and breadth of France if the world would give me one more chance to spend one more hour with you – to say I’m sorry.’ In 1927, Cambridge student Fred ends up on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda to study the local rock formations and falls in love with Chrissie, a local woman. Thirteen years later, he is […]

The Public World and the Private Domain

The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed

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Annette Gordon-Reed uncovers the family history of the Hemingses of Monticello, who are known as the slaves of Thomas Jefferson – though their story encompasses more than that. I knew a bit about Sally Hemings and her relationship with Jefferson, but the author goes beyond this notable person to expand her focus to her entire family. In many ways the Hemingses are remarkable for their blood relationship with Jefferson’s wife Martha and how that affected their treatment, but in others they were just like the thousands […]

“Books have a soul”

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

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“A book that sits on a shelf is nothing but a bundle of paper. Unless it is opened, a book possessing great power or an epic story is a mere scrap of paper. But a book that has been cherished and loved, filled with human thoughts, has been endowed with a soul.” Rintaro Natsuki, a reclusive high school student, inherits a bookstore when his grandfather passes away. Then a talking cat appears and demands his help in rescuing books from their misguided owners. This was […]

Utah v. Lafferty

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer

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Not long after, Ron handed Dan a piece of paper through the bars. Written on it was a revelation that Ron said he’d just received, in which God commanded Dan to let Ron kill him. After praying for guidance, Dan says, “I felt I should submit to what it said, and we discussed how it might be done.” In 1984, two men, fervent Mormon fundamentalists, murdered their sister-in-law and niece and claimed they had been commanded to do so by God.  Krakauer is one of […]

Time to Talk About Time

Switch by A.S. King

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We have arrived at a fold in space and time. Nothing moves forward. A scientific dilemma yet to be solved fully. You are probably confused. We are confused, too. Ever since time stopped, Truda’s life has turned upside-down. Her mother left the family. Her brother is keeping secrets. She has discovered that she can throw a javelin further than anyone ever has. And her father is building boxes around a mysterious switch in the house. I have never read a book quite like this. It […]



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