Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I cried six times while reading this memoir slash podcast slash pop culture book.

Slayers, Every One of Us: How One Girl in All the World Showed Us How to Hold On by Kristin Russo & Jenny Owen Youngs

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Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC. It hasn’t affected the contents of my review. First, here’s the blurb, because I’m not sure my review actually does a great job letting you know what the book is about: “A memoir reflecting on heartbreak, perseverance, and life lessons learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from the hosts of the hit podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer. Kristin and Jenny’s marriage started with an ultimatum: to further their relationship, Kristin must watch Jenny’s favorite show, Buffy […]

You’re Watching Disney Channel

Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire by Ashley Spencer

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Disney Channel’s children’s TV shows were a major cultural touchpoint during the 2000s, with hit TV shows like Hannah Montana and movies like High School Musical, which is all the more impressive considering that it was practically built from the ground up starting in the late 1990s. It’s hard to overstate the ubiquity of the Disney Channel’s children shows during the 2000s. I never watched these shows because my parents were exceeding suspicious of non-cartoon children’s entertainment when I was a child (I watched High School Musical for […]

“California, here we come, right back where we started from…”

Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History by Alan Sepinwall

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I picked the lyric above from Phantom Planet’s “California” (The O.C.’s theme song) because it nails how I feel about reconnecting with The O.C., a show that holds a curiously large place in my heart. I’ve visited the show at various life stages, from being a teenage college student all the way through being a grown family man with kids of my own. Life changes, but my love for The O.C. stays the same. Why? What keeps me coming back? I picked up Alan Sepinwall’s […]

If Mr. Rogers was that quirky uncle, LeVar Burton was that cool older cousin

My Friend LeVar by Ezra Edmond

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I saw the title: My Friend LeVar. And I wondered, “Is this the LeVar?” The Mr. LeVar Burton who was one of the influential parts of my reading childhood? And yes, Ezra Edmond’s picture book (due in October 2024 and read via an online reader copy, and illustrated by Jenna Nahyun) was about that LeVar Burton. The story is unusual in the sense that it is not your usual action book. There is a lesson, but not the ones you usually get. The story is […]

History of the MCU and lessons in chemistry have been taught on audiobook

MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, Gavin Edwards - narrated by Andrew Kishino and Joanna Robinson

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - narrated by Miranda Raison

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What do MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, a non-fiction history of the creation and rise of Marvel Studios, and Lessons in Chemistry, a fiction narrative of a lady scientist, have in common?  Misogyny and a lot of it. I had the incredibly good fortune to be in Hall H, at the San Diego Comic Con, when the very first footage of Iron Man was shown in 2007 and have been a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan ever since.  MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios came onto my radar from Pajiba, […]

“A person is a person through other people.”

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur

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Very entertaining, and very educational! And for those of you who haven’t yet watched The Good Place, I recommend that you stop reading this review and just go watch that show instead. It would be a much better way to spend your time. This is relevant because Mike Schur, the author of How to Be Perfect, is the creator of The Good Place, and this is a book he wrote because of his experience on that show. It is NOT a behind the scenes book at all, so […]



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