Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Love, oranges, and family secrets

Orange Blossoms-Love Blooms by Dalia Dupris

by 1 Comment

Orange Blossoms-Love Blooms by Dalia Dupris was the December sponsored book club selection for Mocha Girls Read. Based on the cover, I was expecting a sweet contemporary romance. What I found was a story about two Black-owned family businesses and three sets of unique siblings. Elaine Hart loves her family’s orange groves, which were passed onto her father by her grandfather. They’ve had some bad harvests and are unfortunately behind on their bank loan. Enter handsome banker, David Cole who visits the farm to discuss […]

A middle-grade mystery inspired by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon

by 1 Comment

Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon took Zora Neale Hurston’s life as literary inspiration for their joint debut novel, Zora and Me. Framed as a middle-grade mystery, we follow the adventures of a fictionalized Zora through the eyes of her best friend, Carrie. The two curious girls and their friend Teddy are given mostly free rein to explore their small town of Eatonville, Florida. They play in the woods and are often given candy from the owner of the general store, Joe. When an alligator […]

I need a Rafe of my own

Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon

by 3 Comments

Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny by Rebekah Weatherspoon is a delightful romance that doesn’t skimp on the heat factor. Our heroine, Dr. Sloan Copeland, has recently moved to Los Angeles with her twin daughters. She left behind a crazy ex to start her life on her own terms. When her nanny unexpectedly quits, she is really in a bind. She is a surgeon and can be stuck at the hospital for long hours. Thankfully, Rafe comes into her life at the right time. The previous […]

Their Eyes is a 1930s novel that is still entirely relevant today

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

by Leave a Comment

I don’t know why it took me this long to read this book. It was lyrical beauty. Their Eyes Were Watching God follows Janie Crawford through her three marriages in the 1930s South all while she explores her own sense of self, her identity, and her relation to her community. The dichotomy of dialogue and prose narration and description is a marvel. The dialogue is written in a Southern dialect full of life and energy. While it might take some time getting used to (unless you’re […]

How to get a book banned in six easy steps

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

by Leave a Comment

CBR11bingo: Banned Books BINGO! Vertically: Youths, Illustrated, Classics, Rainbow Flag, Banned Books The Banned Books bingo square is one of my favorites in CBR Bingo. I like to peruse lists of banned books and see what foolishness is causing people to get up in arms. I also like to combine the square with something I’ve been wanting to read, and Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple was the perfect choice. It’s been on my TBR list for ages, and I was surprised to […]

Color me surprised: Someone on the internet thinks this book is racist

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

by 2 Comments

First things first: I want to give a shout out to the Little Free Libraries of the world. A few weeks ago I picked this up from one in my neighborhood and it was my first time borrowing anything from one of those tiny bibliotecas. I’d heard of this novel but might not have been prompted to borrow it if I hadn’t seen it through the friendly little window. I’m inspired to pay it forward by adding something from my “already read” stack when I […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo