March 2020
MsWas's Message Corner
Hello CBR12 participants and friends of Cannonball Read,
Hope everyone is reading or re-reading Station Eleven for #CannonBookClub next week! It has been a far different experience reading it this time around, hasn’t it? Can't wait to hear what you all have to say about this lovely book. Remember you don’t have to be signed up for CBR12 to participate, everyone is welcome!
The other day, I chanced upon the latest in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, To the Land of Long Lost Friends, on the new book shelf at my library - what a treat! Some books’ publicaton dates are on my radar, like Deanna Raybourn’s A Murderous Relation (Veronica Speedwell #5) which just came out a couple of days ago, but some are a delightful surprise to find they’re available. I remember when Order of the Phoenix came out, our library’s computer system was down, so the hold list was out of commission. Finding that book just sitting there on the new book shelf was like finding hidden treasure.
As far as other series, fingers crossed that Diana Gabaldon’s next book comes out this year, but we’ve all pretty much given up hope on George R. R. Martin, haven’t we?
Take care and Happy Reading!
Bonnie (aka "MsWas")
Q&A with a Cannonballer: andtheIToldYouSos
 How long have you been volunteering with CBR, and what is your area of expertise?
I just volunteered at the beginning of this year. My areas of expertise are mostly physical, if I am going to say that I'm an expert at all at anything, haha. I worked in theater for a long time - doing both props and set design- but it was a terribly stressful environment. For the last few years I have been teaching other adults behavioral and trauma informed interventions to help kids with neurological and emotional disabilities. Neither of those worlds really translate directly to CBR, so I kind of just waved my hand at MsWas with a "ooh ooh, pick me!" and now I'm wading my way through our Pinterest waters.
#CannonBookClub
On March 20-21 (that's only 8 days away!), we’ll celebrate five years of #CannonBookClub and revisit our first book – Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. (We had no idea we’d be in the middle of a pandemic when we picked this reread as the choice for March!) Plus, this one led to a really interesting discussion back in the day.
#CannonBookClub will take place over two days on the group blog so folks from all time zones can jump in. If you're thirsty for even more discussion, you can also speak up in in the Cannonball Read Book Chat Facebook group. or our other social media. Whether you’ve read, reread, or even DNF, check out faintingviolet's suggested discussion topics, and plan to join us. All are welcome!
Where in the world are Cannonballers?
It's always fun to see where all our readers are and learn a little about them. Yesknopemaybe has once again provided us with a map of this year's Cannonballers on our CBR12 Participants page. All of this year's Cannonballers are listed there with a little bio - there's some sweet and funny stuff in there, just like in all of your reviews.
Helpful tips and tricks: Instagram
Have you been tapped for a featured review yet? When you are, MsWas will contact you for a CBR Instagram photo. A suggestion: submit a square photo. People tend to take vertical photos of books since that's pretty much the way books are shaped, but Instagram often cuts off the top and bottom of a photo if it's too vertical.
Scroll back on our Instagram page and see pictures that worked and didn't work. As always, let us know if you have other questions.
Badges
Have you noticed all those little things at the bottom of your reviews, under your bio? Have you deciphered them all? If you need a hint, check out all the cool CBR badges you're racking up: yearly participation, level of achievement, and comments. To use narfna as an example, she joined Cannonball during CBR4 and hasn't missed a year since (rock star!), she's made more than 50 comments this year, and that adorable little cannonball shows that she's halfway to a full Cannonball. If you think your badges aren't reflecting your achievements properly, give us a shout.
Fan mail
One of the most fun parts of Cannonball Read is when the authors notice a review. Usually they're happy about it and we hear about it on social media. This year, we've even been mentioned on an author podcast! You can keep track of who's mentioned us (it's not bragging, we just want to make sure everybody sees it - honest!) on our Fan Mail page. And don't forget to tag @cannonballread when you post so we can keep getting the word out!
Goodreads
Did you know that we have a Goodreads group with over 170 members? And this year, we'd like to make it into a space for more people to have broader discussions with a wider audience.
But don't let us tell you what this page should be. You tell us! What do you feel is missing from the conversation? How can we make our Goodreads page a better community space for you? Join Cannonball Readers and get in on the discussion about the future of the group.
Tell us what our Goodreads page should have. We'll do it. Pinky swear.
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Mar 11, 2020 04:42 pm
Picture books are fun. You can read a book and finish it in a few minutes. You can feel like you accomplished something. You can learn things that you would not necessarily have been exposed to, because it is a “tough subject” but when it is “summarized” to be accessible to a younger crowd you can say, “OH NOW I get it…” (I am looking at you School House Rock. Okay that is a TV show, but the same concept.) But with The Music of […]
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Mar 11, 2020 02:39 pm
I say The Keeper of Wild Words by Brooke Smith is a five but is more of a 4.8 due to a little hiccup for me. Which is the fact that Brooke is the name of the child of the story and the author. This seems a bit heavy handed. However, regardless if this is based on a true story or not, maybe naming the child Robin, Willow, Rose (etc.) might have been less daunting. Of course, it also could be while Brooke is a […]
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Mar 11, 2020 01:36 pm
In the French Algerian city of Oran, some time in the 1940s, the rats are coming out of the sewers to perish in the streets. Soon, the first people begin to die and it becomes clear that it is an oubreak of the bubonic plague. The city is subsequently sealed off and the inhabitants are left to fend for themselves. I saw this on my shelf and thought, although I realize that this may sound a bit morbid, why not re-read it now, in the […]
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Mar 11, 2020 10:50 am
I’m by no means a philosophy expert! That being said, my hope is to become more conversant in the “love of wisdom” in order to live a better life. As mentioned in a previous post, I started reading theologian-philosopher Tillich because MLK read Tillich. MLK even critiqued him as a major part of his doctoral work. I grabbed The Courage to Be, my second Tillich book, from the library just because it was what they happened to have on the shelf while I was browsing. […]
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Mar 11, 2020 10:35 am
I went at Little Mama with an idea in my head that it was going to be a teen mom dealing with her baby and things would be “Happily Ever After” at the end. And while there is a teen mom, who does all the “bad teen mom” things (from neglect to emotion and physical abuse) there is a lot more going on as well. And while it is not necessarily “Happily Ever After” there is a hopeful ending. Halim Mahmouidi gets inside things, but […]
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Amanda Howard (aka "Bothari43")
The Cannonball Read Newsletter Editor
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