Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Submit Your Best/Worst Reads of CBR17 by Saturday 12/13  

No homo for Brad Pitt

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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Nowhere Book Bingo 25: Reimagining or retelling of a classic CBR17 Pie Chart Challenge: History   Patroclus is exiled from his father’s kingdom after he accidentally kills a boy and is sent into fosterage with King Peleus. Here is where he meets Achilles, whose mother is the sea nymph Thetis. Achilles is supposed to become the greatest warrior who ever lived, and trains diligently to achieve this goal. While they are vastly different, Patroclus and Achilles become sworn companions, and Patroclus accompanies Achilles to train […]

“His memory, like the world’s, was getting spotty.”

Hiroshima by John Hersey

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Originally a long-form article written in 1946, this is the story of six survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, with a follow up from decades on documenting the ups and downs of the survivors’ lives. This far on from the event, the enormity of the effects of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is commonly known, even if it’s still playing out even today. As such it’s rather hard to fully understand how much of a sensation this book was at the time […]

A true test of compatibility

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst

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I’ve found a number of interesting books when I need a new audio book by just seeing what is “available now” at my library, sorted by popularity. Is that how I found A Marriage at Sea (2025) by Sophie Elmhirst? Honestly, now I can’t remember. I may have seen it on a list somewhere. Also, now that I’ve read it, I’m seeing this book everywhere, including NPR and NYT’s 2025 lists. Spoilers follow. A Marriage at Sea is the true story of a couple, Maralyn and Maurice, who […]

“The case does look very black against you. Nevertheless, I accept your assurance.”

The Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie

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Last year I read my first ever Agatha Christie novel and enjoyed the experience so much that I put another on this year’s list. Without a better idea of where to start I hunted up works published by Christie in 1925 and the short story now known as The Witness for the Prosecution fit the bill. I didn’t know much going in about what the story contained and decided that was probably for the best.   This 50-minute audio (read by the incomparable Christopher Lee) is an excellent example of how Christie honed in on the mechanics of writing to tell her […]

Now is a good time to become familiar with social determinants of health

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

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What a time to be alive and listening to John Green narrate his book, Everything is Tuberculosis. I’ve been listening to it slowly because I am always on the verge of a rage stroke and I want to outlive the current administration. I listened to the last chapter and post script hours after reading that the Department of Education has decided that nursing is no longer a profession. I’m lucky to be alive. Sophia’s review of Everything is Tuberculosis is probably better balanced, because I […]

“I can change. I can find myself a thousand different times, and I’m not done yet.”

What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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I have been on a run this year with marriage of convenience romance novels. By my count, Rachel Lynn Solomon’s What Happens in Amsterdam is my fourth of the year, following Two Friends in Marriage, In a Jam, and In a Rush. I read In a Jam on vacation in Amsterdam which is part of the reason why I decided to read What Happens in Amsterdam, the other being two very enthusiastic reviews of it from people I trust on Goodreads – one of which shouted out the quality of the audiobook (she was right – its great).   It was nice to read this […]



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