Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I wondered briefly how I might compose a paper on the subject—disappearing islands are a motif in the folklore of many countries.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

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I am always going to be here for Emily Wilde figuring out the unsolvable through scholarship and observation. Having poisoned Wendell’s step-mother, Queen Arna, deposed her, and found the door to Wendell’s kingdom, Emily and Wendell are ready to claim his throne. And that’s just the start of the adventure. On her way out of the Silvia Lupi, Queen Arna has laid a curse on the kingdom that’s triggered by Wendell claiming the throne. In addition to trying to make herself into a queen the […]

I want to ride my bicycle and eat noodles

Noodle on a Bicycle (Caldecott Honor Book) by Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang

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I can be a snob when a book is given high praise. Especially winning something like the Caldecott or even a Caldecott honor award. Now, that is not to say the book wasn’t deserving, but I have the personality that says, “Was it really that good?” Usually, I can enjoy it, but no, it was not worth the “hype.” I said usually. The picture book Noodle on a Bicycle (Caldecott Honor Book) by Kyo Maclear and Gracey Zhang (as the illustrator) was worth the award(s) […]

Dark magic

Muted: Volume 1 by Miranda Mundt

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I almost skipped reading Muted: Volume 1 by Miranda Mundt. It looks too “girly” and maybe even a bit too graphic in the “thriller/horror” elements. And before I go much farther into the review: TRIGGERS include, but are not limited to: bullying, child death, parent death, fire, death, blood, a form of self-harm, form of racism towards other classes of witches, fantasy elements and mental abuse. And even though the cover made me iffy about reading things, I did finally “pick up” the online reader.  […]

Lining up History

Lady of the Lines: How Maria Reiche Saved the Nazca Lines by Sweeping the Desert by Michaela Maccoll and Elisa Chavarri

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Lady of the Lines: How Maria Reiche Saved the Nazca Lines by Sweeping the Desert by Michaela Maccoll and illustrated by Elisa Chavarri has the privilege of being one of my favorite books of 2025 so far. Due in April 2025 (I read via an online reader copy) I hope you run out and preorder it at your local independent bookstore, buy copies for all the kids (and adults) you know, for town and school libraries, not to mention for the tiny free libraries on […]

Ok! Ok! I have a dirty mind so this wasn’t what I thought of when they said “Taking a missionary position.”

Dendo: One Year and One Half in Tokyo by Brittany Long Olsen

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No, this book, Dendo: One Year and One Half in Tokyo by Brittany Long Olsen, will not convert you. Yes, Olsen does talk about her church and its beliefs. If you take this as a book that covers almost two years of her life, as a book that just lets you see into a person’s life and take it as that and not as a long LDS pamphlet, then it is fine. If you are a former missionary, if you are a member, if you […]

Perang Kemerdekaan Indonesia.

Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World by David van Reybrouck

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After making Majaphait one of the last reads of last years Cannonball Read, I decided to keep with my South East Asian history roll with Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World by David van Reybrouck. As you can see, I’m also continuing with my long standard interest in Australia’s immediate northern neighbor. It just boggles the mind that such a large, diverse country has such a small impact on the public consciousness. I think a lot of this has to do with […]



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