Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Obscure Sex Fantasies Don’t Have to Make Sense

Reckless Heir by Jenika Snow

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Listen, is this book good? No. Not really. It’s got a weird obsession with a particularly Victorian idea of virginity, and only the loosest possible concept of the physical logistics of real human sex. It’s distracting. These people need, like, so much sex ed. And also probably to see several doctors. And then to hire somebody to come and clean ALL of their furniture. But is this book compelling? Yeah, actually. Like, I get it. Until somewhat recently, I really didn’t see the appeal of […]

Connecting stories and people through music

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro

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CBR15 BINGO: On the Air, because these are all stories about music BINGO: Sex, On the Air, Nostalgia, Picture This, Europe Music has always been a complete mystery to me. I was born with zero musical talent, and the idea of creating a new tune out of nothing is so incomprehensible to me, it’s nothing short of magic. I’ll never be someone who can analyze music or discuss musical theory, yet I often find myself in awe when a song or a chord evokes ecstasy, […]

What Do You Call a Golddigger These Days, Anyway?

The Case of the Golddigger's Purse by Erle Stanley Gardner

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cbr15 bingo On the Air   Could there be a more ‘30s – ’50s term than golddigger?  Anyone who has watched classic movies of that period knows exactly who she is – a woman looking for a wealthy sugar daddy.  Think Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, or maybe Some Like It Hot.  And generally in these films, not only is she in the market for gold, but more often than not, she also has a heart of gold. And a good thing in this tale, since she […]

And now I’ll be humming “Brazil” for the rest of the day

Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis

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CBR15 BINGO: South America, because Machado de Assis is one of Brazil’s most famous and beloved writers Note: The version I read is a translation by Margaret Jill Costa and Robin Patterson, published in 2023. Note #2: Shout out to my husband, Peter, for recommending this author to me! One of the best things about CBR BINGO is that it prompts me to read books that might otherwise languish on my TBR, such as Dom Casmurro, by Joaquin Maria Machado de Assis. Checking back on […]

Just so…..boring

Never Been Kissed by Timothy Janovsky

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It’s nice to hear him so self-aware. To know that the seismic waves of coming out are still rippling through him too. I thought I was alone in that. Everyone makes it seem like coming out is crossing the finish line and now you just get to parade around while wearing your medal. For me, it feels more like I’m still winded midmarathon. ― Timothy Janovsky, Never Been Kissed Wren Roland wants his first kiss to be special. After a few near-misses, he wonders if […]

Adventure! True love! Sex with monkeys!

Candide by Voltaire

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CBR15 BINGO: Europe, because Voltaire, he is very French It’s been so long since I read Candide that I can’t remember whether I was in high school or college at the time, yet the refrain, “Everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds” has been stuck in my head like a 1980s Mountain Dew commercial. So when I was looking for a good candidate for the Europe BINGO category, I thought, “Why not revisit Voltaire?” To sum up Candide, a young […]



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