Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


The whole experience of being hit by a bullet is very interesting.

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

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Orwell is a man of strong convictions. He believes so passionately in the fight against fascism that in 1936 he travels to Barcelona to fight in the revolution. Homage to Catalonia is a detailed account of the politics surrounding the revolution, a fervent defense of the working class and a witness of war from the trenches. “All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.” I will be honest and say that the politics interested me […]

Sometimes quitting is the right thing to do

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Disclaimer: I did not finish this book. One of my goals for this year is reading more Spanish and Latin American women writers. I asked a few friends to suggest some names at the end of last year and Almudena Grandes was one of the writers that almost everyone recommended. As to why I decided to go with her longest novel (700+ pages!), I don’t really know but I wish I hadn’t. My issue is not with her writing, Grandes is clearly talented and can […]

Just because you can write a 1000 page book doesn’t mean you have to…

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El laberinto de los espíritus (literally, The Labyrinth of the Spirits) is the fourth book in the saga of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. This saga started  in 2001 with The Shadow of the Wind, followed by The Angel’s Game and The Prisoner of Heaven. All three books take place in Barcelona, in the aftermath of the Civil War. If you are not familiar with them, I recommend you get your hands on a copy of The Shadow of the Wind […]

Nada, a.k.a What Happens when A Family Lives Too Long Together Under One Roof

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One of my reading goals for this year is to read one book written in Spanish by an Iberian-American author, for every book I read in English.  I’ve been pretty bad at keeping up with reading in Spanish and I figure why not start something new?  So where to start?  I decided to start with a list of award winners from several of Spain’s publishing firms.  I figure why not start with the best?  Well due to the limitations of my library system, the newest […]



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