Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Let’s Get Ready to RUUUUMMMBBBLLLE! But WITH consent

Let's Rumble!: A Rough-and-Tumble Book of Play by Rachel G. Payne

by Leave a Comment

A theme I am seeing more in young adult literature (and I hope in adult novels) is consent. Like many other things, the concept of consent has changed definitions. It used to be “you give agreement to an action by someone else and they can “do” what is agreed on.” Now, I have seen enthusiastic consent used due to the #MeToo culture. I was interested by this one word change, because while people have given consent, it was out of fear for their safety, their […]

Comfort grease, foie gras and Mexican porn

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

by Leave a Comment

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley is a graphic novel that I almost did not review here. Partly because it is from 2013 and who wants to read a book that old? Well, I did, so I figured maybe someone else would, too. And it is not just for a fan of Knisley (though you probably should be a fan as they have a lot of fun relatable memoir stories) and it is not just for foodies, though that might help a […]

Do you think I read a lot?

Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros: A True Story by Jane Kurtz

Woody's Words : Woodrow Wilson Rawls and Where the Red Fern Grows by Lisa Rogers

Woods & Words: The Story of Poet Mary Oliver. by Sara Holly Ackerman

by 1 Comment

Biographies are a fun genre.  You can find out fun facts about favorite authors, poets or even rhinoceroses. Yes, rhinoceroses can have a biography, too. After all, it is hard for them to hold a pencil in their hoof for them to write an autobiography. Therefore, I will start off with Clara the Triumphant Rhinoceros: A True Story (in case you doubt me that this is a biography of a rhino, there is “true story” in the title). Jane Kurtz created a story that gives […]

From Yehiel to Henri

The Sky Was My Blanket: A Young Man's Journey Across Wartime Europe by Uri Shulevitz

by Leave a Comment

Uri Shulevitz can spin a yarn.  And when it is based in/about real events they hit even harder. One of the last writings of Shulevitz, The Sky Was My Blanket: A Young Man’s Journey Across Wartime Europe (due in August 2025, read via an online reader copy), takes another true World War II story and brings it to life in emotional text.  This time, instead of following Uri’s story during the war, we follow one of his fathers younger brothers, Yehiel’s parallel journey during the […]

Diving In Too Deep

Submersed: Wonder, Obsession, and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines by Matthew Gavin Frank

by Leave a Comment

Before the murder of journalist Kim Wall by inventor Peter Madsen hit international headlines, few had heard of the world of amateur submarines, a small but obsessive group chasing the chance to go ever deeper. Like the author, I am very claustrophobic, and deeply suspicious of deep water, so of course the stories of spelunkers and divers fascinate me. And while I remember following the story of Kim Wall’s murder as it unfolded in the news, I didn’t follow it all the way until the […]

Women can make the world

Behind My Doors: The Story of the World's Oldest Library by Hena Khan

Miles of Style: Eunice W. Johnson and the EBONY Fashion Fair by Lisa Brathwaite

by Leave a Comment

History is a genre I tend to be drawn to. I like most formats it comes in, even true non-fiction if it is done in a biography or a solid presentation that does not get too fancy or lofty. And as I have said before, picture books are a great format as well. Therefore, combining the two can lead to some of my favorite reading, or at least to some really good reading. The first picture book I read is due soon (May 2025) and […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo