June 9, 2021
MsWas's Message Corner
Hi everyone,
Unbelievably, it’s June! Congrats to all of you who are finishing up classes, whether taught or taken; and I’ll definitely send a hearty fistpump in solidarity to parents and everyone else who has been helping a kid through this school year. Summer is here! I hope everyone has plans to spend some time outdoors (with sunscreen, please) with a beach read or something else fun.
We are prepping for the Book Bingo Reading Challenge, and I can’t wait for July 1. It’s really thrilling and heartwarming to see how thoughtful and careful everyone is during Bingo, and it means a lot to us that you enjoy this challenge. Except where we were kicking ourselves over some vague language in the past, I love seeing discussions about choices to fill in those squares. Talk more about books? Yes, please!
If you or someone you know is interested in playing this year, but aren’t officially registered for this year, you can still sign up! Did you know that with CBR, you can sign up any time? We do have a big push for our open registration each year, but once that’s passed, you can still get in by completing our Late Registration Request Form. I won’t get into the technical aspects behind the website and registration (unless you want to, in which case contact me so we can talk WP); but if you want in, you’re in. And we’d love to have you.
So spread the word about Bingo, and get your lists ready. Have a great summer!
--Bonnie (aka "MsWas")
"Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere." - Mary Schmich
Q&A with a Cannonballer: postcardsandbooks
 Were you a reader from childhood, or did you grow into it?
I present to you pictures of me, under 2 years old, laying down by the pool “reading” comic books aloud. Clearly wanting to be just like my big sister.
I had a subscription to the “Turma da Mônica” comics when I was young (they’re these amazing stories about a group of 6-year-olds and their everyday lives and adventures – it’s SO good and kid friendly and I still love them with all my heart), and I made my mum re-read every single one of them to me so many times I knew them all by heart. I could recite them as if I was reading long before I ever learned how to read. Ever since then I’ve loved books.
Quick Questions Flashback: ingres77 gave us a peek behind the stats curtain in May 2017.
Coming soon: Bingo!
The Book Bingo Reading Challenge is always a hoot, and we expect this year to be just as fun. To add a little drama to the unveiling of the categories, participants in our June CBR Check-in Zoom will get a preview of the fourth annual Book Bingo Reading Challenge. Join us Wednesday, June 30 at 8:00PM ET to find out more about this year's bingo program. Watch for more details and a Zoom link later this month.
Reminder: Word Count
In general, CBR reviews should be around 250 words or about three paragraphs for a single review. If you're reviewing multiple books in your post, those blurbs should be at least 150 words per book. Remember that you can see the word count as you're writing by checking the lower left corner of your WordPress edit screen.
(And yes, in case you're wondering, that 42 was totally on purpose.)
This Month's Fan Mail
We've been getting a ton of author responses on social media this year, so we're going to start spotlighting one every newsletter issue in case you missed it. You can also always keep tabs on our Fan Mail page. Last month, author Heather Corinna responded to Emmalita’s review of their book What Fresh Hell is This ("this is the menopause book I will recommend to everybody") on Twitter, saying, “This is the [reading] experience I want people to have."
Don't forget to tag @cannonballread when you post on social media!
#CannonBookClub Recap
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Cannon Book Club: Young at Heart event. Whether you commented on the blog, on a social media post, or joined our first, but not last, Zoom book club discussion, you made it a great weekend. Our next book club, in September, will focus on fairy tales, myths and retellings. We will be asking for suggestions and recommendations soon. Remember, you can still comment on any book club discussion post.
Style Tip: Revisions
Have you ever tried to correct something on a post, and managed to bork it up even worse? (*shakes fist at WordPress's weird spacing issues*) If you ever need to go back to a previously saved version of a post you've created, you can do that with the Revisions feature. There are also lots of other tips and tricks related to revisions, for those who want a deep dive in the possibilities. And as always, if you have questions you don't see the answer to, let us know!
CBR Event Calendar
You can also check the calendar page on the blog for an overview of upcoming events.
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