Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A fun runaway bride romance

Three Reasons to Run by Jackie Lau

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I love how much food is central to Jackie Lau books and how I’m basically guaranteed to find something fun and lighthearted in her stories. The whole premise of Three Reasons to Run sounded like it would be a delight, and I’m so glad I got to read it! Yvonne has been in a relationship with Carl for five years, engaged for two, and in that time she’s slowly been realizing that it wasn’t a relationship that fulfilled her or she could see a positive […]

Dinner and a Show is more about the show and getting your own dinner

Bollywood Kitchen by Sri Rao

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Bingo 8: Bollywood Book title: Bollywood Kitchen. Explanation for square done, except to point out that this book is not a book about food in Bollywood movies, it’s a book about food inspired by how the author remembers or perceives a handful of contemporary Bollywood films. So that means things like a family drama film paired with a Thanksgiving tinged family dinner (spiced roast chicken, sweet/savory pumpkin, and cashew fried rice); or the Shakespeare adaptation of Hamlet paired with butternut squash soup and Himalayan shepherds […]

Nowhere had she encountered as many puppeteers as in Hollywood

Table for Two by Amor Towles

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CBR16 BINGO: Golden, because the novella Eve in Hollywood takes place during the Golden Age of Hollywood BINGO: Part 1, Part 2, Dreams, Golden, Scandal I was so taken with A Gentleman in Moscow that the gathering up and devouring of more of Amor Towles’s works became inevitable. While not quite reaching the same level of charm as the aforementioned tale of a Russian aristocrat, Table for Two is a solid collection of short narratives that mingle humor, tragedy, and resilience. Table for Two feels like […]

Lying’s a family trait. It just means you belong.

The Earl Who Isn't by Courtney Milan

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This is my 1000th post from CBR6-CBR16. Amazing. Not my 1000th review, because I’ve posted a lot of challenge and diversion posts over the years too. I loved The Earl Who Isn’t. I had to lie down and process my emotions more than once while reading. I’m not going to get into the specifics, because that would spoil the emotional journey for those who haven’t read it yet. Courtney Milan is such a lovely author. I know when I open one of her books that […]

MS. Found in a Bottle

MS. Found in a Bottle by Edgar Allen Poe

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Bit of a stretch for me to claim this as a book read, given this is a short story. But it’s 19th century literature and you get ten words for the price of one, so it’s about the same level of effort. The story details a mariner who goes from dealing with the usual perils of the sea, followed by supernatural perils. One of my favorite details is the presence of a “simoom,” apparently a combination of a sandstorm and a hurricane. It’s hard to […]

Moby Dick

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

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I write as a hobby. Last month I finished my biggest milestone as a writer, completing my second novel length story. I hope it’ll get published but have no idea if it will, but either way having passed this, I’m taking a break from reading… fun things that I enjoy. Instead, I’m going to read through a huge collection of classic texts whose style I didn’t want polluting my writing. May god have mercy on my soul. Moby Dick is the first on my list […]



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