Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Rediscovering the past

Maria and the Cave Paintings by Barbara Lowell and Elke Boschinger

What Marcel Found: The Incredible Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Painting by Cedar Pruitt and David Litchfield

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A while back I read Maria and the Cave Paintings by Barbara Lowell and Elke Boschinger (due early November 2026; via online reader). This book shows how a child, with her father, explores a local cave of Spain. She wanders off on her own, coming upon paintings on the walls of the cave. Her father is convinced they are prehistoric. Though things are exciting, at first (as it is the 1880s and one of the first discoveries of such things), over time, the pull of […]

Urban “pests” get a makeover

Outsider Animals by Marlene Zuk

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CBR18 BINGO: Bird, because it has chapters about gulls, cowbirds, and common mynas Anyone who knows me knows how much I love critters. I’m frequently amazed that people are genuinely afraid of coyotes, animals of which stray cats are justified in being wary, but which pose almost zero threat to humans who take minimal safety measures (i.e., don’t attempt to pet one, no matter how much you want to). I’m equally fascinated by snakes, while giving them a wide berth during hikes, and find gulls […]

“Maybe I never needed to change in order to justify my existence”

Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

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CBR18Bingo: Summer, because it was the first book I finished this summer. Meditations for Mortals opens with the line, “This is a book about how the world opens up once you realize you’re never going to sort your life out.” Rather than offering a system guaranteed to optimize your life and change you into the ideal version of yourself, the book’s stated goal is to teach you how to live a meaningful life in the messy imperfection of reality. I picked it up after seeing […]

The Confederacy Myth: How an Insurrection of Slaveholders Tried to Destroy the United States by Connor Williams

The Confederacy Myth: How an Insurrection of Slaveholders Tried to Destroy the United States by Connor Williams

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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not impact my rating or review. With the way things are now, history, real history, is so important. I think the thing that made me super ticked about that To Kill a Mockingbird sequel (that anyone who read the terrible book should have realized was a freaking version of To Kill a Mockingbird that thankfully had not seen the light of day until then) was the talking point by Atticus that the Negro was […]

“We only get one goofy little life, friend, and we have to enjoy every minute we can.”

How to be Okay When Nothing is Okay by Jenny Lawson

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Rating: 4.5 Stars In a nutshell: Author Lawson (also known as as The Bloggess) shares quotes, words of encouragement, and ideas for helping folks get through whatever they’re trying to get through. Best for: Fans of Lawson. Fans of whimsy, sincerity, humor, weirdness, joy, and honesty. People who are looking for some ‘self-help’ that feels more like a close friend being kind to you. Quote that made me think: “You’re not failing if it’s just not for you.” “They say the grass is greener on […]

When They Don’t Come Out the Other Side.

Wormhole: My journey into the dark heart of alternative medicine by Hannah McElhinney

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Wormhole is a book that manages to pack a significant amount into its rather slim page count. Author Hannah McElhinney’s cousin, Laura, travelled from Australia to Malaysia back in 2022 for a ‘medical procedure.’ After Lauren went radio silent for a few days, her family was contacted by a mysterious friend who none of them had ever heard of, telling them that there had been complications with her treatment and that she could not be brought out from under anaesthetic.  Within days, members of Lauren’s […]



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