Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


The Summer of Sam, Ed, and Reggie

Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler

by Leave a Comment

Jonathan Mahler’s Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is Burning is an unusual work of non-fiction, blending sports, news, culture, and politics into a fairly comprehensive narrative of life in New York City in the year 1977. It was a dark time in the city. Years of excessive spending on social programs had the city teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, and despite promises made by newly-elected President Jimmy Carter, help was not on the way. It was an election year in the city, with Mayor Abe […]

Sex Cult and Wellness Startup

Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult by Ellen Huet

by 3 Comments

I have a history being interested in cults and cult-like behaviors, so when Read Harder included a task to read a book about cults, I was excited. I’ve already read The Quiet Damage this year and have a couple others lined up, including Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult by Ellen Huet.  Let’s start with the headline – I did not enjoy this book. I am an outlier in that regard.   This is not about the content; this is an incredibly well researched work from someone who has been reporting on the One Taste cult […]

The best surprise I’ve had so far this year

Fastest Things on Wings by Terry Masear

by 2 Comments

In spite of being a fervent animal lover, I rarely read animal-centric memoirs, and I’m especially avoidant of ones with “rescue” on the front cover. I find these books are generally either too depressing, too saccharine, or they are written by dedicated, well-meaning individuals with questionable writing talent. So when my husband brought Fastest Things on Wings home from one of his Little Free Library jaunts, I eyed it with suspicion. He read it first and assured me there were just a couple of heartbreaking […]

Not the Alphabet book I grew up on

Queer History A to Z: 100 Years of LGBTQ+ Activism b by Robin Stevenson and Vivian Rosas

by Leave a Comment

Queer History A to Z: 100 Years of LGBTQ+ Activism by Robin Stevenson and illustrated by Vivian Rosas is a middle grade alphabet book that is also a landmine of wonder tidbits. The version I found was from 2024 and was still an online copy. However, it was not complete so I hope to find a finished copy sometime. The list of letters and definitions are not just A is for Activist, or M is for Marsha P (though they do make an appearance) but […]

Beary cute story

A Bear Belongs: A Wildlife Rescue Story by Catherine Barr and Harriet Hobday

by Leave a Comment

It’s a little embarrassing to say that it took me from February 2026 to April 2026 to read A Bear Belongs: A Wildlife Rescue Story by Catherine Barr. Not because it is some 5,000 page book or anything. But because I forgot the name of it. It was not until a few days before writing the review I remembered Bear was in the title. So, I did a search in my emails for reader copies and found probably 20 different titles that had bear attached […]

“Now, in a growing number of cities across the country, when a victim testified, she no longer did so alone.”

The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story by Pagan Kennedy

by 1 Comment

Following news at the beginning of May that the End the Backlog campaign had finally achieved rape kit reform legislation in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Now, in the year of aggravation that is 2026. But, with a goal of being thankful for the wins and not angered by their delay I decided it was time to move The Secret History of the Rape Kit up to the top of my reading list.   Pagan Kennedy’s book traces the story of the creation of the modern rape kit and the woman, Marty Goddard, […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo