Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I probably rewrote this review a billion times before I thought I was done, then realized I needed more, so just read this book okay? 

You Can Never Die: A Graphic Memoir by Harry Bliss

by 2 Comments

I learned early on in my journey of reading Harry Bliss that there are two styles when it comes to his artwork. One is kid friendly and the other adult friendly. However, via an online reader copy of You Can Never Die: A Graphic Memoir, I learned there is a third type to Bliss: the really adult Bliss. This memoir takes slices of life and puts them on the page of a journal. These journal entries, illustrations and more come out in the book. He […]

Why does it matter who drew it if it’s good?

Botticelli's Apprentice by Ursula Murray Husted

by Leave a Comment

Botticelli’s Apprentice  is a nice cozy read that is not just a “girl wants to paint because can’t because, you know, “girl” story.”  While this book is not a “perfect five” (there are a few things I was not 100% liking (sorry Blue, you’re cute, but OMG what a problem pup!) it is almost there.  It was a book I read in almost one sitting (and probably would have if it hadn’t been online). Ursula Murray Husted has a story that is about the time, […]

Was he the weather vane being blown bout? Or was he the wind blowing the art? Or was he just a big hack?

Andy Warhol: A Graphic Biography (BioGraphics) by Michele Botton

by Leave a Comment

Andy Warhol: A Graphic Biography (BioGraphics) by Michele Botton and illustrated by Marco Maraggi is told from the point of view of Warhol himself. As we go through several sections of his life, the unfolding of his life is chronological and compact. While it is obviously a pro-Warhol graphic novel and honors his work and influences on the people around him, and the historical times (and not just in art and/or pop art, but in music, photography and film as well), the question of “hack […]

What do we do about the terrible people in our lives? Mostly we keep loving them.

Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer

by Leave a Comment

I wished someone would invent an online calculator – the user would enter the name of an artist, whereupon the calculator would assess the heinousness of the crime versus the greatness of the art and spit out a verdict. A calculator is laughable, unthinkable. Yet our moral sense must be made to come into balance with our art-love. I wanted there to be a universal balance, a universal answer. ― Claire Dederer, Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma CBR16Bingo: Bananas We are living in an age where […]

I picked the colorful images but there is a variety that you’ll find inside

Hockney: A Graphic Life (BioGraphics) by Simon Elliott

by Leave a Comment

I could tell you every little piece of the puzzle that makes up Hockney: A Graphic Life (BioGraphics) by Simon Elliott, but then you would not have a reason to read it, and I think you really should. If you are not the usual reader for graphic novels; do not know much about David Hockney; or even if you are not a huge fan of biographies, don’t worry about it. This format might be a great way to start it for adults. This book is […]

The Mad Genius

Armed With Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington by Mary M. Talbot

by Leave a Comment

Armed With Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington by Mary M. Talbot and illustrated by Bryan Talbot   I didn’t have time to be anyone’s muse… I was too busy rebelling against my family and learning to be an artist. — Leonora Carrington How reliable is the narrator? How honest is Carrington’s story? Was her madness her greatness or greatness her madness? The complex life of this artist unfolds in a mix of beauty, ugly and something in-between. A product of her time, a rebel of it […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo