Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Grimdark Story Set in Fantasy China

The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang

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Rin is a war orphan whose foster parents are planning to marry her off to an older man. To escape a fate that she considers to be worse than death, Rin works herself to the bone to study for the national test that will determine whether she can escape her rural province. Thanks to the help of her tutor and her own brutal work ethic, Rin excels and earns a place at Sinegard, the war academy of the Nikan Empire. Arriving at Sinegard, she realizes […]

An old 16 millimeter camera and a real fantasy world

Final Cut by Charles Burnsa

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I gave Final Cut by Charles Burnsa a four for the illustrations. They are complicated and straightforward. The story is complex to the point of almost not understanding it. There is no real action (unless you count the two couples who get down and dirty with some mad monkey love), yet a lot is going on. There is language, drug use, alcoholism, nudity, and vomit. There is actually a story behind why I wanted to read this book. And I have no idea what it […]

“We’re all born naked and the rest is drag” (RuPaul) And this novel SLAYS

Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers by Kim Chi, Stephan Lee, and Utomaru

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The novel/part graphic novel or novel with several illustrations that make up the narrator’s special world in Donutella Hamachi and the Library Avengers started out strong. Then Kim Chi, Stephan Lee, and Utomaru’s story started to drag. Pun intended. But in all seriousness, I was just as upset as the kids when I learned that the DragQueen story hour (that I had never seen/had been canceled before the book started) had been Karen-cancelled. I was rooting for Jae Han and their friends to find themselves, […]

Penguins, Pandas and Books

The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: Surprise! by Brenda Maier

The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: Fun and Games! by Brenda Maier

The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: Winterfest by Brenda Maier

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I might have read the first Adventures of Penguin and Panda, The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: Surprise!, (at the time I was starting the review I did not remember) but I do know I read the second book, The Adventures of Penguin and Panda: Fun and Games! by Brenda Maier and illustrated by Fanni Mézes. It is a cute story about friendship and the silly things that happen. It is set up in four stories or chapters and the adventures are happening. And that […]

Heist, But Make It Revolution

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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Let’s set the scene: a dystopian world, where ash falls from the sky daily and the nights are full of thick mist and strange creatures. Society is divided into two castes who do not overlap: the nobility and the peasant skaa. Nobles have almost absolute power over the skaa that live and work on their land, and abuse that power frequently. Skaa live in beaten-down fear and despair, sure that nothing will ever change. And why are they so sure? Because the person who leads […]

They are not a cat, but not a bat. They are BATCAT!

Batcat V02 Sink or Swim! by Meggie Ramm

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Batcat V02 Sink or Swim! by Meggie Ramm is a cute sequel to Batcat V01 Batcat. I recommend reading all three volumes back to back. But Batcat V03 Cooking Contest is not due right away (it is due mid/later April 2025). I say this because I had forgotten some of volume one by the time I got to two.  I like the modern characters and interesting messages that the Batcat series gives, but I don’t always find the characters lovable. Sure a (SPOILER) vampire penguin […]



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