Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Don’t say, “Bite me” to this family

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

by Leave a Comment

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo is not for everyone. It has an odd theme, with odder imagery (though no illustrations). Yet, while it is interesting nonetheless, it does have several weaknesses. Some plot point holes are one of them, and another (for me) was that the characters are not overly likable. One would assume that werewolves would not be likable, but you would hope that as a family unit you could empathize with them. But I have little empathy for a family that sends a […]

When Fiona woke up on the wrong side of the world

Stung (volume one) by Bethany Wiggins

by Leave a Comment

If you do not like pandemic stories, please stay away from Stung (volume one) by Bethany Wiggins. While this was written before the current events of 2020 to 2022 (when I read) it is almost like what we experienced and/or are experiencing. Except with the crazy beasts roaming outside the gates of the city, honey being used as a form of currency, and politicians getting called out for their actions. We follow a young girl who is trying to hide, partly in plain sight and […]

The fun of family

Hide and Shh!: A Not -So-Sneaky Sister Story About Inclusion by Christina Dendy

A Song of Frutas by Margarita Engle

by Leave a Comment

These books have a loose connecting theme. Not only are they picture books, but they are about things that we might not be exposed to often. I mean A Song of Frutas and Hide and Shh!: A Not -So-Sneaky Sister Story About Inclusion are about the fruit vendors of Cuban, with Spanish words mixed in and two siblings, one who lives with Down Syndrome, finding common ground (and the not exposed to is having a special needs sibling). I grew up with first cousins, a […]

How does your garden grow?

Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger

by Leave a Comment

A few spoilers below: Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger is a solid story about a young girl coming of age and learning about pushing back. Pamela (Ivy to be) is abused in many ways: a classmate, her father, and even herself. The elements that make Pamela into Poison Ivy are actually logical and heartbreaking. After all, you be “mind raped” by your classmate (having lies told about you, being harassed in the hallways), your principal saying to you, “now now little girl, don’t dress […]

Choosing What We Care About

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson

by 2 Comments

My sister is going through a difficult time, and because books always make me feel better, I went looking for a self-help book that I thought she would like. I stumbled across The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and mostly because of its catchy title, I decided to give it a whirl. I honestly didn’t think it would be as good as the ‘bestseller’ sticker purported, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Subtle Art feels like a giant demotivational poster for all the […]

From civil war to safety

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey by Margriet Ruurs

by Leave a Comment

While the story presented in Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey, is fantastic it is the art that really blew me away. It is an experience book that you must experience on your own, without any real background, to fully understand the delicateness of it all.  Margriet Ruurs found the artwork of Nizar Ali Badr online and found the artist after a lot of twists and turns. Long story short (you can read the story in the book), they collaborated. And Stepping Stones was born. […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo