Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Don’t give up the ghost

Sheets V01 by Brenna Thummler

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Sheets V01 by Brenna Thummler is an enjoyable story. It is a graphic novel that incorporates interesting ideas of life and death. The here and the afterlife have much in common. There are rules, groups, and even laundry. Thummler’s theme in 1997-1998 might have been fresher then, but now is slightly dated. We have seen the issues with family, friendships, not fitting and dealing with the everyday. Yet, this book is still a cozy read that works well for ages 10 and up. Marjorie is […]

This isn’t mom & dad’s sex book (You might learn something this time)

Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human (a graphic novel) by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan

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Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human (a graphic novel) is a WOW book. With the modern design and way to talk about The Big S, Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan show that it is not just about “slot A and tab B” anymore. There is a whole amazing, confusing, weird, and good time there. This book covers the basics (yes, I know what to do but what do you do) to consent; to exploring yourself (literally), to […]

Non-Fiction EOY Review Dump

I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom

Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui

Real Queer America by Samantha Allen

Rage Becomes Her by Soraya Chemaly

Fed Up by Gemma Hartley

meaty by Samantha Irby

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

How To by Randall Monroe

Food by Jim Gaffigan

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I’m making a final push to wrap up CBR13 with my non-fiction review dump. I read more non-fiction this year than I thought I did, and I was never able to sum up my thoughts properly. I’m trying here, with just moments left!  Food | Jim Gaffigan Although I disagree with Mr. Gaffigan’s take on mustard, I still enjoyed reading Food. It’s a simple take on food — the good, the not so good, how it shapes us and our culture. It was extra light […]

“Schizophrenia cannot be understood without understanding despair.” R.D. Laing

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker

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I first saw Hidden Valley Ranch by Robert Kolker on NPR’s Best Books of 2020. I have three brothers and one of them has Schizophrenia. It has been crippling for both him and our family. Hidden Valley Ranch caught my eye because it is the true story of a family with twelve kids: ten boys and two girls. Six of the boys were diagnosed with Schizophrenia when they were young adults. This book describes the history of the family, beginning with Don and Mimi Galvin: how they grew up, how they met, […]

Shining a light in dark places

Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder & things that sustain you when the world goes dark by Julia Baird

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When Julia Baird was very sick with a horrible cancer she became obsessed with searching out phosphorescence in nature and this metaphor about finding a source of light and wonder during dark times drives the premise of this book. It is at once quite personal and very well researched. It contains sage advice as well as interesting anecdotes. The prelude starts out with a lot of fascinating facts about bioluminescent phenomena – ‘living lights’ such as glow-worms, ghost mushrooms and vampire squid. I loved reading […]

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All the Names Given: Poems by Raymond Antrobus

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I was unable to finish this book of poetry by Raymond Antrobus easily or quickly. While I enjoyed what I read of All the Names Given: Poems the poetry felt repeated and best suited for a novel and not poems. This bogged me down, making me have to stop and analyze what was read. It was not something that could be consumed in one reading. Antrobus speaks on the page, as if he is having a conversation with you. Which is an interesting concept as […]



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