Cannonball Read 10

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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I’m a fastidious bookman and have never liked reading books with library markings or other messy defects.

The Literary Life; Hollywood; Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen; Oh What a Slaughter!; Film Flam by Larry McMurtry

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As you can see, I’m on a bit of a Larry McMurtry kick: The Literary Life – 4/5 Stars Like his previous memoir that I also recently reviewed, The Literary Life, is hyper-focused on his writing career. For the most part, he doesn’t repeat any important stories, though he does trace over a few events and ideas that have come up before. I think to enjoy this one — which reviews of the other books suggest — you have to be interested in the publishing industry, be relatively aware of the figures around at the times he’s describing, and to […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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6/12/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:202 |

“Don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box.”

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Really, really glad I suggested this one for my IRL book club. I’d heard great things, and wasn’t disappointed. It’s historical fiction, and it plays with some weighty themes, but it never stops being a fun read. It’s this great mix of serious historical fiction (with a focus that feels totally fresh) and trashy beach read. I say “trashy” not because the book itself is trashy, but its subject matter–Old Hollywood–can’t help but evoke that gossipy, tell-all feeling. Especially since the premise of the book is literally a tell-all. And Evelyn doesn’t hold back. The book is told in frame. […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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5/30/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:64 |

Elvis, sex, Bruce Willis and marriage

Cybill Disobedience by Cybill Sheppard

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I chose this book because it was on the Karina Longworth’s, (You Must Remember This podcast) list of great Hollywood memoirs and the kindle edition was only $.99. I vaguely remembered the actress from her tv shows, Moonlighting and Cybill but it was actually the negative reviews on Amazon that convinced me to read the book. Cybill Sheppard was a southern beauty queen turned model turned actress. She was also proudly promiscuous and a believer in nontraditional relationships. The book is a loosely chronological set of vignettes about her life, including a closet full of skeletons and some gleeful calling […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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2/11/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:3 |

Poor Marilyn

Unfinished: A Graphic Novel of Marilyn Monroe by Elizabeth Periale

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I won the book, Unfinished…, from fellow Cannonballer Elizabeth Periale (also known as xoxoxoe) and I was excited to read it because Marilyn’s fame has always been interesting to me.  I’ve never obsessed over her like some, but it’s interesting to me how many people do, still, to this day, obsess over Marilyn Monroe.  Or, at least the image of Marilyn Monroe. Periale uses many of those images, along with quotes, by and about Marilyn, in this graphic novel. And she does so to great effect.  She tells bits of Marilyn’s story starting with her childhood, which I was, for […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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7/26/2017 's CBR9 Review No:27 |

My Sister Hated It

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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My sister hated The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.  I think I wanted more, or, maybe, I just wanted it to be better. It glosses over a lot of Evelyn’s relationships and especially with the relationship that Evelyn claimed was the most important. I also had the same problem with it that I had with All the Stars in the Heavens in that, reading this book from the mindset of someone not living in those times, I couldn’t really relate.  Like that book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo takes […]

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Purchase The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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7/24/2017 's CBR9 Review No:26 |

Bad Impulses

All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani

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Although I have a “To Read” list on Goodreads and have books and authors scribbled down on the backs of various envelopes and whatnot, I am also a pretty impulsive reader. Especially at my favorite local used book store.  It’s a wonderful place where they give you credit for any books you bring in and also offer a 50% discount when you use that trade credit.  When I’m there, I completely ignore my scribbles and my “To Read” list and just buy books on impulse. All the Stars in the Heavens, by Adriana Trigiani, was just such an impulse buy, […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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7/17/2017 's CBR9 Review No:25 |

I think she got her subtitle wrong

Life Moves Pretty Fast: Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies by Hadley Freeman

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I read a decent amount of non-fiction in my life, so our June Book Club book, Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies was right up my alley. I also really enjoy the process, the lore, and the production decisions surrounding Hollywood and the film industry, which is why I decided to skew our non-fiction selections a certain way. You all decided 80s was the way to go and here we are. I liked this book fine, but I think Hadley Freeman (while an accomplished writer) had quite a few missteps, which prevented me from rating this anything […]

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Purchase Life Moves Pretty Fast: Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies by Hadley Freeman or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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6/15/2017 's CBR9 Review No:33 |

Discussion Topics: Life Moves Pretty Fast

Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies (And Why We Don’t Learn Them From Movies Anymore) by Hadley Freeman

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Our Discussion Post is live – join us now to discuss Life Moves Pretty Fast.  We’re quickly approaching our second Book Club of the year: Non-fiction. Life Moves Pretty Fast by Hadley Freeman won the vote, and we are just over a week to go time. Our group chat about Eighties Movies and this book will get going around 2 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday June 14 both here and in our Facebook group, the Book Chat. Book Club is open to anyone and everyone, and with this choice’s theme I imagine we’ll all have lots to say. If there’s a pressing […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Purchase Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned From Eighties Movies (And Why We Don’t Learn Them From Movies Anymore) by Hadley Freeman or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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6/5/2017 's CBR9 Review No:0 |


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