Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Did you know that you can read the dictionary?

The Dictionary Story. by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

by Leave a Comment

Oliver Jeffers has created another story that is perfectly their style of writing and illustrations and Sam Winston joins the creativity to add to the party in The Dictionary Story.  While recently having become available, I did read via an online reader copy.  This time things are not what they seem at first glance. You think (or at least I did) that the book would be dictionaries and how they work. However, the author decides that to make the dictionary upset that, unlike the other […]

No bird brain here

Clever Crow by Chris Butterworth

by Leave a Comment

I had this online reader link in my keep files for ages. I looked at the title (Clever Crow) and thought, so I want to read it? It seems like it might be a bit slow. And then I clicked on it, saw a few illustrations by Olivia Lomenech Gill and figured I would give it a shot. This artwork was giving off darker vibes that I didn’t think a traditional picture book crowd would be the audience for.  The picture book Clever Crow has […]

The Power of a Beautiful Woman Against a Kingdom

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

by Leave a Comment

Before starting A Song to Drown Rivers, I wasn’t familiar with the Four Great Beauties of China beyond a vague recollection of the phrase. As I started, I did a quick google of Xishi and her story, which has two possible endings – one where the king she served has her assassinated for fear the skills she used to topple the Wu kingdom may be turned on him, and another where she and Fanli are able to live out in freedom and happiness. The execution […]

“Sometimes when I speak, I feel like I’m writing dialogue for the character of myself. I’m impersonating a normal human when really I’m a confused freak.”

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

by Leave a Comment

In five words: Romance, Comedy, SNL, Pandemic, Self Doubt I mean, it’s right there in the title: Romantic Comedy is up front about what it proports to be, and Sittenfeld delivers exactly what it says on the cover. I saw this one on the shelf at my library and snatched it up as I was in the market for something light and fun for summer. It’s been a while since I read any of her novels (having enjoyed both Prep and American Wife) and this one […]

Alchemy

Masters of Atlantis by Charles Portis

by Leave a Comment

I’ve been enjoying the tv show Lodge 49. It’s a very low-stakes but entertaining show about a guy at a dead end in his life who joins a secret society and gets entangled in some things while learning about life. It’s more character-driven than I thought it would be and I think that’s why I’m connecting with it. At any rate, when looking up books to read for fans of the show, this was the top recommendation by far. I can see why. It can accurately […]

“You just have to roll with the abuse, otherwise you’re a crazy bitch.”

I Have Some Questions For You: A Novel by Rebecca Makkai

by 2 Comments

Cbr16bingo Scandal This is a brilliant, riveting novel that deals with predators, sexual abuse, childhood trauma, bullying, and complicity. It also has an interesting narrative point of view. The main character Bodie Kane tells the story but not to us; she is talking to someone specific and we learn at the end of the first chapter that it is Mr. Bloch. Who Mr. Bloch is and why Bodie addresses him will become more obvious as the story progresses. This is a fictional story that deals […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo