Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

DNF the Current Majorly Buzzed Bestseller

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

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I hate the DNF but in this case it was doubly necessary. I should have known better given my luck with literary fiction, but The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store had a good opening segment preview and it was at the local library. DNF reason 1: it’s due back at the library tomorrow because it’s part of a special set of books where you can get a relatively recent release on a shorter lend with no renewals. DNF reason 2: I totally lost interest after […]

Bright Young Women

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

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I was hesitant to pick up the new novel from Jessica Knoll as I really didn’t care for Luckiest Girl Alive, one of her previous published works which was turned into a Netflix film starring Mila Kunis. But I was pleasantly surpised by Bright Young Women, as it was a refreshing take on the oft cliched true crime drama narrative. Rather than focusing on the perpetrator, Knoll brings attention and humanity to the victims, their friends and their families. The book follows two women across two different […]

Congratulations to the National Book Awards winner!

Blackouts by Justin Torres

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This isn’t an easy book to describe (what a reassuring thing to hear from someone who’s about to describe a book to you!). As far as plot, it’s about a young man taking care of an older man who is dying. But this book defies anything as conventional as a plot – it’s not really about what happens, although it is about what happens. But it is also about the memories of what happens. Blackouts is an exploration of memory – our own personal memories, what we share together […]

1984/Julia

1984 by George Orwell

Julia by Sandra Newman

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Over the years I have read 1984 maybe half a dozen times, always for class-related assignments when I was a student or when I was a teacher. It has probably been over 20 years since my last re-read, and I’m glad I picked it up again before reading Sandra Newman’s Julia, a take on 1984 from the point of view of Winston Smith’s lover. I have always found 1984 to be a challenging read; dystopian fiction is unsettling and the end of 1984 is tragic. […]

A little SNL escapist romance

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

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I’ve read Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, which I enjoyed. So when I began seeing Romantic Comedy (2023) around, I figured I’d like that one as well. Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls [basically, SNL]. She’s been working at the show for nine years and loves the frantic energy of it all. After an early failed marriage and an unrequited crush on another SNL writer, she’s dedicated to staying single. But Sally has noticed how many of the male writers on the show have ended up dating some […]

We gonna celebrate with you!

Luke & the Longest Night: A Wheel of the Year Book by Kathleen Converse

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I recently read an article (which of course now I cannot locate) about how pagan celebrations are not really shown in children’s books, and how a company was started to create books on the subject. I was intrigued. I might not be a pagan, or really know anyone who is, but I am interested in books about other holidays, celebrations, religious beliefs, and so forth. I asked my local library to see if they could find me one (or more) of them. So far, the […]



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