Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“He is a person, complicated and confused. Just like you.”

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

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Ayesha at Last is a retelling the story of Pride and Prejudice featuring the titular Ayesha, a Muslim woman in her late twenties who has put aside her dreams of poetry and just finished a career change to become a teacher, financed by her wealthy uncle who has been financially supportive of her family since her father’s death including moving them to Canada and giving them the house they share with her grandparents. She is single and being passed on the proverbial marriage mart by […]

Updating the classics

Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

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Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: Retelling (modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion) CBR16 Bingo: Bollywood (set in Canada with desi protagonists) The absolutely last place Nada Syed wants to be is the big annual Muslim convention in downtown Toronto. She is nearly 30 years old, single and lives at home with her parents and two brothers. If she goes to the convention, there is a high chance that she’ll run into her old mentor, formerly her mother’s best friend. She might also run into her mentor’s […]

The Only Unrealistic Thing is the Length of the Podcasts

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

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A modern day take on You’ve Got Mail, where online friends realize that they’re real-life business rivals, and drama ensues. Hana Khan is the adult child of immigrant parents, living with her family in Toronto and working part-time in the family’s halal restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine. Sure, the décor is dated, the name is weird, and Hana is the only one who likes the namesake dish, but the restaurant is a staple of the Muslim community and the rest of the food is beyond […]

CBR15 Bingo: On the Air

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

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CBR15 Bingo: On the Air Official book description: Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighborhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one […]

A sweet romance with a slow build

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

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CBR Square- Violet Ayesha At Last is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a Muslim community in Toronto. Ayesha is a teacher but wants to be a poet and travel the world, and Khalid is a more conservative Muslim who wants his mother to arrange his marriage. It is a story about the experiences of immigrants, traditions competing with modern society, and a hero who learns that he can keep his identity and the things that he feels are important while also […]

Pride and Prejudice in modern-day Canada

Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

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Official book description: Ayesha Shamsi has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been overtaken by a demanding teaching job. Her boisterous Muslim family, and numerous (interfering) aunties, are professional naggers. And her flighty young cousin, about to reject her one hundredth marriage proposal, is a constant reminder that Ayesha is still single.   Ayesha might be a little lonely, but the one thing she doesn’t want is an arranged marriage. And then she meets Khalid… How could a man so […]



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