Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Komi is Learning but What about Everyone Else?

Komi Can't Communicate, vol. 11 by Tomohito Oda

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My kind of mindless yet entertaining read has recently been the Komi Can’t Communicate manga. The interesting thing is that until now, this series told as a bunch of loosely connected mini-episodes has so far managed to stay interesting. It took until volume eleven for things to get a little shaky. I still like Komi, and she’s making steady progress as a character. She actually speaks a few complete sentences to different people here, out loud. The romance angle is obvious and a little pointless […]

Be my friend, Rachel Bloom! Please!

I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom

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Rachel Bloom is a comedic force. In her memoir I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are, Bloom walks us through her life from childhood all the way through the birth of her first child. Bloom holds nothing back. I mean nothing. There are stories about learning how to poop in a toilet, learning about and enjoying masturbation, how she was bullied as a child, what living with obsessive-compulsive disorder was like, and more! Bloom frequently dips in and out of presenting her life factually […]

I rate this book 9/10 DVDs of The Fugitive.

Shit, Actually: The Definitive 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West

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Not all of the jokes landed for me, but most did! I found myself arguing with her about some things, but also agreeing with a lot of it. (I like Love, Actually! I do, can’t help it.) Mostly I was just very entertained. Take this excerpt from her Lion King essay: “So then [Scar] decides to just murder Simba and resume his position as Mufasa’s number two. Say what you will about Scar, but when the dude has an idea, he commits. Simba isn’t just […]

It might just be my mood, but this was meh

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

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I was first recommended this book around a decade ago by a colleague but couldn’t find a copy of it at the time, and so over the years I’ve kept my eye out for so I could snatch up a copy as soon as it appeared. Having since got my hands on a copy, I’m now wondering if a ten year build of anticipation was always going to end it disappointment as I found this to be completely underwhelming. This really shouldn’t have been the […]

CBR12 Book Bingo – I Wish…

When Life Gives You Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People by Jeannie Gaffigan

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“I had charts with every appointment, every activity, color-coded by child. Everything under control. Sure, I had throbbing headaches and trouble hearing out of my left ear. I didn’t have time for this. I pushed myself harder. Finally, at the recommendation of the kids’ pediatrician, to whom I’d admitted not being able to hear, I squeezed in an MRI.” Comedy is my love language, and Jim and Jeannie Gaffigan are two of the funniest. This is my CBR12 Book Bingo choice for “I wish…” because […]

No one ever said elves are nice

Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett

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Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvelous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice.” I was three quarters of the way through a 900 page beast […]



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