Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Boy: Part Two

The Boy From Clearwater: Book Two by Yu Pei-Yun, Jian-Xin Zhou and Lin King

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About a month or so ago I read The Boy From Clearwater: Book One by Yu Pei-Yun, Jian-Xin Zhou and Lin King (Translator). At the time I didn’t think I would go onto book two, The Boy From Clearwater: Book Two, but something said I should and located an interlibrary loan copy from my local library.  Usually sequels are not as strong as the first book, but while I feel the first book was stronger in many aspects, this second book has strong pieces of […]

A new perspective

When Crack Was King by Donovan X. Ramsey

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I found When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era (2023) by Donovan X. Ramsey on NPR’s Favorite Books last year. I needed another audiobook for my commute and decided to give it a try. Ramsey grew up in the 80’s and 90’s during the worst of the crack cocaine epidemic. In this book, he delves into how it affected people’s lives, how it became such a problem, people’s perception of the crack epidemic, and the government’s response to it. Ramsey follows four people who suffered […]

Old idea, new presentation

Papilio by Ben Clanton, Andy Chou Musser and Corey R. Tabor

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The concept of coming of age is told through the eyes of a butterfly in Papilio. Ben Clanton, Andy Chou Musser, and Corey R. Tabor created a unique read (the coming of age concept) but still is a book about a butterfly and its life cycle. We follow Papilio from the changes they have from egg to a falling (though feels like flying) caterpillar, to an actual flying butterfly. Told in three “chapters” these sections show us the stages of going from caterpillar, to caterpillar […]

The Book Lovers Guide

Book Love by Debbie Tung

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I probably cannot say enough good things about Book Love by Debbie Tung. Has the theme been done before? Yes, these are not new issues book lovers have had to deal with. However  they are just fun, everyday issues, loves, joys and heartbreaks of the reader. Each page makes them come alive in silly, cute, relatable black and white images. If you have ever considered yourself a Reader with a capital R,  this is the book you want to read when you need a break […]

A Different Look at History

The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis by George Stephanopoulos

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The story: George Stephanopoulos takes look at the history of the Situation Room, from its inception during JFK’s presidency to how it’s being used today. Each chapter focuses on a different president, and most of them zero in on one specific incident that occurred during their presidency in which the Situation Room came into play (for example, the Jimmy Carter chapter focuses on the hostage crisis in Tehran). Why I read it: My dad recommended it, and I love this kind of book. What I […]

Flamingos are now in the top ten of my favorite birds

Flamingos Are Pretty Funky: A (Not So) Serious Guide by Abi Cushman

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I do not think I have seen a book about flamingos that I have ever wanted to read before I found this one. But the cover of Flamingos Are Pretty Funky: A (Not So) Serious Guide by Abi Cushman, with the words Funky and Not So Serious on it, really grabbed my attention. Especially funky. How can flamingos be funky??? They stand there on one leg. They are on the pink and white color spectrum. They eat food that makes them that color. They have […]



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