Bereavement – Page 3 – Cannonball Read 17

Science & Nature & Grief & Love

With a Butterfly’s Wings by Pilar Lopez Avila

July 7, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

This is a sweet, but also somber, story of a grandmother and granddaughter and how they interact while observing the world around them. It is a picture book of how a grandmother teaches a grandchild how to view the world, explore the world, and to appreciate nature and the animals and plants that reside in it. This is a poem and love letter. On the pages of With a Butterfly’s Wings we see how secrets, appreciation and love are passed along and how even when […]

Old fashion feel to a book of today

Sweeping Up the Heart by Kevin Henkes

January 17, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Sweeping Up the Heart is a cute little book by Kevin Henkes. Known mostly for his picture books, he has created some lovely middle reader novels. However, the adult reader will realize that they have seen the subject, the message, before. This is not fresh, but for the aged 8 to 10 (or even up to a younger 12) it is a nice story of change and friendship. The subject centers around loss (via death and divorce), friendships (new and old), family, and love. Our […]

Abstract reading

Kaleidoscope by Brian Selznick

October 25, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Kaleidoscope is classic Brian Selznick with the illustrations. It is busy, crowded, soft, heavy, black and white, surreal and realistic. However, the story is not what I expect from Selznick. It is abstract. Several stories are contained into three parts: Morning, Afternoon and Evening. All of these stories feel as if they should be connected, but none actually seem to be actually connected. Or are they? There are images that show up in more than one story (the boys breaking into a place and burning […]

The lose of a pet does not have to not have hope

Where Lily Isn’t by Julie Paschiks

February 5, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

When you can judge a book by its cover, that is not always a bad thing. I had a feeling that Where Lily Isn’t was not going to be a happy book. And it is not a happy book. But it is also not as sad of a book as I had thought it might be. Julie Paschiks has created a sweet, but not overly sappy, story about the loss of a beloved pet. It is a simple (but not simplistic) and a straightforward story. […]

Oddly comforting book

A Hug from Heaven by Anna Whiston-Donaldson

January 8, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

My cousin and I were texting a few days before the new year. She mentioned her youngest son was having issues dealing with the death of his father. Now, this is not unusual, but he passed a couple of years ago. You would think he would have been dealing with things then. But he is autistic and was young when his dad passed. Now he is starting to “mature” and realize the things that kids do about death, such as: Dad is not coming back […]

Through the grieving process

Bon Voyage, Mister Rodriguez by Christiane Duchesne

The Immortal Jellyfish by Sang Miao

December 30, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Today, two books arrived for a customer. I figured these books were new, being promoted or had a contemporary theme as they were purchasing two copies each. They are important as they both deal with the deal of an older male/grandfather. This tricky subject has books that really work or do not depending on beliefs. In November 2019 we saw Bon Voyage, Mister Rodriguez and August 2019 The Immortal Jellyfish published. While they might not be my personal first choices, they were lovely books that […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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