Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A little more time with Lady Julie Beaufort-Stuart

The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

by 4 Comments

Code Name Verity was my favorite book of 2014. I reluctantly picked it up after some favorable Cannonball reviews and was immediately entranced. The story, the writing, and the characters kept me on the edge of my seat until I finished in a wave of tears. When I saw that Elizabeth Wein had written a book that involves Julie Beaufort-Stuart, a main character from Code Name Verity, I was once again a little reluctant to read it. I was afraid that it would not live up to Code […]

If I told you her real name, I’d have to kill you…

by Leave a Comment

I wasn’t sure what this book was about, just that it was good. So I took a chance and was thrust into the interrogation of a Scottish World War II war prisoner for the Germans. The subject of the interrogation? Not your usual WWII prisoner, as it’s a female. And she seems especially…perky?…for being interrogated. Okay, maybe perky isn’t the best choice of words, but she’s definitely not short on wits, snark, or even a sense of humor. And who can resist someone who says […]

“But I have told the truth. Isn’t that ironic? They sent me because I am so good at telling lies. But I have told the truth.”

by 4 Comments

Code Name Verity has made the rounds on Cannonball since its publication. I read a lot of books about WW2 and enjoy well written YA Fiction so it seemed like a perfect match to my tastes. We’re all friends here so I am going to be perfectly honest with you. I almost quit this book. A few times. I am so glad I did not. Unfortunately I can’t properly explain my initial reaction or my wholehearted turnaround without giving away the plot. So I shall do […]

The Ugly Cry Book

by 3 Comments

Code Name Verity is fantastic. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it (or crying about it) since I finished reading it. It is an unexpectedly powerful story of friendship and confronting one’s worst fears. It is also an ode to the brave and often nameless women who flew and fought alongside men in World War II as part of the Special Operations Executive, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and Air Transport Auxiliary. The first part of the book is narrated by Julie and is […]

I loved this book

by 2 Comments

I picked this one up a few years ago and almost immediately had my copy stolen by a student who graduated with it in her possession. As a teacher, I tend to write that off as a good cause. Then I recently rebought it and started it reading it after seeing Dunkirk in the theater. It shares a few facile similarities….RAF…flying….British, but the stories are very different. We start with a narrator who is clearly being held by Nazis introduce herself and begin to talk […]

“KISS ME, HARDY! Kiss me, QUICK!”

by 8 Comments

I was about ten minutes away from sobbing ugly sobs in a Whole Foods. Luckily, my butt started hurting from the hard chairs up in there, and I moseyed on home to finish the book there. I then proceeded to sob those ugly sobs all by my lonesome for about half an hour. This book was really good but I was very sad after finishing it. I mean, if you’re prone to crying at fiction (like I am), just know this book will probably get […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo