Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About BlackRaven

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I am a Professional Book Pusher. Reading is a passion, as is writing, bragging about nephews, and alligator wrestling. My first year participating was 2018. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: BlackRaven's Quick Questions interview.)

BlackRaven's Reviews:

For a guy without a head, that Headless Horseman has a good one on his shoulders.

Ghost Circus by Adrienne Kress

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Okay, so my title is a little bit of a spoiler to what happens at the end of Ghost Circus by Adrienne Kress and illustrations by Jade Zhang. The Horseman shows up at the end, you think he’s a bad guy (like he usually is in stories) but he helps our heroes. I just couldn’t resist making a good (or bad depending on how you feel about it) pun. And I think you shouldn’t miss this graphic novel either. Both classical and modern elements make […]

Her voice

Wolf Lake, White Gown Blown Open: Poems by Diane Seuss

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A friend of mine who is also a writer, poet, editor and constant learner recommended the poet Diane Seuss. Of course, my kid self said, SEUSS? Well that’s a hoot. And I am sure she is tired of people asking and/or joking about it, so I’ll just leave that there and talk about Wolf Lake, White Gown Blown Open: Poems (Juniper Prize for Poetry) instead.  And I’m not really sure what to say about things. It has a unique modern voice with obvious classical influences, […]

Some cheer

The Old Sleigh by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey

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As another companion to the stories The Old Truck and The Old Boat, (which I do not believe I have read) the book The Old Sleigh is added to the clever creators Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey stories. A horse-drawn sleigh against a snowy background is loaded with the firewood a boy and father cut and deliver to a small village. As the village grows and the sleigh starts to fall about as it ages, we see how the changes happen and though things have […]

Priest with Holy tattoos and brandish machine guns in the face of demons

Covenant V02 by LySandra Vuong

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Usually I find that a sequel to a book does not usually capture the same intensity of the first. Covenant V02 by LySandra Vuong is no exception. It is slower than book one, as Vuong focuses this edition as a build up to the final battle. In some ways, it is also darker than the first book and secrets come to light, only to make more questions. It lets you know that this is book two of an at least trilogy.  We follow a handful […]

Do they like Ray Charles, Elton John or Liberace?

The Elephant and the Piano by Colette Hiller

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As 2025 winds down, I am finding more online reader copies for 2026. And not just for January or February. No, I’ve seen as late as July 2026. Thankfully The Elephant and the Piano is an early one as it’s due in May 2026. Until then (when I will be finding finished copies for gifts and the library), I will just read Colette Hiller’s book online. This book is based on actual events (but takes some poetic license) of how one man decided to help […]

Uma wonders about infinity

Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford

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Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford has been on my TBR list for so long I forgot it was even on it. Therefore when I had the opportunity to read it, it was like I had never known it was there. It was a mystery of why I had a copy. But once I read I realized that it was not just because of the interesting illustrations by Gabi Swiatkowska or the text of Hosford. It was because of how the two combined to create […]



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