Cannonball Read 12

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About Sophia

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If only I had more time...I always have an ever-expanding reading list that I can never seem to get under control. Cannonball contributes to this list as I am constantly discovering new books to read from other people's reviews. Someday I hope to win the lottery, so I can spend more time reading.

Sophia's Reviews:

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“This disease has magnified all our mistakes.”

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

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I first saw The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai on NPR’s Best Books of 2018 List. I was convinced that it was worth reading by the glowing reviews and the many awards–it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and National Book Award finalist. However, I wasn’t sure this was a book I would enjoy reading. The cover and the title don’t give much away. The blurb just said it was about 1980’s Chicago during the AIDS epidemic and the art scene in Paris in 2015. None of those topics […]

Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

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I never really watched Star Trek, but I know of George Takei because I see his posts a lot on Facebook. So, when I saw They Called Us Enemy by Takei on NPR’s Best Books of 2019, it caught my eye. Although George Takei is the big name on the cover and it is his story, it was also written by Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott. In addition, Harmony Becker did an excellent job with the art. I read graphic memoirs once in a while, and they’re fine, […]

Nothing beats pure talent

Range by David Epstein

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I found Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World (2019) by David Epstein through a number of different internet sources. An email from Outside magazine had it on a list of 9 Self-Improvement Books Actually Worth Reading, and it was also on NPR’s Favorite Books of 2019. However, I’m not sure I would have gotten to it as soon as I did, if I hadn’t seen that it was available on audiobook at my library. I haven’t had much time for reading lately, so listening to books is a way […]

Finding family

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung

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I first saw All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung on NPR’s Best Books of 2018. It is a memoir of Chung’s life growing up in rural Oregon, and her quest to find herself. She was born prematurely from Korean immigrant parents, and adopted by a white couple. Part of what sparked my interest in this book is that it reminded me of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. These books are very different, but one story line involved the interracial adoption of a Chinese baby girl by a […]

She’s just a girl. Let her go.

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

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There are so many books out there that I need to read, it’s overwhelming. Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao was one I’d found last year on NPR’s Best Books of 2018 List–but hadn’t gotten around to reading until now. This book was more difficult to read than I had expected. The unrelenting hardship and abuse would have been impossible to read except for the connection between the girls that keeps them hopeful for something better. Rao uses allegories and vivid language to create a story that was […]



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