Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Between the Accident and the Incident

Curse of the Blumenthals by Phyllis Karas

April 6, 2026 by Pooja Leave a Comment

Three generations of journalist Phyllis Karas’s family are marked by two great tragedies – the car crash which killed six members of the family, and the murder committed by the first grandchild born after that accident hardly twenty years later. This is an interesting mash-up of a book – part family history, part true crime, and sometimes even a scrapbook. Karas dives into the crimes which impacted her family, whether they were those who committed them or the victims, studying how their effects rippled through […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, History Tagged With: #history, #memoir, 20th Century, ARC, Judaism, NetGalley, New England, Non-Fiction, Phyllis Karas, true crime, United States

Pooja's CBR18 Review No:25 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, History · Tags: #history, #memoir, 20th Century, ARC, Judaism, NetGalley, New England, Non-Fiction, Phyllis Karas, true crime, United States ·
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The not-so-lady with the creepy a$$ doll who did more than just Marlene Dietrich

Joe the Pirate by Hubert and Virginie Augustin

February 2, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Joe the Pirate by Hubert and Virginie Augustin is about a totally and completely scandalous individual. Born Marion Barbara Carstairs (later known as Tuffy), she would become Joe Carstairs. She didn’t want to be a man, just had fun pretending to be one. This started when she was young and having a swinging time in the early 1900’s. The flapping 1920s would see her have affairs with such people as Dolly Wilde, Tallulah Bankhead (who liked to take her dress off and jiggle it in […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, History, Non-Fiction, Romance, Sports, Young Adult Tagged With: 20th Century, Hubert, Hubert and Virginie Augustin, Joe Carstairs, LGBTQ, Marion Barbara Carstairs, Virginie Augustin

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:28 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, History, Non-Fiction, Romance, Sports, Young Adult · Tags: 20th Century, Hubert, Hubert and Virginie Augustin, Joe Carstairs, LGBTQ, Marion Barbara Carstairs, Virginie Augustin ·
Rating:
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Navel Gazers United

Justine by Lawrence Durrell

January 16, 2026 by Pooja Leave a Comment

Justine follows the various intermingled lives and love affairs of a group of artistic people in Alexandria, where it sometimes seems the city is playing itself out in their daily struggles. This is a bit of a difficult book to write a review of, because frankly not much happens. The narrator is in a relationship with one woman but becomes bound in a passionate affair with another, complicated by the fact that he is friends with her husband, and the fact that this woman Justine […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: 20th Century, Africa, classics, egypt, historical, lawrence durrell, literary fiction

Pooja's CBR18 Review No:4 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: 20th Century, Africa, classics, egypt, historical, lawrence durrell, literary fiction ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Adult literacy

My Kentucky Moonlight School by Kim Michele Richardson

November 20, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

My Kentucky Moonlight School is another book (read via an online reader) due in August 2026 but is a must to talk about now. Kim Michele Richardson’s story is about a family, their community and how they learn to read during “Moonlight sessions” of schooling. It is sweet, educational and even a little humorous at times.  This is enhanced by Chloe M. Giroux who illustrates the adventures of this family with earthy tones, bright shading and light use, and just the right amount of details. […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, History Tagged With: 20th Century, Chloe M. Giroux, Country Life, Education, family, grandparents, kentucky, Kim Michele Richardson, school, United States

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:511 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, History · Tags: 20th Century, Chloe M. Giroux, Country Life, Education, family, grandparents, kentucky, Kim Michele Richardson, school, United States ·
Rating:
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What stars are made of

The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars by Laura Alary

November 19, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

TITLE: The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars AUTHOR:  Laura Alary ILLUSTRATOR:  Yas Imamura  PUB DATE: Late January 2026 READ AS: Online reader copy RESULT:  Dang this is good! NEED MORE?: YES OKAY MORE: This is a picture book about Cecila Payne, who was a young girl who did not fit in. She stood out in many ways not just because she was taller than other girls/women, not just because she was a female, but because she really loved nature and […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, History Tagged With: 1900-1979, 20th Century, astronomers, Cecila Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia Payne, Laura Alary, science, Women astronomers, Yas Imamura

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:504 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, History · Tags: 1900-1979, 20th Century, astronomers, Cecila Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia Payne, Laura Alary, science, Women astronomers, Yas Imamura ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Skirts Just Look So Good on Us!

Skirts: Fashioning Modern Femininity in the Twentieth Century by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell

November 16, 2025 by Pooja Leave a Comment

Fashion can say a lot about the people that wear it and the places they occupy in time and space. As such, women starting to wear pants is a shorthand for progress in feminism – but, Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell argues, the evolution of skirts over the twentieth century too has plenty to say. Like the author, I wear a lot of dresses and skirts, mostly because they are an easy way to look like you’ve made an effort, and also let you slouch and lounge around […]

Filed Under: History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: #history, 20th Century, ARC, art, fashion, feminism, Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, NetGalley, non fiction, United States

Pooja's CBR17 Review No:71 · Genres: History, Non-Fiction · Tags: #history, 20th Century, ARC, art, fashion, feminism, Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, NetGalley, non fiction, United States ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • faintingviolet
    on Sex Cult and Wellness Startup
    It left me feeling bored, which is a problem. I'm glad that Pooja also rated it on the lower side,...
  • narfna
    on Sex Cult and Wellness Startup
    I almost added this to my TBR when I saw you were reading it, but I'm glad I waited for...
  • Emmalita
    on “You do not need to be afraid. You do not have to be good…You are the scariest thing in the woods.”
    I think there is more visibility for stories with older and middle aged women. I’m here for it.
  • beereadsbooks
    on “You do not need to be afraid. You do not have to be good…You are the scariest thing in the woods.”
    I'm really enjoying what feels like an increase in good stories about middle aged women. Maybe they just didn't come...
  • Pooja
    on Sex Cult and Wellness Startup
    What a coincidence! I just read this book too, though I think it worked a bit better for me -...
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