March 2018
Q&A with a Cannonballer: dAvid
How many times have you pArticipated in CBR? Has it chAnged the way you read?
I first participated in CBR6, so this would be my 4th Cannonball Read. I first signed up to motivate myself to get back into reading and my first year was a smashing success. The second and third year...we don't speak of those. Last year I almost made my goal of 52 books, but fell short by one because Christmas and travel and other terrible excuses - I did actually read the book, just never got round to reviewing it.
#CannonBookClub recap - and more!
The Wrinkle in Time #CannonBookClub was a good mix of new readers and rereaders, with some swiftly tilting perspectives. Did you reread it? Have you seen the WiT movie yet? I hear it's a radiant miracle!
In planning for our June and November book clubs, we've got not one, but two polls up on the site. The other book clubs this year will be selections from among the most popular reviews in the entire history of Cannonball Read (insert sweeping theatrical score here), and reviews from AlabamaPink herself, back when she helped kickstart this whole glorious adventure (insert bittersweet piano solo). Vote by Saturday, March 31!
First Cannonball of the year!
You'll never guess who it was. Never in a million years! I'll give you a hint...oh. Yes, of course it was vel veeter. How did you know? It's true, his intimidating output has become a reliable source of CBR awesomeness - he was a good guess. Congratulations, vel veeter!
Not that any of the rest of us are allowed to slack off, now! Just because a Cannonballer hits their registered goal doesn't mean we don't still want to hear more from everybody. We're greedy that way. See where you're at on the Leaderboard.
Support young creators, raise money, AND look awesome?!?
YOU GUUUUUUUUUYS!!!!! This is so cool. MsWas reached out to some graphic design students at a communications high school in New Jersey, and they made CBR t-shirt designs for a school project (they get community service hours). The designs are clever and cool, and the students are super talented. And now you get the extraordinarily tough job of helping to pick a favorite. Which one of these would you rather buy/wear/gift to all your kith and kin? Look at the designs more closely in the album on the Cannonball Read Facebook page, and "like" or comment there to make your opinions known. You should be able to see the photos even if you don't have a Facebook account. If you'd like to comment to MsWas about your preferences outside of Zuckerberg's platform, drop her a line via our contact page. Speak up by March 31, 2018 so we can get our merch on the road!
My inner Girl Scout is so excited!
Did you notice our new achievement badges? In the bio section at the bottom of your posts, you should have a badge for each Cannonball Read you've participated in, and then you get more badges for commenting. Plus, it tracks how far along you are on the current Cannonball (coding magic!). Big thanks to MsWas for designing the badges, figuring out the process, and sorting through years of data to get all the badges assigned.
If you see any weirdness or extra badges or missing badges, let MsWas know, and she shall slay the coding demons for you.
A rare MsWas review
She doesn't often post her own reviews, so when she does, we listen. MsWas the Great and Powerful says we need to read In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker, despite the title pun. It sounds like a bonkers genre-bender, so I am in. How about you?
|
|
Mar 22, 2018 02:12 pm
We’ll be having two more #CannonBookClub discussions this year, both two day periods, Friday through Saturday: June 8-9 and November 2-3. Make sure to consider price and library availability before you cast your vote. Vote in both polls by March 31, 2018.
Read More »
 
Mar 22, 2018 12:48 pm
This book had already ticked off so many boxes for me before I’d even opened it: Crumbling and isolated English manor, 1970s acid folk band, possible Wicker Man-like pagan horror. I was intrigued before I even started the book. This short novella by Elizabeth Hand slowly amps up the weirdness and dread and, though it leaves the reader with more questions than answers, it’s a deeply satisfying ending. The book follows the the story of fictional folk band <i>Windhollow Faire</i> a small folk band who are sent to the titular country manor to record their next album. Though the […]
Read More »
Mar 22, 2018 10:30 am
This one is an interesting look at the relationships of four siblings through the lens of one shared experience in childhood. After hearing that a fortune-teller in the neighborhood can tell you the exact date of your death, Daniel (11) coaxed his siblings Varya (13), Klara (9) and Simon (7) to pay her a visit. Four bored kids looking for something to pass the time in the hot city summer are each given a date that will shape the trajectory of their lives. They began together: before any of them were people, they were eggs, four out of their mother’s […]
Read More »
Mar 22, 2018 08:28 am
I am really glad I went into this novel with no real knowledge of the plot. It made a few of the turns more interesting, and one quite devastating…even though it turned out I was wrong. There are no twists here, though, as happens in life. This novel is on the tail end (maybe) of a renewed interest in WWII, especially the RAF and the Blitz. And this novel picks up right at the beginning, at Oxford, during the Blitz. We begin with the journal of Freddie Greene, a third year student recording his everyday life at school. This section […]
Read More »
Mar 22, 2018 03:44 am
Atlanta is being rocked by waves of magic, each stronger than the one before, and the city is going crazy. Meeting a vulnerable young girl living on the streets whose mother disappeared during one of the waves, Kate finds herself trying to work out just what exactly magic-crazed shifters, witches and Celtic gods have to do with it all. Of course, she also gets to rub up a lot against the Leader of the Pack (I seem to be incapable of calling him the Beast Lord without sniggering) and discover what kind of nonsense passes for flirting in his world. […]
Read More »
|
|
Amanda Howard (aka "Bothari43")
The Cannonball Read Newsletter Editor
Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Goodreads
Join us in our Facebook group: Cannonball Read Book Chat
|
|
|
|
|
