Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Comfy? Good. Settle down. Let Me Tell You a Story.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

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CBR15  Passport California There were two types of literary genre that were particularly popular in the 1950s.  One was Biblical tales, and the other was multi-generational drama, particularly set in the West.  Examples of the first type are plentiful.  The Silver Chalice, Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, and Quo Vadis, to name a few.  The second type was exemplified by novels such as Giant and Sometimes a Great Notion.  One thing all these novels had in common was that they were made into prestigious, best-selling movies.  […]

A flawed but engaging read that has taken me about 13 years to read.

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

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I’m not sure when I first became aware of this book, but I bought it over a decade ago, before I met my wife. Before I had much of a life to speak of. Recently separated and having lost a fairly good job in the midst of what felt like a pretty terrible economic meltdown, I was going through my own little existential crisis. Working two jobs that weren’t really sufficient, I was struggling to find myself – to find meaning and purpose, a sense […]

Digital Life

Digital Life by Michael Crichton

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It pains me to say this, and I’ve written about it in my Timeline review, but Michael Crichton is a dickhead. Why else would he include a footnote in this book, when he’s making a reasonable point about nuclear energy, to smugly add that “trees don’t vote.” You already made the point dude, now by adding in some smugness you have alienated a portion of your audience. Way to make friends and influence people. Digital Life is Crichton’s 1980s guide to IBM compatible computers and similar. […]

Call me corrupt, call me clean

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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Much has been written about Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s novel Chain-Gang All-Stars. Shortlisted for lots of prizes, probably ending up on many top ten end of year lists – this novel is a stunner for a reason. The story is timely and captivating, the stakes are high. It’s terrifying and beautiful. But before we talk about the story, I would like to heap praise on this author for the craft (I really struggled over this word – it isn’t QUITE what I mean but it’s close) […]

Thank you, Emmalita! Dragons and Wizards and Shit would make an excellent 90’s band name.

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“Packaged arrived.”  “Huh, I don’t think I’m expecting anything,” Dome’Loki says.  “Wait a minute,” as she dashes out the door.  “Yes!  It’s my Cannonball book exchange!”  Dome’Loki clutches the package and rushes back into the house.  Excitedly she opens it, careful not to damage anything.  Inside is a delightful surprise of two books, a pair of perfect socks, and Cannonball Read stickers. Gazing at them, Dome’Loki, feels a rush of gratitude to Emmalita and the Cannonball community for continuing this wonderful tradition. In all seriousness, […]

It’s a system designed to get rid of the best of us.

Rare and sweet as cherry wine by perchancetosleep

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“I can’t do this without him,” Ronan admits, his voice as rough and as hoarse as rusted nails. “I can’t lose him, too.” They don’t speak after that. Ronan breathes until it doesn’t hurt his lungs anymore, until he can’t feel new wetness sliding down his face, pooling underneath his chin. The ground is as cold and hard as ever. It will still be there when Ronan returns. And Adam will still be alive. If Ronan gives up hope, there’s no one left. Adam has […]



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