Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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On a Highway to Hell

Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson

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  This book was WOW…so good. It’s a book about grief, trauma, revenge…and vampires!! Taking place in the late 70’s as a backdrop, we meet Duane, a Vietnam Vet and bartender, who’s just trying to stay sober and help his wife raise their niece while her mother spends the rest of her life in prison. Life has taken it’s toll on the whole family–life above the bar that her parents own (instead of chasing her dream of writing and witnessing the man you love return […]

I ain’t no fortunate son

The Women by Kristin Hannah

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I have never actually read any Kristin Hannah before but this was the selection for the month for a book club I am in – I know The Nightingale was very popular at one point but I think I just hit the point of wondering how many more World War II novels we needed right around the time it came out? But I also get the the appeal – because World War II, at least from an American perspective, is one that is easy to […]

Fighting the War of Words

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

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There’s always a risk in going back to a longer book after failing with it the first time. You may invest too much of your time without the payoff you were hoping for. American Psycho is a rare exception that worked for me. Most of them didn’t. Tree of Smoke didn’t work either. This was my third attempt with it and I powered through it because there was enough interest in the characters to see where it was going but no. I don’t want to say it was […]

We’re all the same to them

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

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“Yours is a lucky generation.” “I wouldn’t say we were so lucky,” Phuong said. “You’ve never appreciated what you have.” Her father waved his hand over the meal and Phuong squeezed her glass, bracing to hear the stories of her parents one more time. ……. “Phuong was bemused at how these tourists would want to spend their money and their day here, instead of at the beach, or at a fancy restaurant, or in a hammock at a rustic riverside café. The reason for such […]

Rosenberg, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom….Brando, “The King and I” and “The Catcher in the Rye”

Act of War: Lyndon Johnson, North Korea, and the Capture of the USS Pueblo by Jack Cheevers

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One thing I love about history is that no matter how much you think you know, there’s always something new to uncover. Such was the case, here. I think I have a pretty good handle on 20th century US history. I’m not an academic, by any means, but I’ve done a fair bit of reading. I’ve either never heard of the USS Pueblo, or had forgotten about it until reading this book. Technically speaking, the Korean War never ended. We were all reminded of this […]

One Woman Holds a Torch for the Three Women Who Kicked Down the Door to War

You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War by Elizabeth Becker

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My master’s adviser at the University of Washington had rejected my thesis on the Bangladesh War of Independence after I refused to sleep with him. He said the one was not related to the other but would welcome having an affair if I changed my mind. That infuriating fact  introduces us to Elizabeth Becker. Becker is no stranger to reporting; she has covered revolution, war, and genocide all over the world. She has won many prizes for her work, including (but not limited to the) […]



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