Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Linguistics Grad Gets Book Deal, Writes About Cults Instead

Cultish by Amanda Montell

February 7, 2022 by auntadadoom Leave a Comment

For the second time this year, I’m gonna downgrade a book that I probably would have liked better if I had different expectations going in. This time the victim of mis-marketing is Cultish, by Amanda Montell. The book jacket promises: Through juicy storytelling and cutting-edge original research [emphasis mine — auntadadoom], Montell exposes the linguistic elements that make a wide spectrum of communities cultish, revealing not only how cult language affects followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate but also how it pervades our modern […]

Filed Under: History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: Amanda Montell

auntadadoom's CBR14 Review No:4 · Genres: History, Non-Fiction · Tags: Amanda Montell ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

“At last we meet again for the first time, for the last time.”

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

January 11, 2022 by narfna 9 Comments

All I’ve got in my head right now is that line from Spaceballs (see title of this review). I say that because every year I read a handful of books that I am just absolutely at a loss for how to review. This is my first one of 2022! I just want to say la la la la la and maybe read it again, but I’m expected instead to verbalize my thoughts about a book that covered so much and was so good and so […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Non-Fiction Tagged With: Amanda Montell, Ann Marie Gideon, audiobooks, Cultish, cults, language, linguistics, narfna, non fiction, social history, the language of fanaticism

narfna's CBR14 Review No:6 · Genres: Audiobooks, Non-Fiction · Tags: Amanda Montell, Ann Marie Gideon, audiobooks, Cultish, cults, language, linguistics, narfna, non fiction, social history, the language of fanaticism ·
Rating:
· 9 Comments

“Are you in a cult?”

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

January 10, 2022 by andtheIToldYouSos 12 Comments

Well, I might be! Really, I’m inundated with cultish language- much like most of you are as well! The above question, posited by our own CBR gurus and shared across social media, was attached to an excellent review by faintingviolet. Her review kindled a blaze with other CBR readers- myself included! Our Goodreads walls are packed with update-after-update barrages of people frantically ripping through this read! I am very much looking forward to the Cultish flood headed our way. Now- back to the question. Am I […]

Filed Under: Audiobooks, History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: Amanda Montell, andtheIToldYouSos, Bikram Yoga, crime, cult, cult fitness, cult language, Cultish, David Koresh, faintingviolet, Heaven's Gate, influencers, Jim Jones, Jonestown, language, late stage capitalism, linguistics, MLM, Psychology, recommendation, recommended by CBR, Religion, scientology, social media, the Dream, true crime, Waco, Wild Wild Country, Wordslut

andtheIToldYouSos's CBR14 Review No:1 · Genres: Audiobooks, History, Non-Fiction · Tags: Amanda Montell, andtheIToldYouSos, Bikram Yoga, crime, cult, cult fitness, cult language, Cultish, David Koresh, faintingviolet, Heaven's Gate, influencers, Jim Jones, Jonestown, language, late stage capitalism, linguistics, MLM, Psychology, recommendation, recommended by CBR, Religion, scientology, social media, the Dream, true crime, Waco, Wild Wild Country, Wordslut ·
Rating:
· 12 Comments

When something feels ethically wrong language is a good place to look for clues to why.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

December 15, 2021 by faintingviolet 6 Comments

Amanda Montell is a language scholar who takes her readers on a trip through social history using linguistics. I read and enjoyed Montell’s Wordslut two years ago, and in her second book, Cultish, Montell is interested in examining the edges of our culture that can exhibit some unhealthy habits by examining the way language is used in them, and that is the kind of thing I am going to sign up for every time.   Utilizing both storytelling and independent research Montell exposes the linguistic elements that make a wide spectrum of […]

Filed Under: Non-Fiction Tagged With: Amanda Montell, Cultish, cults, faintingviolet, linguistics, MLM, sociolinguistics, words matter

faintingviolet's CBR13 Review No:65 · Genres: Non-Fiction · Tags: Amanda Montell, Cultish, cults, faintingviolet, linguistics, MLM, sociolinguistics, words matter ·
Rating:
· 6 Comments

Quadruple Cannonball!

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

The Institute by Stephen King

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell

October 23, 2019 by badkittyuno 3 Comments

Woo hoo! I hit 208 books this weekend. Here are the last 4 books I read, a nice mix of my favorite things: Becky Chambers, Stephen King, Christina Lauren, and a book about linguistics! (5stars) To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers I really love Becky Chambers’s writing — the subject matter (space!) is so fresh and interesting, but the characters at the center are so realistic and well-written (even when they’re not human). I was thrilled to discover that Chambers released a novella […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Horror, Non-Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction Tagged With: Amanda Montell, badkittyuno, Becky Chambers, Christina Lauren, Stephen King

badkittyuno's CBR11 Review No:208 · Genres: Fiction, Horror, Non-Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction · Tags: Amanda Montell, badkittyuno, Becky Chambers, Christina Lauren, Stephen King ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

“During the Middle Ages, there was a special English word for women who dared to speak in public: they were labeled scolds.” (BINGO!)

Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language by Amanda Montell

September 8, 2019 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

Fellow Cannonballer kdm posted on Facebook about reading Wordslut and based on her recommendation and its eye-catching cover I immediately requested it from my library. I’ve read my share of feminist books over the past several years, trying to build my own repertoire of experience and knowledge whether it be in the form of a treatise on Single Ladies, the recollections of a self-described Bad Feminist, or feminist geeks, or the story of a heroine of mine the Notorious RBG. Amanda Montell’s Wordslut is a […]

Filed Under: Non-Fiction Tagged With: Amanda Montell, cbr11bingo, faintingviolet, feminism, I Love This, linguistics, read harder challenge, read women, sociolinguistics, Wordslut

faintingviolet's CBR11 Review No:44 · Genres: Non-Fiction · Tags: Amanda Montell, cbr11bingo, faintingviolet, feminism, I Love This, linguistics, read harder challenge, read women, sociolinguistics, Wordslut ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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