Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Kathy Acker (1)

Don Quixote by Kathy Acker

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“When she was finally crazy because she was about to have an abortion, she conceived of the most insane idea that any woman can think of. Which is to love. How can a woman love? By loving someone other than herself.” One of the more interesting things about this book is that it takes on Don Quixote and remixes it. Don Quixote itself is a remixing of romantic epics (or romantic adventures) of the 1300-1500s leading to the titular Don making his way into the […]

Holden Caulfield is the Worst

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

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This is a book that I feel like I should have read years ago, but somehow I missed that lesson in school. It’s one of those books that is referenced a lot in pop culture so I felt it was time for me to familiarize myself with the source material. It’s funny, after the first page, I thought, “I like this guy! He’s entertaining to listen to.” That lasted maybe…10 pages? If that? I gotta tell you, Holden Caulfield got old REAL fast. I realized […]

“Like any dealer he was watching for the card that is so high and wild”

Every Gift a Curse (2023) by Caroline O'Donoghue

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“I can feel our bravery fall away as we journey into the wood. We are not built for this. We are not the folksy teenagers you see in adventure stories. There is no one who’s a dab hand at archery, or who can chart our journey by looking at the last few visible stars.” (371-372) Every Gift a Curse is the third and final in Irish author Caroline O’Donoghue’s YA ‘Gifts’ trilogy, following All Our Hidden Gifts (2021) and The Gifts That Bind Us (2022). […]

This Boy’s Life

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

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CBR Passport – This book is set in Scotland, as was his previous novel, Shuggie Bain. That’s actually one of the many structural similarities between Stuart’s two novels – both are set in the council flats of Scotland, both are primarily narrated by a youn, gay Scottish boy with peculiar reactions to the world around him, an alcoholic mother and absent or dead father, and two elder siblings – a violent brother and a solid sister. However, the tone of this book is a good deal […]

Fantastic Jewish mythology middle grade!

The Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros

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I love Aden Polydoros’ books and when I saw he had a middle grade I was so excited. His books hit a very special place for me, and Ring of Solomon continues that trend. Zach and his younger sister, Naomi, find an old ring at the flea market and plan to get it for their mom for her birthday as she collects Judaica, but when they realize they can use the ring to communicate with animals, Zach decides to keep it for himself. He’s been […]

Time Travel Done Right

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

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This is the second Connie Willis book I’ve read, and it will not be the last.  The phrase tour de force is thrown around with a distressing lack of discretion, but this book truly deserves it.   In Doomsday Book, the author follows two main characters in two times: Kivrin is an enthusiastic young historian who travels to 14th century England for investigative purposes despite the warnings of Mr. Dunworthy, her tutor at Oxford and the main character we follow ‘back home’ in the 21st century.  […]



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