Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Book people are the best people!

The Door-To-Door Bookstore: A Novel by Carsten Henn

by Leave a Comment

This charming novel was a local bookstore’s pick for its monthly book club. The bookstore, which I have mentioned in previous reviews, is the Cincinnati Book Bus, which is a non-profit bookstore. They raise money to get books into schools and young readers’ hands, and during the summer months, they have a book bus that takes its wares on the road. The Door-To-Door Bookstore is a perfect choice for their book club, as it is a German novel (translation by Melody Shaw) about an old […]

I’ve got mixed feelings about this one

Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel by Bonnie Garmus

by Leave a Comment

Lessons in Chemistry is a novel of extremes. It details horrible loss and heartbreak, but it also delivers moments of humor. Its main female character suffers misogyny, abuse, and  debasement, but she also finds the courage to fight back tirelessly and valiantly not just for herself but for others. It’s generally an enjoyable read, but my overall impression is that it was rather fantastical. Despite every bad thing in the world happening, somehow our unlikely downtrodden protagonist perseveres. Nothing wrong with that, but given that […]

I was kind of lost, too

Superman: Lost by Christopher Priest

by Leave a Comment

This was another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pick and while I liked it, I did not find it as compelling as Famous Last Words. Superman: Lost is a graphic novel that involves time travel, PTSD, despair and hope. It is a commentary on our current political climate but also a reflection on our responsibility toward others and the duty to help those in danger, even when our help is unwanted. The story opens with Superman and the members of the Justice League going on a mission. Clark […]

The anger is palpable, but so is the sorrow

All My Rage: A Novel by Sabaa Tahir

by Leave a Comment

This YA novel was published in 2022 and won a National Book Award. It contains many difficult themes and triggers, including: racism, physical abuse, drug use/addiction/overdose, trauma, death and grief, The main characters/narrators in All My Rage are Noor, Salahudin and his mother Misbah. They live in a small desert community in Juniper California, near a military base that employs many in the town. Noor and Salahudin are high school seniors who have been friends since they were little, but when the story opens, near […]

A surprising and honest view of a courtesan’s life

A Woman of Pleasure: A Novel by Kiyoko Murata

by Leave a Comment

This novel was first published in Japan in 2013. The English translation by Juliet Winters Carpenter came out in 2024. A Woman of Pleasure is a novel based on real events that happened in Japan in 1903 when prostitutes organized for their rights. It is a fascinating novel that reveals the personal journey of its main character, Ichi, a 15-year-old girl recently sold into prostitution. But the novel also provides a lot of terribly interesting information about licensed prostitution and its place in Japanese society […]

“…a person can be more whole with broken parts.”

The Djinn Waits A Hundred Years: A Novel by Shubnum Khan

by Leave a Comment

  The Djinn Waits A Hundred Years is a ghost story, featuring a haunted house in Natal, South Africa. The house itself, called Akbar Manzil, has its own character and memories, and it is full of people who are likewise haunted by the ghosts of their pasts. This novel involves a love story set in the early 20th century as well as a coming of age story for 15-year old Sana Malek who has come with her father to live in Akbar Manzil 80+ years […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo