Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Putting the IN in Introvert and the Ex…. never mind….

The Verts: A Story of Introverts and Extrovert by Ann Patchett

by Leave a Comment

I know little to nothing about the author Ann Patchett. I’ve heard they are: YES BEST EVER! And they are: NO DON’T READ EVER! I leave it up to you to decide if The Verts: A Story of Introverts and Extroverts by Patchett is for you. Due in mid-September 2024, I read this picture book via an online reader copy. I had debated if I wanted to read it as the subject is one I care about, but am very picky about how it is […]

“…but the losses were as solid and dependable as the Earth itself.”

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

by Leave a Comment

My book club chose Commonwealth (2016) by Ann Patchett ages ago, but it was a meeting I couldn’t make. So when I ran out of time, I skipped the book entirely. However, because I’ve enjoyed other books by Patchett, I decided to pick this one up as an Audiobook. I’ve enjoyed every book by Patchett that I’ve read, and Commonwealth is no exception. Although, this one is not quite at the top of my Patchett list, it is memorable. I appreciate Patchett’s realistically drawn characters and nuanced family drama. […]

Meryl Streep could have been a movie star

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

by Leave a Comment

After a very good experience listening to Tom Hanks read The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, I was ready for another. It just so happened that Tom Lake (2023) was on a number of Best Book Lists from 2023, so my next Patchett book was an easy decision. I think the author must have some pull with her narrators because the one and only Meryl Streep reads the Tom Lake audiobook, and it’s not surprising that she does a great job. I think it’s my favorite book by Ann Patchett. Lara […]

The Worst Party Crashers Ever

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

by Leave a Comment

The government of a South American country believes they can convince a Japanese business to build a new factory in their country and boost their sagging economy. They invite him to celebrate his birthday in their capital, and have arranged a unique and personal gift for the occasion: his favorite opera singer will be in attendance and give a private performance for the occasion. Though Mr. Hosokawa has no intention of building the factory they want, he can’t turn down the chance to meet Roxanne […]

Fixer-Upper

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

by 1 Comment

The titular house is an old mansion in the Philadelphia suburbs, where Danny Conroy and his older sister Maeve grew up with their father Cyril, an emotionally distant real-estate magnate. Their mother is off in parts unknown, having left when Danny was a very young boy. Maeve picks up their father’s slack and become a sort of second mother to Danny, far more so than the woman Cyril makes his second wife. Their stepmother comes into the marriage with two daughters of their own, and her […]

Our Town, Is a Very, Very, Very Small Town

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

by Leave a Comment

On a cherry farm in Michigan, a family unexpectedly reunited by the COVID pandemic struggles to find ways to pass the time until their father drops a bombshell revelation: the handsome actor in the old favorite movie they’re watching used to be their mother’s boyfriend. Pressed into recounting the tale, 57-year-old Lara spins a yarn about a long ago summer spent putting on Our Town at a local theater company and falling in love with her co-star. Intrigued by the connection to a celebrity or […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo