Cannonball Read 9

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

Space: the Final Frontier

Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by Mike Massimino

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“It’s a planet,” I said. “It’s not what we thought it was back home. It’s not this safe cocoon, man. We’re out here spinning in all this chaos. The Earth is a planet. The Earth is a spaceship, and we’re all space travelers.” My husband was *thisclose* to finishing his BS in Physics and taking his first steps into an Engineering program when NASA began the slow down, and eventual shut down, of its shuttle launches. He never wanted to be an astronaut; he wanted to build the spaceships (and be the guy who worked on what we sent into the […]

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8/21/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:86 |

If you’re looking for a memoir, this is a good one.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

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I don’t really do memoirs so much but had heard so many good things about this book that I was convinced to try it.  All the good reviews are right, and this book is great. I hadn’t heard of Trevor Noah before he took over The Daily Show, and while I still miss Jon Stewart (I mean, who doesn’t?) Noah has grown on me.  After this book, I like him even more.  This is not a comedian’s memoir; rather, it’s a growing-up memoir, stories about a boy trying to make his way in a confused and confusing world, and it […]

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8/18/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:8 |

My first celebrity memoir, and a well chosen one at that.

Back Story by David Mitchell

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David Mitchell (no, not that one) is one of the most adorable people that too few people have heard of. I was vaguely familiar with his shows Peepshow and That Mitchell and Webb Look, but it wasn’t until I discovered that almost every episode of Would I Lie to You? was on Youtube that I truly became smitten with his wry, self-deprecating humor. He is so unambiguously British, and has wholly accepted the posh characterization that has somewhat artificially been placed upon him, I don’t know how it could possibly be true that someone wouldn’t fall in love with the […]

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8/18/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:56 |

Jackie’s Girl

Jackie's Girl: My Life with the Kennedy Family by Kathy McKeon

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This is not a book about the Kennedys; yes, of course, Jackie Kennedy and her children play major roles in the life of Kathy McKeon but the overall story is how a young, Irish immigrant found her place in America at the side of one of the most beloved American families. Kathy was raised in poverty on a farm in Ireland, when she was nineteen her American uncle offered to pay the way for her brother to come to New York but he declined. The uncle then offered to bring Kathy and her sister, Briege, over instead. The plan was […]

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8/13/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:85 |

More Of Her Story

Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me by Janet Mock

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Best for: Fans of Ms. Mock’s writing and those interested in learning more about her life; people interested in a tight memoir focused on just a few years of early adulthood. In a nutshell: Author Janet Mock shares part of the story she chose not to include in her first memoir “Redefining Realness.” Line that sticks with me: “I did not have the luxury to sulk, though. I could not wallow. I could not let my bitterness affect the quality of my work. Doing so would only make it harder for those coming after me.” Why I chose it: I […]

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8/12/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:64 |

Amy Tan’s nonfiction

The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan

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I read The Joy Luck Club in college for a women’s literature course, and while it wasn’t my favorite book, it was certainly interesting. I do think Amy Tan gets pigeonholed quite a bit as a “Chinese” American writer, and while she writes about a heritage from China, it’s not exactly fair to think of the experiences she writes about as exclusive to Chinese-Americans, or even more broadly, Asian-Americans. I won The Opposite of Fate, a nonfiction collection, at my undergrad’s English Department annual Book Exchange one year, and I’m finally getting around to reading it. Tan writes a lot […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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8/12/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:102 |

A fascinating biography about a colorful cook

Dearie by Bob Spitz

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My aunt gets me an eclectic variety of books for birthday and Christmas presents. Traditionally, an Alexander McCall Smith book works its way into the rotation, and thankfully, he writes enough to make for an annual present, but for some reason there was an off year. My aunt is a huge Julia Child fan, and so I found in my Christmas package one year the Bob Spitz biography Dearie. I knew who Child was growing up, and I’d enjoyed her boozy banter and casual ease in the kitchen (I don’t drink, so boozy banter is out for me, though I […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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8/12/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:95 |

I feel guilty I didn’t like this more

We are never meeting in real life by Samantha Irby

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I really wanted to like this book.  It seemed up my alley, and I was in the mood for essays; something sassy and brisk. The back cover blurbs were encouraging, and I had finished Lindy West’s Shrill just prior to the start of this cannonball read, so her endorsement left me hopeful that this book would have the same effervescent tone while having something larger to say about culture or gender or race. Instead, it just felt to me like reading someone’s blog – which makes sense given Irby’s start online – occasionally amusing anecdotes without much point. Moreover, not […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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8/11/2017 | 's CBR9 Review No:28 |

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