Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Between the Accident and the Incident

Curse of the Blumenthals by Phyllis Karas

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Three generations of journalist Phyllis Karas’s family are marked by two great tragedies – the car crash which killed six members of the family, and the murder committed by the first grandchild born after that accident hardly twenty years later. This is an interesting mash-up of a book – part family history, part true crime, and sometimes even a scrapbook. Karas dives into the crimes which impacted her family, whether they were those who committed them or the victims, studying how their effects rippled through […]

Iceland Presents…. Ms. President

Vigdis: A Book About the World's First Female President by Rán Flygenring

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We are always talking about “we need more women in politics.” Well, we are just not looking in the right places. In 1980 Iceland elected its first female president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir. And the book Vigdis: A Book About the World’s First Female President by Rán Flygenring shows us the background of that historical event. Not only was she the first of Iceland she is considered the first woman to be democratically elected president in 1980 (Isabel Perón of Argentina was the first woman president in […]

Do Hard Things

Smile, or You're Doing it Wrong by Andy Glaze

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As I write this, Andy Glaze is almost 100 miles into the Arizona Monster 300 Trail Race. It’s over 300 miles of mostly trail running with a cut off of seven days. It’s really beyond my comprehension. I’ve backpacked about 250 miles, but it took me three weeks. Ten to fifteen miles of hiking per day with plenty of sleep is nothing like what’s happening in Arizona right now. I stumbled upon Andy on Instagram. He is a fire battalion chief in California and an ultrarunner. […]

Almost Almost Famous

The Uncool by Cameron Crowe

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Though it’s been a while since he last had a big hit movie, Cameron Crowe’s name still has a resume that would make any pop culture fiend seethe with envy. From his impossibly early start as a teenage rock-and-roll journalist for Rolling Stone magazine to his award-winning career as a screenwriter and director, Crowe has lived a fascinating life full of encounters with the biggest names in show business. In The Uncool, his first memoir, he concentrates on his early life and journalism career. The […]

Stories of In-Home Vet Care

Pets and the City by Dr Amy Attas

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Rating: 3.5 Stars CN: Pet illness and loss. In a nutshell: Veterinarian Dr Attas started the first house call vet service in Manhattan and share stories of treating the pets of the ultra rich, the not rich, and the famous. Best for: Those who love animals, so long as one can handle some sad stories as well. Quote that made me think: N/A Why I chose it: In December we had to say goodbye to our cat of 14 years, Tigger. You may remember him […]

The American Female Q

In True Face: A Woman's Life in the CIA, Unmasked by Jonna Méndez

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Jonna began her work at the CIA as a ‘career wife,’ supporting her husband’s job, but soon she started taking on bigger and important roles in the agency, for which she lived all over the world and eventually rose to the position of Chief of Disguise. Having read plenty about the CIA’s origins as the OG old boy’s club in which a lot of men threw ideas at a wall and hoped they’d stick during World War 2, this book was interesting to me for […]



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