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August 2021
MsWas's Message Corner
Hi everyone,
When I was putting together the post with the poll for our next zoom, I included the YouTube video of Chicago’s "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" How many of you know this song? Have you heard the whole intro? The title is certainly one I’ve been quoting a lot during the pandemic, because what is time, really?
I’ve been getting into reaction videos of (usually young) people hearing songs like this for the first time. So I’m interested - comment on the post if this is a new earworm for you, and let me know if there’s some song that you can’t get out of your head lately.
And don't forget to tell me which time is best for you to join our end of summer Zoom!
--Bonnie (aka "MsWas")
“Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.” - Fernando Pessoa
Q&A with a Cannonballer: esmemoria
 You read a lot of heavy stuff! What do you like best about reading challenging books?
I am very interested in how people get through difficult or traumatic experiences. It’s kind of like why I watch a lot of true crime. There is something about people's responses to adversity that make me feel more connected to humanity and my own story. Even when books don’t have an uplifting ending, I find it important to understand life in all of its facets. We all fail, we all suffer loss, we don’t always rise above. Life is all experiences, not just the ones that we happily embrace. There’s also a catharsis that often happens for me when a heavy book ends. I experienced a tragic, sudden death when I was in my 20’s, and for good or for ill, it has shaped my whole life. As I said in one of my reviews, it’s the thing I carry. Being able to clean out the old feelings with a good cry makes me feel better.
Quick Questions Flashback: vel veeter, a past and present CBR Champion, answered the questions in August 2017
#CannonBookClub: September options announcement
Continuing our feel-good goals with #CannonBookClub in 2021 we’ve landed on Fairy Tales and Adaptations as our theme for September. The Book Club team has decided on a list of four books to choose from, highlighting different genres and original tales. Select one, some or all of the book choices:
- The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden
- Deerskin, Robin McKinley
- Sea Witch, Sarah Henning
- Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson
For more information on each of the options, see the full announcement. We look forward to seeing you on the blog and/or social media September 17-18, and at the Book Club Zoom on the 18th.
Checking in with the Book Bingo Reading Challenge
Congratulations to vel veeter, who got the first bingo! How's Book Bingo going for you? Check out the August check-in post for questions, comments, or just general chatting. If your count doesn't match what Emmalita's got posted, let us know in the comments or reach out via email.
Badges are fixed!
The coding issue has been corrected, so you should have the correct number of badges on your posts. Once you post the review that bumps you up to the next level, you should see the corresponding badge show/change. Remember that  is for 13 reviews (¼);  is for 26 reviews (½); and  is for 52 reviews, a “full” cannonball. You can see the other levels on our Participation Badge page. If you're still seeing discrepancies, let MsWas know.
Zoom Poll: which time works best for you?
We’re closing out the summer of 2021 with a Zoom Check-in on Saturday, August 28. If you’d like to join in, please vote for your time preference. We can meet up for a virtual lunch at 12pm noon New York time or for an evening get together at 8pm. Enter your vote so we can select the time that the most Cannonballers can join.
This Month's Fan Mail
We've been getting a ton of author responses on social media this year. Recently, author Rachel Hartman had a soft spot for Ellesfena’s review of Tess of the Road.
Let us know if you have anything to submit to our Fan Mail page. Don't forget to tag @cannonballread when you post on social media!
Also, special thanks to the Bananas podcast for giving us a shout-out in a recent episode (at around the 32 minute mark)!
Coming up in September: Server switch
More details to come, but there will be a (hopefully brief) outage at the end of September (or possibly as early as the 12th) while the site gets moved over to a new server. [Pictured: MsWas's garage.] Behind on writing reviews? This may be a good time to catch up!
CBR Event Calendar
Check the calendar page on the blog for an overview of upcoming events.
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