Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Children’s books were different in the 70s

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

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CBR18 BINGO: Joker, because Mr. Fox is a bit of a joker I was looking for a short diversion recently, and while skimming our collection of Roald Dahl, I realized I had never read Fantastic Mr. Fox, though I have seen the delightful stop-motion animated film by Wes Anderson. I know enough about Dahl to realize this could be a wild ride, so I was curious. The plot is simple: Mr. Fox (who is very dapper!) lives with his wife and 4 children. Every night […]

Goddamn magicians and cats! (Cat photos included)

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett

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CBR18 BINGO: Refuge, because Agnes runs a private cat shelter, which is the best kind of refuge Whoever designed the cover of Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter deserves a medal. I’m not entirely sure what the crossover is between fantasy lovers and cat lovers, but it must be substantial, and I don’t see how anyone who falls in that space could look at that cover and not pick it up. All those cats, doing cat things, sitting in nooks, stretching, sleeping–it’s irresistible! I’m happy to […]

I feel like I read two different novels

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews

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CBR18 BINGO: 26, because it was published in 2026 Just shy of the halfway point in This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, I was struggling to understand why it came so highly recommended. At the start of the novel, the heroine, Maggie, finds herself alone and naked in a ditch, in a world that she knows from her favorite fantasy series. While not a completely new premise, it’s a provocative setup. Maggie’s initial challenge is to find food, clothes, and shelter, and for that she […]

For the solitary raven in all of us

The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

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CBR18 BINGO: Map (Ooh, look! Maps in the front matter.) Oh you beautiful ravens, you truly are magnificent. It seems like it’s been eons since I’ve been as thoroughly captivated by a fantasy world as I was by the one Antonia Hodgson weaves in The Raven Scholar. This novel doesn’t just have intricate world building; it has political tension, mystery, complex characters, and light comedy. Did I merely give in to the hype when I decided to read it, or did I listen to the […]

On Proust, memory, and relationships

Departure(s) by Julian Barnes

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CBR18 BINGO: Left, because this is Julian Barnes’s last novel; ergo, there’s nothing left I’ve always had a difficult relationship with Julian Barnes. Sometimes I read a line and think, “What a genius. No wonder he won the Booker Prize.” Then I read a bit more, and I just feel tired. Departure(s), which Barnes has said is going to be his last book, is a blended novel, comprising elements of memoir, essay, and fiction. This format is what prompted me to realize that, as a […]

Hawthorne & Horowitz go to the movies (sort of)

A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz

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CBR18 BINGO: And, because this is the 6th book in the Hawthorne & Horowitz series Anthony Horowitz is back with another Hawthorne mystery, and the premise this time is that his novel The Word is Murder is being turned into a movie! As you can imagine, this novel has fun skewering the movie biz, including pretentious directors, diva actors, ultra-progressive writers, and cut-throat agents. On the other hand, Horowitz the character is surprisingly chill about the modifications being made to his story, saying, “When a […]



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