Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

More Nostalgia, Less History

Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and Music of Laurel Canyon by Harvey Kubernik

by Leave a Comment

It is obvious from the get-go that Harvey Kubernik, a veteran music journalist who hails from Laurel Canyon, loves his subject. The problem is that love, and the love of his version of the Canyon, may have artificially narrowed his view of his subject. This is no small book, while its dimensions don’t quite fit the definition of ‘coffee-table book,’ it is a large and difficult book to hold that is chockfull of photos which make it a good choice to casually peruse at a […]

Don’t Stop the Music

Step It up and Go: The Story of North Carolina Popular Music by David Menconi

by 8 Comments

I heard about this book on a fan page for the Avett Brothers, and since I love music almost as much as reading, it seemed like something to check out. Menconi was a music reporter for the Raleigh News and Observer for many years, and the book reflects his deep connections to the community. It’s structured by time and genre- each chapter deals with a different location and type of music. North Carolina is often overlooked in the music scene, but it turns out to […]

“Leah, I think your sister is on illicit drugs” Bess Cohen

California Dreamin’: Cass Elliot Before the Mamas & the Papas by Penelope Bagieu

by Leave a Comment

A few of us probably had a “California Dreamin” moment or two. But a gal named Ellen Cohen had one when a little folk group called The Journeymen decided to move there. Her first dream was New York City and Broadway. But had she stayed there, California Dreamin’: Cass Elliot Before the Mamas & the Papas would not have been created, as there would have not been a little group called The Mamas & the Papas. Had a girl called Ellen not decided to make […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo