Health – Page 106 – Cannonball Read 17

Ode to books

Ode to a Bad Day by Chelsea Lin Wallace

Odd Couples: A Guide to Unlikely Animal Pairs by Maria Birmingham

September 11, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I love doing book review roundups. They are a way to get a couple reviews done at once and since they are short I am not writing a lot of “nonsense” to make any word quotas (selfish I know, but use the advantages I have). Recently I found two books that are not alike in any traditional way (this is important to book two) but in a special way for me, which is the question: What do Ode to a Bad Day and Odd Couples have in common? Answer: They are both books […]

Move it and groove it

Tammy The Troll: A Dance in the Forest (Prop-Based Dance Stories for Classroom and Anytime Fun) by Diana McDermott

September 11, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Recently I was given the opportunity to read Tammy The Troll: A Dance in the Forest (Prop-Based Dance Stories for Classroom and Anytime Fun) as an online reader copy which was sent to me by the delightful Terrel (who enjoys letting others know about the Once Upon A Dance books). I was excited to try it as lately I have found some favorite reads from chance encounters with reader copies. Plus, I had enjoyed another book from this company, Sora Searches for a Song: Little Cricket’s Imagination Journey (Dance-It-Out! Creative Movement […]

These campfire stories don’t end with smores

Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin

September 11, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The cover of the online reader copy I had of Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin was first odd and second scary. And scary won out for the final thought of what it was for me. And so are the short stories told around the campfire by a group of teens/possibly early 20-something friends. These stories can be graphic with language and imagery, especially the last one. They are based in Native folklore, legend, mythology, everyday and realistic events. They might be talking about demons, but those demons […]

How to love Oh no.

How to Love: A Guide to Feelings & Relationships for Everyone by Alex Norris

September 11, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

This is the only “Not a How To book about love” you will need. How to Love: A Guide to Feelings & Relationships for Everyone is told by Alex Norris (famous for a comic that always ends with Oh No). They are a queer writer, therefore, their book is told from a queer point of view. However, I do not care who you are, what your gender, sexuality or favorite flavor of ice cream is, you will find something to love about How to Love. The big plot point […]

A story that grabs the characters literally (you figuratively)

Shadow Hills by Sean Ford

September 1, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

While I don’t not think that Shadow Hills by Sean Ford is “OMG BEST BOOK EVER” there was something about it that “grabbed me.” The surface stories are a plague story and an environmental story. But there is also family dynamics at play for two of the main characters. Brothers Cal and Will’s story might be ending but sisters Annie and Dana are starting new. The town is a mess and the ooze (a tar like goop that devours/covers its victims) makes things worse. What […]

The Who What When Where Why and not How of crying

Sad Happens: A Celebration of Tears by Brandon Stosuy

August 31, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I will start my review of Sad Happens: A Celebration of Tears with that I did not read every person’s confession. And second, I was not even 40% into it before I knew what I wanted to say. So, no I have not finished it yet, but my review of four is a 3.7 rounded up and I hope it keeps the same pace. Now, this is despite not reading some of the longer ones, or if the person’s mini biography did not “grab me.” As I […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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