Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Well, that’s just your opinion, man.

The Seven Lamps of Architecture by John Ruskin

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There is no doubt at all that John Ruskin was an odd bird indeed.  But good Lord, the man had Opinions.   In 1848, Ruskin toured northern France with his bride (poor girl), and I assume, earlier Italy.  It was here that he fell in love with (certain examples) of Gothic architecture.  For Ruskin, architecture was the first of the arts, because it was not created by a person, but rather by a culture (his primary examples being cathedrals that took, in some cases, hundreds […]

“Rooting around in the presidential innards”

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

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Listening to Assassination Vacation is like taking a road trip with your strangest friend. Well, Sarah Vowell is on a road trip- and is unabashedly strange- but having her narrate the journey to you is a little cozy, a little crazy, a little creepy- and a LOT of fun. Her morbid fascination with presidential assassins (both would-be and verified) and the zeal for putting friends and relatives into uncomfortable situations is a hoot, and the audio experience feels like gossiping with your own partner-in-crime. She […]

A saucer of milk…. and keep ’em coming!

Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kitten by John Patrick Green

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Awww kittens are soooo cute! They just snuggle up on the pages and just are…cute! They are fluffy and adorable and sweet and look so cute in their hardhats. Must post to social media. Never mind that these kittens in Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kittens by John Patrick Green are architects, plumbers, electricians and more. These kittens know how to build! They know how to light things up! They know how to plumb the plumbing! Never mind how cute they are… just take them […]

Rock-a-bye friends in the tree-house top

The Tallest Tree House by Elly MacKay

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The Tallest Tree House by Elly MacKay is one of those books where what you put into it is what you take out of it. You will either really like it, or be “eh, that’s nice.” The Tallest Tree House is a sweet story about friendship and the theme of “a place and time for everything.” And the time to build a tree house is now. But two friends have unique ways of going about making one. One plans and the other rushes about without […]

I have no idea what I’m doing

Exhibition Design by Philip Hughes

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Say you get a new job, one that’s your dream, but also that you’re grossly under-qualified for. You have limited experience, it requires you move to a different country and you basically have a month to do it. What would you do? Buy a book? Well, congratulations you’re 100% like me. Also you will buy this particular book because you liked the cover. #GoodChoices. This book is not the bible of exhibition design it’s a low-stakes introduction, a sort of ‘which-one-where-does-what’ of exhibition design. I […]

Helping Us Figure Out Why Buildings Cause Such Visceral Reactions

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Best for: People not that familiar with architecture who are interested in learning about it in a philosophical way. In a nutshell: Author de Botton takes the reader through a lovely journey exploring how the buildings we inhabit can help fill missing pieces in our lives, and impact how we feel. Line that sticks with me: “The buildings we admire are ultimately those which, in a variety of ways, extol values we think worthwhile.” (p 98) Why I chose it: I bought this long ago. […]



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