Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A young author and illustrator create a magical adventure for the middle school crowd

Aster and the Accidental Magic by Thom Pico

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Random House has jumped on the young adult graphic novel craze with several titles coming out next year. So far, I have read three out of four reader copies I found. The first bombed for me. The second, Aster and the Accidental Magic, captured me and the third one someplace in the middle. The fourth and I will meet for a reading date soon. Thom Pico has a modern, quirky, story about nature and myth, which he wraps up into one crazy coming of age […]

All Aboard for Part Two

The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! by Clint McElroy

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The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited! is still written by the McElroy’s (Clint, Griffin, Justin and Travis) and still amusing. The bad puns are bad and the innuendos even worse. This time, the story is a smidgen predictable (after all the three main characters return from book one, here in book two). You know that Merle, Magnus and Taako will screw around, goof up, accidentally get a magic spell or two right, drink booze (occasionally tea), play their role-playing game, interrupted by the DM […]

Meet Pals’ (the palindrome baby that had a few bumps in his life even before it was his life) Mom

Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley

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#cbr11bingo #Listicle Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley was not what I expected. Instead of getting a strong female voice, telling her story about miscarriages, pregnancy and the after-pregnancy issues, I expected something a bit more “introspective” and “flowery.” I expected a long explanation of how the author went through a spiritual journey to deal with her traumatic loss. What Knisley gives us is a funny, realistic, informative graphic novel. Knisley does not hold back. She talks about her childhood obsession with pregnancy, […]

Over the edge for yonks (in the best possible way)

The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson

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I’m about to date myself with some very specific references: when I was a kid, my parents clipped their favourite Far Side cartoons out of the Sunday newspaper and scotch-taped them to the wall next to the rotary phone.  Because my Dad is a farmer of mostly cattle, he shared Gary Larson’s love of all things bovine, so there was no shortage of Far Sides to ponder while tethered to the phone line.  I recently happened on the complete three volume Far Side set in […]

Seven crayons one colorful world

How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow by Monica Sweeney

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When you find a book like How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow you know one of three things: First: you will love it because every little piece speaks to you or Second: you will hate it as you cannot figure out even the story line to a satisfactory conclusion. The third option is that gray area. Which means a little of both. Which means you got the point of the story: without color everything is gray. But it did not speak to you as loudly […]

Antoine Revoy, you are a mean, mean, meeean, man!

Animus by Antoine Revoy

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animus [ an-uh-muh s ]   NOUN strong dislike or enmity; hostile attitude; animosity. purpose; intention; animating spirit. (in the psychology of C. G. Jung) the masculine principle, especially as present in women (contrasted with anima).   How can you sleep at night knowing you crushed my soul? How could you rip my heart out? How dare you create a horrific masterpiece? Was the clue I saw a clue? Animus is a graphic novel I found by accident. First/Second mentioned that they had acquired Revoy’s latest graphic […]



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