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:

1998, Colombo. The Sri Lankan Civil War is raging and there is Kavi

I Am Kavi by Thushanthi Ponweera

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There are a few spoilers below about the book I Am Kavi by Thushanthi Ponweera.   Overall it is an interesting book. It had a few bumps for my personal tastes, but for the aged 10 and up crowd (and me back then) it is a will love title. The themes are mostly familiar, but the setting is fresh. You should read the afterwards and author notes for the extra background, information and author commentary. The format while prose poetry flows as full prose, the […]

Lost a job, found love in her parents basement

I Hated You in High School by Kathleen Gros

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I Hated You in High School by Kathleen Gros is A LGBTQ “friend’s kid sister to friends to enemies to friends to lovers” story that shows even in adulthood you can be unsure of yourself and can still be coming of age and terms with who you are. Overall it is a fun graphic novel that is not too sappy or pushy, but does have a few moments of very Pro-Pride that could be a little sugary. Things are pretty obvious where they are going […]

The fame, the wealth, the surveillance system in her body

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

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I started Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase sometime in early 2025. It took me until March 30, 2025 to read. Not because it was a bad book, necessarily,  but because it was a dense, hard read. There were a lot of descriptions of what was happening (even if it was just trying to get out of bed, let alone the technical parts), cultural references and even the way of speaking that was not what I was used to. The idea of a future where we […]

I think y’all are nuts!

The Last of the Giants: An Ultra Running Graphic Novel by Doug Mayer

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Why would anyone in their right mind want to do a 200-mile marathon? Something that would take you at least 6 days to finish? A trek that isn’t just in the “sweet, wide open mid-west of the country,” but in the Italian Alps? Well, I did say their right mind. The Last of the Giants: An Ultra Running Graphic Novel by Doug Mayer is based on Mayer’s own experiences as someone who has been on several extreme hikes. As I read via an online reader […]

Ragtag Crew of Humans Saving the World

Unstoppable #1 Victories Greater Than Death  by Charlie Jane Anders

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There are a lot of good things that are included in Unstoppable #1 Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders. However, not only is this a book that while you can stop after book one you need the series to fill in blanks, there are events that I just could not like. I know that this is a controversial statement due to the subjects included. We deal a lot with gender (in fact it is such an important part of things, when someone introduces themselves […]

Tale as old as time: crime and theft in the world of hospitality.

Welcome to the Maynard by James Robinson and J. Bone

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Welcome to the Maynard by James Robinson and J. Bone (illustrations by) is due mid-to-late July 2025. This is the least interesting thing about the book and I find publication dates interesting. The real interesting parts are the story itself. The publisher says it is for ages 12 to 17 (very arbitrary I felt), but I could see going slightly younger as well. However, it does have fantasy action and I cannot say “violence” but it is not not violence, you should know your reader. […]



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