Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I’m not tough enough for the Canadian oil sands

Ducks by Kate Beaton

by 3 Comments

I first became aware of Kate Beaton through her charming picture book, The Princess and the Pony, released in 2015.  My, at the time, young daughters loved the book about a tiny, warrior princess who wants a noble steed like the older warriors.  Instead on her birthday she is gifted a pony that farts too much. Shortly after the publication of her graphic novel autobiography, Ducks, in 2022, it seemed everyone on the internet was declaring what a good book it was.  However, I wasn’t really […]

Losing Oneself in Art

Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama by Yayoi Kusama

by Leave a Comment

Yayoi Kusama is one of the most prolific and successful artists of our time. This Japanese born creative genius was a major force on the New York art scene in the sixties, producing interactive installations, performance pieces, and a variety of other artistic offerings. Yet most people are probably more familiar with her contemporaries, like Andy Warhol. In this autobiography published in 2002 (English translation in 2012), Kusama provides some information about her childhood and upbringing, but this is mostly the story of her art […]

“Once upon a time long ago I lay in my crib at Sandy Point Farm while my father lay in the next room dying.”

Once Upon a Time: A True Story by Gloria Vanderbilt

by Leave a Comment

I had read about the custody case over Gloria Vanderbilt in the past, but it was long enough ago that I forgot most of the fine details and felt that I was entering the book with no real allegiances or opinions beyond feeling bad for a child caught up in it. I purchased this copy a while ago and then it sat on my shelf until my recent reading spree focused on mid century society gossip. Once Upon A Time: A True Story is a […]

“I can’t help wondering whether I was born under a galaxy of lucky stars.”

I Married the World by Elsa Maxwell

by Leave a Comment

Elsa Maxwell is a curious figure in world history because she was famous for throwing amazing parties and being friends with famous people, but she also shows up in the background of other biographies and memoirs of the period with what can only be described as a dark air of menace — as in Philip Van Rensselaer’s Million Dollar Baby, where Elsa is portrayed as a person who lures rich young women into marriages with con artist playboys and then takes a cut of the […]

Get to know Bob Mortimer

And Away… by Bob Mortimer

by 1 Comment

Cbr16bingo bananas If you know who Bob Mortimer is, “bananas” as a bingo square choice needs no explanation. Mortimer is a British comedian who has had a decades-long successful career performing live and on TV with his partner Vic Reeves (Jim Moir). My husband bought me Mortimer’s autobiography last year because we are both big fans of his from seeing him on British panel shows such as Would I Lie To You (WILTY) and on Taskmaster. Mortimer is a master storyteller— some of them true, […]

Ali Wong is a funny lady

Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets and Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong

by Leave a Comment

Nowhere Books Bingo: About someone you want to learn more about I don’t think I’d heard of Ali Wong before her first Netflix special, Baby Cobra. I’ve now seen all her stand-up specials and also enjoyed Always Be My Maybe, a fun romantic comedy she wrote and starred in with Randall Park, and famously got Keanu Reeves to star as himself. I’ve heard very good things about Beef, but there’s just too much TV out there at the moment, and too little time (especially if […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo