Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Historical Fiction Doesn’t Always Work

Lilliam Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney

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According to the author this story was inspired by the life of Margaret Fishback. She was the  highest paid female copywriter in the world during the 1930s while working for R.H. Macy’s. She was also a published poet. The poetry included in the book was written by Fishback. All of this seemed like a great set up for a novel, and yet, for me it didn’t quite work. The structure of the novel centers around New Years Eve 1984, when Lillian Boxfish is 85 years […]

A Little Women “Re-miss”

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow

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  My YA book group selection for February is So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow.  It is a take off of Little Women where the family is recently freed slaves and the time period is the civil war.  I assume it was selected for Black History Month. The March family in this book are Mammie and her 4 girls: Meg a teacher, Jo a writer, Beth a seamstress, and Amy a dancer (although these nicknames are based on different names […]

“No one tells you before you procreate that the hardest thing about being a good parent is that you never feel like one.”

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

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I have been reading Fredrik Backman since A Man Called Ove. I mean reading everything he has ever written (including the novellas).  So, when a friend suggested we go see him at a local library, I jumped at the chance. I have seen lots of author presentations (I call myself a bit of an author groupie), and his was one of the best. He was wonderful: well spoken, polite, humble, insightful, smart, and most of all, very funny. The event included a signed book, so I […]

Surprisingly, I liked it!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

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This book had been sitting on my TBR pile for years and I finally got to it this year. Not only do I get the satisfaction of finally finishing it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that that I quite enjoyed it. Our first person narrator Susie Salmon is a 14 year old girl living with her family in small town Pennsylvania in the early 1970s. When the story starts, Susie is telling her story from beyond the grave (her ‘heaven’), sharing the story […]

“There’s a Lid for Every Pot”

The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman

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I have been a fan of Lynda Cohen Loigman’s books for several years. I was looking forward to The Matchmaker’s Gift and it did not disappoint. Loigman writes historical fiction centering around the Jewish immigrant community in New York City. Her books are well researched and she captures their experiences very well. The book is set in two time periods.  In 1994 Abby is a divorce attorney working for a very demanding boss. She is mourning her grandmother, Sara, who helped raise her and her […]

Perfect Halloween Read

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

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I am part of a YA for everyone book group at my local library. The organizer tries to pick books that fit the time of year, so for October, Halloween, we are reading Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. I had no idea what this book was about, which is sometimes a great way to be pleasantly surprised.  Well, I really liked this book, it was such a fun ghost story. Yadriel is a trans teen who is trying to become a brujo. His Latinix family […]



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