Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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About itsjustme

CBR18 Participant

I am a Gen Xer. Last year, despite previous failures, I quit having screens in bed. Needing better sleep was the common denominator for most of my problems. Now I read a physical book every night, like when I was a kid/young adult.

itsjustme's Reviews:

Stephanie Plum Step Aside

Knife Skills by Wendy Church

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This novel is marketed toward Janet Evanovich fans who appreciate a spunky, messy, crime-solving heroine. Author Wendy Church provides similar appeal with less madcap characters, more depth and a tight plot. I’d classify “Knife Skills” as an action crime thriller. Sagarine Pfister is quickly introduced as reckless and impulsive. She also gets to be a confident, competent and gifted chef. Upon becoming mixed up with the mob, danger manages to both lead and follow her. Sagarine’s ambition, stubbornness and sense of responsibility drive the story. […]

There are Never Enough Modern Retellings of Pride and Prejudice

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

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Timeless satire for the win. The many adaptations of Jane’s Pride and Prejudice only strengthen my admiration of the sly intelligence in the original. Apparently this is the 4th book of the Austen Project, what a delightful discovery. Liz Bennet is pulled back into her hometown Chicago and dysfunctional family dynamics when her father has a health scare. You will recognize the rest of the Bennet characters immediately. Author Curtis Sittenfeld is just loyal enough to the original’s wit, characters and storyline for comfort. This […]

Gossip, Judgement and Destruction – Read this Book

Good People by Patmeena Sabit

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Are we not all outsiders to another person’s life?   Mesmerizing Debut Novel  The novel’s unique structure lacks traditional chapters, paragraphs or narrator. Instead there are 1-2 page personal accounts, giving a 360 degree view of the leadup and the aftermath of one family’s tragedy. I had read about one-third of the book before even learning how somebody died but yet still did not know who had died. There are dozens of unreliable narrators with differing degrees of closeness. Sympathetic words mask superiority, scorn, prejudice […]

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

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My first Elin Hilderbrand novel. This sounds defensive, like “Don’t tell anyone I picked up a beach read.”  Well, to be an illogical book snob is to be human. I’m not advocating highbrow “capital L” literature, bloated dirges of atmosphere and no plot. For me thrillers and mysteries are respectable. Throw in as much historical fiction as you want. It’s time to admit that these genres are just as formulaic as a fun novel by a best-selling author marketed with a pastel book cover. In other […]

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

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I will visit the library (old school) with a list. Books I’ve heard about, authors I like and intent to browse a little. This novel I think I chose from a display of award winning novels. The Vignes twin sisters grow up in a southern black community where there might as well be a sign “light skin only” The size and remote location serve as an enclave from most cultural clashes. Yet racism, division and violence are still real threats. The sisters are inseparable until […]



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