Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The New Romantic

Heartbreak is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield

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Rob Sheffield is a music critic at Rolling Stone and the magazine’s in-house Swiftie. This has occasionally caused him grief, as when his rave “instant classic” review of Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, was so diverged from mainstream critical assessment it provoked many responses saying Sheffield couldn’t be objective when it came to Swift’s work. Sheffield also maintains the magazine’s ranking of all of Swift’s songs, updating it every time she releases a new album or more vault tracks on one of her […]

Yeah, I’d read it again

Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod

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Honestly, there are not many surprises in Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod. Granted, there might be a few “oh didn’t expect that to go exactly that way,” but for the most part, you know where our narrator is going and how things will probably turn out. Yet, it is an enjoyable read for the adult reader and the pre-teen/early teen will experience it new. We follow Kathy’s (based on the author’s own experiences) story as family, friendship and belonging all come together. This makes a […]

Knowledge is Power, and Less Time Standing in Line

The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando 2025 by Seth Kubersky, Alicia Stella

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Half the fun of traveling is planning for said traveling. I enjoy learning about where I’m going, suggestions for the best places to eat, visit, and stay, all of the options like jigsaw pieces I get to put together to create the perfect trip. Even with places I’ve been to many times, like Universal Orlando, I like getting the travel guides so I can note the latest changes to crowd patterns, new foods, and ways to get the most out of my days in the […]

Who knew far….ah feelings were so expressive

Feelings Are Like Farts by Tara Wosiski and Toshiki Nakamura

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I am not going to make the puns and comments that Feelings Are Like Farts make as it will take away from your actual reading of the book. However, I will say that Christopher Willard, PsyD, Tara Wosiski, and illustrator Toshiki Nakamura probably had a blast making this book. Like a fart, feelings can sneak up on you, be loud, smelly, embarrassing, or give relief. But exploring them, realizing they are natural and finding a safe place to let them go, or finding a safe […]

She broke the norm

The Girl Who Wore Pants by Susanna Isern

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While I enjoyed The Girl Who Wore Pants by Susanna Isern, I was a little disappointed that there was not any real background information about Luisa Capetillo.. There is only where she was born (Puerto Rico), who her mother (from France) and father were, and when and why she decided to wear pants. Then we have a nod towards her reading to the women of the factors and a very quick highlight of her arrest in Cuba. However, it is a nice story and shows […]

She’s an inspiration

Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez by Belen Medin

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I have read about women who ran in skirts because it was more modest. People who ran barefooted. And athletes who honor their religion by wearing a hajib. And yes, these things are controversial, but also amazing and inspiring. And Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez is also inspiring. Ramirez is from an extremely impoverished area of Mexico. But due to the life her people lead,  they are able to build up the strength and stamina required to […]



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