Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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“Life, inexhaustible, goes on. And we do too. Carrying our wounds and our medicines as we go.”

Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston

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I first encountered Zora Neale Hurston when I read Their Eyes Were Watching God from my list of 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40. I found it surprisingly moving and relatable. So, when I saw that another book that Hurston had written was recently published, I figured it was worth reading. Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” (2018) is the non-fiction recounting by Cudjo Lewis to Zora Neale Hurston of being captured in Africa, shipped to the United States through the middle passage, […]

My new best friend

Becoming by Michelle Obama

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I’ve decided that Michelle Obama is on the top of my list of people I’d like to sit next to on an airplane. Chris Hadfield is also on that list, and Barack Obama as well–although Michelle comes out on top. I’d obviously heard about Michelle Obama’s book Becoming (2018) when it first came out, but it took me awhile to get around to it. I already had a long reading list, and I do tend to avoid political books. I picked up this one because Obama is […]

The Second Lady Sherlock Novel

A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas

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I’m afraid I’ve fallen into yet another book series, and I’m already behind. A Conspiracy in Belgravia (2017) is the second book in The Lady Sherlock Series by Sherry Thomas. It looks like there are now four books in this series. I’m not sure if more are planned, or how many there will be in total. I read the first book, A Study in Scarlet Women, when I saw it on NPR’s List of Best Books. I loved how it began with Charlotte casually and strategically giving up […]

Sometimes I wonder whether we hide lovers from others because it makes it easier to hide ourselves from ourselves.

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday

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A friend of mine gave me her copy of Asymmetry (2018) by Lisa Halliday. She said that it was hard to describe, but well written and very interesting. I was intrigued, and then I saw that it was also on NPR’s Best Books of 2018 (as well as many other “best of” lists with tons of critical praise). All of that was more than enough to make me start reading. I thought Asymmetry was very well-written, insightful, and unique. If I’d had it in the Kindle version, I would have highlighted […]

A lady doctor!?!?

Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas

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I had a long drive when I went on my latest backpacking trip, so I picked up some books on tape to help me through it. The one I ended up listening to was Hello Stranger (2018) by Lisa Kleypas. I’ve read a number of Kleypas’s books and knew what to expect. On the whole, this one was a good distraction while driving. The characters were likable, but I never got too attached. Part of this may be because it was on tape. I think I take […]

No adultery is bloodless

The State of Affairs by Esther Perel

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I first heard Esther Perel when she was a guest on Dan Savage’s relationship podcast. She’s been a therapist for many years and has distinctive ideas regarding romantic relationships and infidelity. Apparently, there was so much interest in the chapter on affairs in her first book, Mating in Captivity (2009), that she decided to write a second book entirely on that subject. When I saw this book, The State of Affairs, on NPR’s List of Best Books of 2017, I decided to put it on my list. I found it […]



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