Cannonball Read 12

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

The CBR12 Book Bingo Reading Challenge Has Begun—Get the Official Card and Play through October 31!

> FAQ Home
> Tag: Fredrik Backman

It’s A Wonderful Life, Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

by 2 Comments

“He was a man of black and white. And she was color. All the color he had.” A Man Called Ove is the story of a curmudgeon who misses his wife, Sonja, terribly… so terribly that he plans to die. He attempts three times and all attempts fail. Ove begrudgingly decides that he still has people to live for and things to do. It’s not quite It’s a Wonderful Life, but there are parallels to this beautiful, heart-warming tale. Among the many touching aspects of this story, […]

Delightful stubbornness

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

by Leave a Comment

A Man Called Ove is about a delightfully stubborn widower in Sweden. He has a strict logic that he applies to the world. He yearns for consistency and routine. Anyone who deviates from the order is likely inefficient and an idiot in his mind. He is suspicious of most things and prefers to abstain from all social things. I enjoyed his rising frustration at the computer store when he attempts to buy a computer. Despite his crankiness, Ove fell in love with a woman named […]

Wonderful

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

by Leave a Comment

If you, like me, have ever adored and also been bewildered by someone who can best be described as ‘crotchety’ or ‘cantankerous’, I highly recommend that you read this book. A Man Called Ove is a lovely peek in to the life of a salty old man and the life events that formed his world view. Ove is a widower and is trying to commit suicide in various well-planned ways. He likes no one, has no family or friends, and is ready to join his […]

A Love Letter From a Dad to his Son

Things My Son Needs to Know about the World by Fredrik Backman

by Leave a Comment

You have to love Fredrik Backman’s writing.  I am a huge fan of “A Man Called Ove” and have read most of his other work.  This short, charming book is a love letter to his young son. Backman alternates some very short 1-2 page anecdotes with some longer reflections on parenthood and life.  It is all there – from the lack of sleep to all the stuff you think you need to the struggle with getting a car seat installed correctly to changing lots of […]

“Unfairness is a far more natural state in the world than fairness.”

Us Against You (Björnstad #2) by Fredrik Backman

by Leave a Comment

Fredrik Bachman is one of the best writers I’ve had the pleasures of encountering; he excels at pushing the knife into your gut and twisting it just enough that you’re still willing to come back for more. Beartown was a hauntingly beautiful novel and Us Against You is a near-perfect follow up. Spoilers ahead for Beartown~ Us Against You picks up shortly after the events of its predecessor. Kevin’s parents have divorced and his mother has taken him away from Beartown; while the removal of a rapist from the community […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
  3. Google Pay