Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

If Casey rode a bicycle

Major Taylor: World Cycling Champion. by Charles R. Smith

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I had a few bikes in my day. I figured I was pretty good even as I fell off, had my dress caught in spokes stuff, ran into things. Oh yes, my athletics knew no boundaries of ineptitude. Of course, there was this young man in the 1800s who would have given me a ride for my money. His name was Major Taylor: World Cycling Champion. And I guess he was good. He won a few races (starting at age 13) and would fight racism, […]

Standing up for the community

Pride and Persistence: Stories of Queer Activism (Do You Know My Name?)  by Mary Fairhurst Breen 

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Pride and Persistence: Stories of Queer Activism (Do You Know My Name?) by Mary Fairhurst Breen is a clever nonfiction book about everyday people who have made a name for themselves by just being themselves. We might not know them by that name (some people “only” fought the inclusion of a Chick-fil a on their college campus that resulted in Senator Graham making a fool of himself) but they made sure that others can have the freedom of being themselves, being represented, and finding ways to make it […]

I am The Best! At what, not sure yet…..

Getting Dizzy by Shea Fontana

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I was surprised at the graphic novel, Getting Dizzy. I expected it to be “whiny” and young. However, while it deals with teen angst and the “good enough/not good enough” trope, the not-so-super-superhero story was  not overly cliché. The ending was a tad rushed, the mother a bit too forgiving, but overall it was a pleasant read. The aged 10 to 13-young 14 will enjoy it.  Shea Fontana has a diverse cast, and while there is a “love interest” he, or that potential storyline, is […]

I challenge you to a duel

Duel by Jessixa Bagley

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I read several graphic novels recently with diverse, modern casts. One of them, Duel by Jessixa Bagley, left me with two things. The first was I was not sure about a couple characters. I read Duel via a physical reader copy and the images were not complete (some were sketches, not fully fleshed out and color was not added). Though  I was enjoying Aaron Bagley’s expressive artwork when we were able to see a larger image. There are hair-raising moments, images of the fencing, the […]

Himsanity

The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

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Read as part of CBR15Bingo: Oceania. The writer is of Korean descent, the two POV characters are of Korean descent, and the book is about the experience of Korean-Americans and Koreans in diaspora.  I was in New York for Linsanity. Not a fan of the Knicks but it was an out-of-body experience at the time. You were glued to your tv every night and every night for almost two weeks, it delivered. Even my father-in-law — a lifelong Knicks Hater — was inclined to root […]

A piece of Molly

The Bones of Me by Kel Duckhouse

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cbr15bingo Violence I misplaced my finished copy of  The Bones of Me after having a slow start with it, but once I was able to sit down and read without too many interruptions, it started to move. The mixture of prose and prose poetry can be a bit off putting, but it fits the idea of things. Perhaps things can be a bit too cliché in places, but it would have been a book I loved ages (at least) 12 and up. There is some […]



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