Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

what happens to the torch-bearers, the candle holders, the vigil keepers?

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

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There is so much that I want to tell you about this book, but I won’t. I took so many notes, and placed so many scraps of paper between pages, but I do not want to ruin a single realization for you. Rebecca Makkai has crafted an intricately woven tapestry that you have to witness in its full glory; I do not want to give you a magnifying glass before you have had a chance to first witness the enormity of the project. The Great Believers hits […]

Before Lucy stepped into the wardrobe

Through the Wardrobe: How C. S. Lewis Created Narnia by Lina Maslo

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It is always funny, nice, or exciting (depending on your view) to learn the history behind a favorite book series. Or, even if you are not a fan, to learn about a popular reading series. And you get that in Through the Wardrobe: How C. S. Lewis Created Narnia by Lina Maslo. This picture book biography of C. S. Lewis hits the highlights of his life, disappointments, inspirations and his family/personal life and his writing process. There is also mention about his Christian upbringing, questing […]

5 stars out of 5 just because it’s that darn different

Oscar’s American Dream by Barry Wittenstein

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Oscar’s American Dream might not become a classic, but Barry Wittenstein has created something that has all the pieces to become one. First, there are the great illustrations by Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell. Second, there is a story that tells us the history from “the little guys” point of view. And finally, there are elements that the two create together to make something all ages can relate too and love. The start of the book is a man named Oskar (who would change his name […]

less practical, more magical

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

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Twenty two years after the publication of Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman fired up the ol’ Owens Family Cauldron to brew up (I apologize for NOTHING) the story of “The Aunts”. Before Jet and Franny were kooky caregivers with cupboards full of teeth and dove hearts, they were kids squirming under the overbearing but uninvolved eyes of their midcentury modern parents. Necessarily, when re-approaching a well-defined but of-its-time creation, one must get a little creative with facts and figures. Practical Magic was already a bit screwy with time, […]

I am a rule breaker….And can be unlike Kiku and her family in this graphic novel

Displacement by Kiku Hughes

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#cbr12bingo Book Club I am 100% cheating on this Bingo Block as I can’t find a Book Club book that I really want to read right now. However, this book should be 1000% in a book club.  We need to remember a piece of our own history and how history is currently repeating itself. Displacement by Kiku Hughes was not a perfect read for me. As much as I loved this book, I needed a bit more. It is a beautiful story about family, history, […]

That one could time travel within his own lifetime…..

Big Papa and the Time Machine by Daniel Bernstrom

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Big Papa and the Time Machine had an odd journey to my reading stack. Daniel Bernstrom’s story was not in play (yet) it was that cover by Shane W. Evans. It looked surreal, awkward, ironically a combination of extremely young and a lot of text. It actually did no look “fun” or that I would “like” it. Then, the other night, it found its way back on the stack. I still was unsure but decided to give it a shot. And as the old say […]



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