Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Tough Conversations

Do You Still Talk to Grandma? by Brit Barron

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Read as part of CBR17 Bingo: borrowed. I borrowed this book from the library. When I picked up this book, I admit I assumed it was written by a white person. The vibe I got was one of those “Here’s how to have tough talks around the Thanksgiving dinner table” pieces I see every year mostly from white people on how they are supposed to indulge their racist uncle’s FOX-inspired rant. I had no idea Brit Barron is a queer Black woman. That’s 100% my […]

The encouraging message that went viral is now in a cute book with more friends

Koupen-chan & You: Words of Encouragement from Japan's Positive Penguin by Rurutea

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I have seen this adorable little penguin on some things but never knew that it had a name or that recently they had a book come out called Koupen-chan & You: Words of Encouragement from Japan’s Positive Penguin by Rurutea. When I found this book as an online reader copy (though it is available currently), I figured I would look at a few pages (as it was nearly 300 pages). What started as a “few pages” turned into “all the pages” read. Now, it is […]

I Mean Sure, But Also No

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

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Best for: No one. Seriously. The concept – the very very basic, simple, concept, is something I think many people could find helpful. But the other 299 pages of this 300 page book don’t make up for it. In a nutshell: Professional self-help writer Mel Robbins claims to have discovered a concept that her daughter is responsible for specifically (and that various philosophical and religious groups have been pitching for centuries) and then spends a lot of time providing some okay and some awful examples […]

“I’m not interested in burning myself [out] by whole-assing stuff that will be fine if I half- or quarter-ass it. Being able to achieve maximum economy of ass is an important adult skill.”

Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts by Oliver Burkeman

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This year I picked my top five books and Burkeman garnered the number one spot for another book, but he earned the superlative for “most likely to change your life” for this one. I first discovered him (like not that I “discovered him” but that when I became aware of him, you get my meaning) on NPR Life Kit in an episode titled “How to Rethink What You Spend Your Time – And Life – Doing.” This simple 21 minute episode shook me upside down, […]

“I cannot say this frequently enough: the goal is not to clear your mind but to focus your mind—for a few nanoseconds at a time—and whenever you become distracted, just start again. Getting lost and starting over is not failing at meditation, it is succeeding.”

Meditations for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book by Dan Harris and Jeff Warren

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This book is one part Meditation how to, one part road trip, one part Dan Harris being cantankerous and introspective and just very frank about his own life. I featured it on my podcast “Advice from the Cheerbrarian” in the episode titled “The Power of Yes (Part 3) – Give meditation a whirl: how meditation has helped me and might help you.” Juuust had to get that icky self-promotion outta the way. And now onto the book! Firstly, who is Dan Harris? You may have […]

Sweet Memoir With A Touch of Self-Help

I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart

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Best for: Those who have been going through some things and are looking for some sweet advice delivered by a lovely writer. In a nutshell: Writer and actor Hart updates her story by sharing her struggles with chronic illness, and what she’s found to be helpful in not just facing those challenges but in thriving as a person. Worth quoting: There’s a lot of wisdom in this book, and I wish I had a physical copy to follow along, but alas I didn’t write down […]



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