Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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The Return of the King: Falling deeper in love with the Lord of the Rings

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

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I began (re-)reading the Lord of the Rings in January 2025 before bed as a part of an effort to have better “sleep hygiene”, and finally finished the Return of the King on New Years Day 2026. I have watched and marathoned and re-watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies since they came out nearly 25 years ago. They have formed the foundation of my nerdiness for most of my life. I’m sure I insisted on reading the books before the movies came […]

“A safe fairyland is untrue to all worlds.”

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

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It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.   By now, I think practically everyone has either read the book or seen the movies, hopefully both. (Full disclosure: I will judge heavily anyone who has only seen the movies; why would you do that to yourself?) The book, as is frequently the case, is loads better. No unnecessary romantic subplots, no characters who are dead making appearances, no characters showing up far too many years […]

Getting caught up on unreviewed books from last year

The Hustler by Walter Tevis

Horseman, Pass By by Larry McMurtry

The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

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My world fell apart last November with the election of Donald Trump, and I’m still trying to put the pieces back together. Nothing literal (lucky me). I’ve just spent the past few months detached from….everything outside of my personal bubble. I’m getting back to normal, though. No less angry – but better able to be a part of the world, I guess. Unfortunately, reading has been one of the things that has fallen by the wayside. I haven’t had the mental energy to read and […]

Classic of Classics: The Hobbit

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

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Mr. Lux and I both have clear, fond memories of our introduction to this book: discovering an old copy sitting on a picnic table in a Texas playground, and starting to read with no idea what was about to happen (him) and of nightly out-loud reading after everyone was showered and in bed (me.) We have had this lovely illustrated version for several years, waiting for our eldest, now 9 years old, to pick it up and discover it. We got impatient, so I told […]

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

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Updated review 04/28/2025: I needed this book to count for a reading challenge so I happily re-read it. I also, because I am, bought the graphic novel of the Hobbit this weekend during Independent Bookstore Day and of course, promptly read that. Honestly, I loved this book when I read it in school, and enjoyed my re-read of it, ten years ago. I also laughed at  lot more while re-reading. I totally blanked on how Gandalf messed with Bilbo and then he was awash in […]

The Silmarillion

The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien

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To begin with I’m shocked how much I liked this. If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, and especially if you’re friends with an extra intense fan, you almost certainly know about this book. Within what you know, probably infamy? As in, this is an infamously dull book that even hardcore fans typically don’t recommend. The style is dry, the language plodding, and the family trees extensive. But, if you’ve ever asked yourself in earnest, “so who tf is Gandalf really and why does […]



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