Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


For the discerning reader who prefers books that are neither too literary nor too commercial

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

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Recounting one very full and unusual day in the life of a 40-year old governess, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a charming tale that drops the reader straight into the 1930s, where martinis are flowing and beautiful young ladies have scads of evening gowns and even more beaus. When a mix-up at the employment agency sends Guinevere Pettigrew to the home of the enchanting Delysia LaFosse, the puritanically-raised Miss Pettigrew gets a glimpse into a way of life that she thought only existed […]

“Off On An Interesting Adventure”

Flirting with Danger: The Mysterious Life of Marguerite Harrison, Socialite Spy by Janet Wallach

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CBR17 Bingo: Borders – Marguerite crosses the borders of many countries during her work as a journalist and spy, but also crossed the boundaries that constrained women in this era in both her work and her personal life. After being widowed young, Marguerite Harrison plunged into work as a journalist, but her charm and her adventurous spirit leads her into a more covert role as a spy. My understanding of the history of American spycraft is mostly limited to the hijinks of the OSS during […]

A cozy paranormal romance for the holidays~

Clara, Darling by Chace Verity

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Chace Verity is one of my absolute fave authors, and they’ve held that title since their debut, Team Phison, so any time they have a new release I get all excited. Clara, Darling is a holiday (Christmas) novella, but unlike Verity’s previous Christmas story (Team Phison Forever), this has much less family trauma and is almost dream-like in its story tell. Sadie has been married to Alvin for ten years, but in all that time she’s never forgotten her best friend and first love, Clara. […]

“That’s the problem with living in New York. You’ve got no New York to run away to.”

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

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In five-ish words: sophisticated, entertaining, New York, haunted I know a lot of people who say that Towles’ “Gentleman in Moscow” is their favorite book. I haven’t read it yet and have it on my TBR, somewhere middling in the middle. But then a co-host on my podcast recommended “Rules of Civility” for her “must read book” so this one rocketed straight to the top. I felt compelled to pick it up and I’m so glad I did! His writing is so clever and he […]

I got a little excited… it’s not due until next year….

The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice: How to Discover a Shape by Amy Alznauer

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The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice: How to Discover a Shape is not an easy picture book to write about. Afterall, I didn’t understand half of it! This is due to the fact that there are a lot of scientific and mathematical terms where some went over my head. Therefore, this is a book that might be aimed at the “picture book crowd” but could also have an older reader group as well.  Amy Alznauer and Anna Bron (illustrations) made this March 2025 (yes 2025) […]

“Separately, each cloud can block the wind. Together, we might determine its flow.”

Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

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Sisters May and Gemma Chow are working hard to keep their family afloat while their father is away being treated for tuberculosis. When they discover the body of Lulu Wong, a former classmate and rising Hollywood star on the outskirts of Chinatown, they set out to solve the mystery of her death. I’m always on the lookout for historical fiction that centers the experience of people who were marginalized during the era of the setting, because to see history through their eyes is usually completely […]



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