Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“I know now that what’s tragic isn’t the moment. It is the memory.”

Another Brooklyn: A Novel by Jacqueline Woodson

by Leave a Comment

Cbr16bingo Disco, bingo  (1970s New York, marginalized communities) In the author’s notes at the end of this novel, Woodson writes that her inspiration came from her thoughts on “what it means to grow up a girl in this country,” particularly in 1970s Brooklyn. Those familiar with Woodson’s novels — read Brown Girl Dreaming and Red at the Bone, both excellent — know that she has an incredible talent for writing about the experiences of Black girls in specific points in US history such as the […]

Saucy!

The Duke Who Didn’t: Wedgeford Trials Book 1 by Courtney Milan

by 1 Comment

cbr16bingo And Also —for the Part 1 square  For CBR15 I read Courtney Milan’s The Brothers Sinister series (based on recommendations from fellow Cannonballers) and loved it. When I initially asked for advice on where to start with Milan’s work, The Duke Who Didn’t came up frequently. While The Brothers’ Sinister series deals a lot with women’s rights and the suffrage movement, this start to the Wedgeford Trials series has a focus on minorities in England, discrimination, and appropriation. Milan, as ever, is careful and […]

Mothers and Daughters

My Mama, Cass: A Memoir by Owen Elliot-Kugell

by Leave a Comment

Cbr16bingo Celestial (bingo)    Cass Elliot was a rock star and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Owen Elliot-Kugell is Cass Elliot’s daughter, orphaned at the age of 7 after Cass’s tragic and unexpected death in London in July of 1974. Now in her 50s, Owen has spent many years missing her mother and trying to learn as much about her as possible from those who knew her — family, friends and people who worked with her in the music business of […]

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, […]

Trust me when I say you need to read this book

Elena Knows: A Novel by Claudia Pineiro

by Leave a Comment

Cbr16bingo Liberate (bingo)  This is a short but very powerful story that deals with women, their bodies and bodily autonomy. This is the kind of book that is difficult to review because saying too much spoils it for the next reader. Elena Knows was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize. It was originally published in 2007, but the English translation by Frances Riddle came out in 2021. While set in Buenos Aires, the subject matter will resonate with readers the world over.  Elena is […]

“You just have to roll with the abuse, otherwise you’re a crazy bitch.”

I Have Some Questions For You: A Novel by Rebecca Makkai

by 2 Comments

Cbr16bingo Scandal This is a brilliant, riveting novel that deals with predators, sexual abuse, childhood trauma, bullying, and complicity. It also has an interesting narrative point of view. The main character Bodie Kane tells the story but not to us; she is talking to someone specific and we learn at the end of the first chapter that it is Mr. Bloch. Who Mr. Bloch is and why Bodie addresses him will become more obvious as the story progresses. This is a fictional story that deals […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo