Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About crystalclear

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Crystalclear can usually think of something clever to say, except when she can't. She has a giant stack of unread books at home but will always find an excuse to buy/acquire/borrow another one. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: crystalclear's Quick Questions interview.)

crystalclear's Reviews:

A great graphic novel series for kids! (And adults too!)

Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke

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Mighty Jack Jack is a normal teenage boy who would like to sleep in during the summer.  But he can’t, because he has to mind his sister, Maddy, who is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum.  Their mother has started working a second job to pay the bills, because they are in dire financial straits.  At a flea market, a mysterious stranger offers them strange seeds. Maddy speaks, and tells Jack to buy them.  The price is the family car, which is not pleasing to […]

A must read for Con lovers! (Conventions, not convicts!)

Geekarella by Ashley Poston

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Why did I wait so long to read this?  This is pure awesomesauce! It’s a Cinderella retelling (obviously) that involves a fan convention (also obviously.)  But it’s more than that. The story revolves around the fictional tv show Starfield, a Star Trek-like show, but Star Trek exists here, so not really?  Maybe it’s closer to the show that Galaxy Quest is about, but it’s really something all its own.  (Ashley Poston does not shy away from using real show and actor names.  Thanks for that!) […]

Why was this so popular? I don’t get it.

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

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This seems to be a book that everyone in a certain age bracket has read.  A lot of people have read it, don’t get me wrong, but it seems that every woman over 50 I’ve talked to remembers reading it close to when it came out.  It was a big deal. It has multiple movie adaptations. And I can’t really see why. Maybe it’s for the nostalgia. While shelved in the adult section now, it was kind of a YA hit when it came out, […]

I learned something when I didn’t expect to!

Dare to Disappoint by Özge Samanci

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I was browsing the high school graphic novel section where I substitute, looking for something to read during a prep period, when I stumbled upon this.  I had never heard of it before, but the entire section had some good stuff in it, so I picked it up. It looked cute and clever, so I started reading it.  I didn’t expect to learn things! This is a graphic memoir, taking place in the early ‘80s in Turkey.  Özge is about 10 years older than me, […]

Definitely not a bedtime story!

Daemon Hall by Andrew Nance

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I’m not one to search out horror.  I don’t read horror, I don’t watch horror movies, and I only go to haunted houses because I think they’re funny. (And I used to work in one.  So yes, I go to judge.) And Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark gave me nightmares as a kid. So I can’t really say why I picked this up.   Our general story is that a famous horror writer is having a contest for kids in his old hometown.  Kids […]

I finally got around to the one I was saving

Armada by Ernest Cline

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I’m a big fan of Ready Player One, especially the version read by Wi Wheaton.  So I knew right away that I wanted to listen to his narration of Armada.  (I bought it right away when I got my Audible account, and then saved it.)  Ernest Cline obviously loves video games and the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, and the ‘90’s too.  The amount of pop culture he includes in his books is impressive.   For some reason, I thought this was written way before it was.  Ready […]



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