Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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

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I must start by thanking ASKReviews for letting us all know that there was a SECRET MUSICAL in the middle of this audiobook! I heeded their recommendation to “Get the Audio Version”, and boy howdy am I glad I did! Not only do we get a musical adventure about Rachel Bloom’s desire to be a musical theater STAAAR, the musical is performed by her harmonizing with herself, herself, herself, herself, and maybe another Rachel Bloom or two. Bloom’s voice is so important here; her style, […]

cbr12bingo – Nostalgia! sweet, silly, stupid nostalgia

Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz, with Colson Whitehead, Jonathan Lethem, Ada Calhoun, Luc Sante, Roy Choi, Amy Poehler, Junit Tondora, Spike Jonze, Ian Rogers, Andre Leon Talley

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“Now here’s a little story I’ve got to tell About three bad brothers you know so well It started way back in history With Ad-Rock, MCA, (and me) Mike D” Beastie Boys Book, while a delightful name, is a bit of a misnomer. This isn’t a book- it’s an EXPERIENCE. Adam “Ad-Rock” (Ad-Rock) and Michael “Mike D” Diamond  got together with friends, collaborators, fans, contemporaries, rivals, pop-culture icons, and countless others to tell the story of the Beastie Boys: who they are, where they came from, […]

If only this one would have stuck to the shelf

Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

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The cover is bright orange and there is some textural variety with a strip of duct tape across the front; the title Made to Stick fills a third of the cover. It’s a very interesting and attention grabbing cover. Unfortunately, that is where my interest stopped. Throughout the book, Chip and Dan, brothers, explain that in order for an idea to be sticky (that is, in order for your audience to remember your idea and care about it) it must be simple, unique, concrete, credible, […]

“There’s a particular feeling in your body when something goes right after a long time of things going wrong. It feels warm and sweet and loose.”

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

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Lily King is a magician. She takes an unassuming title like Writers and Lovers and crafts something beautiful, messy, and utterly captivating. Her last novel, 2014’s Euphoria, was my favorite read of the last decade- I have to admit that I was initially disappointed when Writers and Lovers was announced after the evocative fever of Euphoria.  A 30-something woman navigates creative struggle, debt, grief, and relationships? All I have to do is shout out of my front door and a line of people that fit the description […]

At the intersection of spirituality and creativity…

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson

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For the better part of the last twenty years, Andrew Peterson has been one of my favourite songwriters. Yes, his music is Christian by genre, but not the cheeseball, put on a happy face, not based in reality garbage that you’d hear on Christian radio stations when you’re driving thru the middle of nowhere and that’s the only station that comes in. He’s a brilliant lyricist that isn’t afraid to write songs about real life and all the crap that goes with it. In some […]

“Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action. Do it or don’t do it.”

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

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Pressfield’s book on pursuing creativity is currently less than $6 in its electronic form, so I used my Christmas money  and picked it up on the recommendation of a creative friend. My buddy owns a coffee shop, plays in bands, and generally pursues the finer things in life. A renaissance man! If he said this was worth a read, I figure it was worth a go. I’m glad I did. While there’s probably nothing groundbreaking in this book, the encouragement to create and be yourself […]



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