Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The women poets of the Harlem Renaissance

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes

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When a book has a good backstory, be it how it was made, inspired or the author themselves I usually enjoy that as much as the book. And when my personal journey is the backstory, well of course I love that! The backstory to how I found Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes (to me) was funny. The library trip with my nephew had me in the wrong section (non fiction) when we first wandered into the children’s room. Well, I […]

Shine your light

The Lonely Lighthouse: The Story of Little Sable Point Lighthouse by Stephanie Owen

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Picture books have become one of my favorite reading choices. I like the details and yet they can (sometimes) be no more than 40-50 pages. I get the satisfaction of reading and finishing a book usually in one sitting. And I also might learn something new if it is a historical or factual book. And The Lonely Lighthouse: The Story of Little Sable Point Lighthouse by Stephanie Owen covers all the bases. Due in mid April 2026 (read via an online reader copy), this is […]

Don’t be a bass read this book

Fly Rod Was First: Cornelia Crosby's Adventures in Angling by Cathy Ballou Mealey

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Women’s biographies are becoming more popular in the picture book format. As well as stories written about women who were in non traditional female roles. Add in the fact she was into a sport that I’ve never heard that too many females were involved in, and you have one of the most unique biographies I’ve read. Fly Rod Was First: Cornelia Crosby’s Adventures in Angling is a great introduction to a kick-butt woman who knew how to cast her influence on the fishing world! The […]

Black Cover and Maybe Some Black Hearts or not so Black

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

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Bingo 19: Black Leigh Bardugo’s The Familiar has a cover almost entirely in the proper color. Mostly, this is a story about people who want things they think they either cannot or should not have. Luiza is part Jewish (dangerous during the Inquisition) and has some minor household magic; her milagritos are things like she can make the bread unburnt. She wants to be something more than the scullery maid; she wants better, more money, more comfort, just more. There’s also her boss Valentina who […]

The ones who left

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen

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Bingo Square – Diaspora (it says so right in the novel’s description – follows two main characters that left China during the war between the Nationalists and Communists and represents two different paths). Also, this makes my first Bingo (4th column is complete). This novel follows the lives of Suchi and Haiwen, Sue and Howard, or Susu and Doudou as they are called at various points in their lives. Childhood sweethearts in 1940s Shanghai, the two are separated when Haiwen joins the Nationalist army in […]



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