Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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About faintingviolet

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A reader and caffeine addict who consumes all sorts of books, some just more frequently than others. Your CBR Book Club Maven with over a decade of Cannonballing experience I believe in the beauty that comes from a common goal of reading, reviewing, and discussing. Also, Fuck Cancer. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: faintingviolet's Quick Questions interview.)

faintingviolet's Reviews:

“Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”

An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister

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When I’m deciding what books I want to pick up with my limited time and attention (friends, my attention is possibly at an all-time low) there are certain types of stories which are more likely to grab me. When Jodi McAlister’s An Academic Affair and its pair of rival academics embarking on a fake marriage for work stability plot came to my attention, I felt pretty good about it. For a rivals to lovers book to work, you must buy both parts equally. As I type that, I feel […]

“You can be the most virtuous woman in the world and you’ll still carry the blame, not just for your desire but for everyone’s desire.”

Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein

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Very quickly into reading this I knew that I was going to have a terrible time trying to describe what the heck this book is. I will do my best, because I know that coming across someone unpacking what the heck the standard blurb on this is talking about can greatly impact your taking a chance on it in the first place (my reading of it is narfna’s fault, she reviewed it in her April 30 Books in 30 Days part 2 vlog, if you […]

First Book in a New Series

Revenge of the Sunshine by Jackie Lau

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I have read a lot of Jackie Lau novels, and at this point I’ve got a pretty good idea what one of her books is going to contain and if I’m going to enjoy it. It will have emotionally layered backstories for both of its main leads; be set in the larger Toronto environs; food, beverage, bars, and restaurants with delicious descriptions will appear; there will be some quite steamy scenes; mental health representation will appear in no small way; and the value of true […]

“Grind culture is violence and violence creates trauma. We have been traumatized deeply.”

Rest is Resistance: a Manifesto by Tricia Hersey

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Back when I still participated in Twitter, I had been following Tricia Hersey’s The Nap Ministry for years and years. As I’ve unpacked my likely (but not official) autism diagnosis, masking, burnout, depression, burnout, disability, and generally not functioning at the speed that the white supremacist capitalistic hellscape we live in would like me to her rallying cry of rest has resonated greatly. I have pushed back on the demands for my time and energy and routinely schedule what I call sloth weekends where I […]

“That is, perhaps you can forgive yourself for being a person who doesn’t always rise above her human urges.”

The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses by Malka Older

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I’m a smidge perplexed by my relationship with Malka Older’s The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti series. I think it boils down to loving them in concept but not in practice. The idea of a mystery a la Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie mixed with the cozy character-driven sci-fi of Becky Chambers sounds right up my alley – which means I’m looking forward to them each time, and then struggle to sink in. I’ve given myself some time and I think a big part of […]

When in Doubt, Kate Beaton

Never Learn Anything from History by Kate Beaton

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Part of the reason I enjoy doing the read harder challenge and Cannonball Read’s Bingo is that it gives me reasons to go digging back into the reaches of my over 600 title long to read list. This year the CBR Bingo spaces have been boggling my brain a bit (in a good way!) and I had no idea how to fulfill a few of them based on what I’ve lined up already in my reading queue for the year. So, back to the to read list to see what I can […]



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