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:

I think he liked to dance

Willi Ninja: Vogue Legend by Joy Michael Ellison

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When I need a quick read I head to my piles of reader copies. Sometimes I need to go to my online links and sometimes I have physical copies. This time it was an online reader copy for Willi Ninja: Vogue Legend by Joy Michael Ellison and illustrator Nabi H. Ali.   Due mid-May 2026 you’ll be just in time to learn about Willi Ninja and become inspired to dance like him in the hot summer nights. Yes, Mr. Ninja (not his real name) was […]

Native artists give insight

Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale

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I will start with a slightly controversial statement with my review of  Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale: The stories, poetry, essays, photographs and more, are familiar events and journeys that have relatable elements for almost anyone who has ever been an outsider. Regardless of if you are a  minority, I think most people can relate to the prejudices, the destruction of history and faith, and taking the lands of people. And some of the themes […]

I am grateful for good books

Gather Grateful by Megan Litwin

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I was not going to write up a review for Gather Grateful. In fact I was not going to read it. I figured it was going to be like all the other thanksgiving books (and I don’t mean with a capital T, but a thankfulness, mindfulness, gratitude story). It was not until after the fourth or fifth time I saw pop up places that I said, “OK! Universe! I get it! I’ll read the book!!!” And as usually happens, I enjoyed it. However, Megan Litwin’s […]

The other Amazonian princess

Nubia: Too Real by L. L. McKinney

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What do you do when the reader copy you are reading is missing the last 20 pages or so? You holler loudly and say, “Darn you whomever made this reader copy! I need to know what happens in Nubia: Too Real by L. L. McKinney and illustrated by Robyn Smith.” You then say, “Well I guess late September/early October won’t come soon enough!” And then you tell yourself you’ll be first in line to get the finished copy and find out what happens to our […]

Sad books that help make it better

The Fabric of Us by Aditi Anand

Where Are You, Eddie? A Companion to Michael Rosen's Sad Book by Michael Rosen and Gill Smith

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This is a review that seems like another review about a book I almost didn’t write up, but it is not really. Oh, yes, I almost did not write up The Fabric of Us by Aditi Anand (due later May 2026; read via an online reader copy) because I could not think of enough words for a full review. At least not by itself. It was only when I read  Where Are You, Eddie? A Companion to Michael Rosen’s Sad Book by Michael Rosen and […]

Hot priests, holy tattoos, and machine guns

Covenant V01 by LySandra Vuong

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When I saw Covenant advertised I was not sure if I wanted to read it. One, it was a graphic novel and I’ll read almost anything when it comes to those. But two, it was a fantasy and I’m so-so when it comes to that. Three, it was about religion and I am not usually in the mood for that (unless I am). And four, it was LGBTQ, and for the longest time I was not in the mood for a LGBTQ and religion book. […]



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