Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


*Almost* Twenty years later and still a Potter head!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K.Rowling

by Leave a Comment

This is the second installment of the illustrated Harry Potter books. I love reading these books with my 7-year old son. They have just enough illustrations to keep him interested from page to page, especially since this is an unabridged version of the books. There are even a few extras, like this page: Not only is it relevant to the story, but it offers a little bit of extra information for those who can’t get enough of the wizarding world. In this story, we meet […]

Predictably informative and surprisingly interesting

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

by Leave a Comment

Susan Orlean, is a woman of many hats. She is a staff writer for the New Yorker and author of many books and articles, including The Orchid Thief. Apparently she is also a con artist, because she somehow convinced me to continue reading a book about libraries to the last page. In the same vein, The Library Book just might cross as many genres as hats worn by Susan. First The Library Book is non-fiction. Orlean educates us about libraries in general – including their […]

Books for kids, better left read by kids

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne

Dolphins at Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborne

Ghost Town at Sundown by Mary Pope Osborne

Tonight on the Titanic by Mary Pope Osborne

by Leave a Comment

These are short, easy to read fantasy novels for children about a brother and sister who can travel anywhere a book is set via their magic treehouse. There is a little bit of subplot connecting one book to another (specifically the first 28 – yes you read that correctly – involve the Morgan LeFay missions where the mystical Morgan tasks the siblings with various errands). But my 7-year old son and I skipped books and found them readable without much confusion. Here’s a summary of […]

Seriously, Patrick is the worst

by 2 Comments

This was a book that my third grade teacher read to our class every day after we got in from lunch. I remember how we listened to my teacher’s every word about Omri, a boy who is gifted a magical medicine cabinet that brings plastic toys to life. We couldn’t wait until the next day to realize the resolution of each chapter’s cliffhanger. So it seemed a great choice to read to my 7 year old son. But would a second reading, more than 30 […]

An Attempt to Clear the Air about Scientology

by Leave a Comment

Going Clear is about the enigma that is Scientology, a religion marketed to the wealthy and famous who can afford undergoing years of auditing sessions. It’s a secretive religion that unfolds information in stages, making the stranger tenets of Scientology more palatable after acclimating one’s mind to less shocking, but priming “truths.” As a newer religion (founded by L. Ron Hubbard in the mid 1950’s), Scientology has recent history to its detriment. And it is this with which Wright begins…the story of L. Ron Hubbard, […]

On monsters, ghosts, and personal demons…

by Leave a Comment

There is a haunted house and ghosts, but this isn’t a ghost story. There is a lake monster, but this isn’t a horror story. And there is an illicit affair, but this isn’t a love story. The Monsters of Templeton is Lauren’s Groff’s freshman novel, a story about cause and effect. It is about actions and reactions, and the constants in our lives we think we have, and others we don’t even realize are there. The Monsters of Templeton begins with Willie, a post-grad who […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo