Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“Guts” delivers and important message to younger readers about mind/body connection

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

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Raina Telgemeier returns to the autobiographical in Guts.  I’m late to the party on this book as my 13 and 9 year old have read it multiple times since its release in 2019.  For those familiar with Telgemeier’s autobiographical graphic novels, this is a story in which Raina is younger than in Smile or Sisters.  She’s in fifth grade and has begun having stomach troubles.  It started with a round of stomach flu going through her family and school.  But afterward Raina begins to obsess about the […]

Thank you, Bothari43, I now know how I’m starting cbr13!

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Thank you, Bothari43!  I’m as excited to read these books as Wall-E is to destroy his newest toy.  I’ve been wanting to read Polaris Rising ever since Instagram Cannonballer, Lanezabel, posted it in the Cannonball Instagram fun challenge this Spring.  I’m excited to read my first Ilona Andrews, as I’ve seen how popular this writing duo is among the community!  These seem like the perfect way to start CBR13. And a big Thank You! for supporting my favorite independent Mysterious Galaxy , I’ve been shopping with […]

Devastatingly beautiful. I cried, not because it was necessarily sad but due to the amount of emotion.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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V.E. (Victoria) Schwab was introduced to me by my favorite bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy and it was love at first read.  By pre-ordering the The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I was able to get a personalized book plate and used my birthday present book embosser to further claim the book.  Those actions decrease the re-sale value of a book but this is one I won’t be giving up! The simplest explanation of the plot is it is a Faustian deal between Adeline LaRue and a god-like, […]

In this game of life, your family is the court and your ball is your heart.

Crossover by Kwame Alexander

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This gem was given to me by Black Raven through last year’s CBR holiday book exchange. Most likely, I would have never come across this book on my own, so a big thanks to Black Raven. It took me almost a year to crack it open but it was probably one of the best books that I read all year. Not to continue to beat the same sad drum, but I have had a hard time reading this year. I know that I am not […]

…seeing people as the problem, instead of the policies that ensnare them.

How to Be an AntiRacist by Ibram X. Kendi

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I wrote this review months ago. I have re-written it several times and I’m still not completely comfortable with the results. Worrying about saying the wrong thing or that I spent too much time here talking about myself instead of the book had me reluctant to post it, but those aren’t good enough excuses to not post this review. Unless you have been living in a bunker during our period of social distancing, this is not a title that is unfamiliar. In the wake of […]

All the good things about her had to be taken away, too.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

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My stay at home obsession with the My Favorite Murder podcast led me to this title. Not something that I would generally read, but Georgia Hardstark’s ringing endorsement nudged me to give it a try. Not sure that it was really my bag, but I can see the appeal for some true crime fiends. Over two decades after their older sister’s disappearance, her two estranged siblings find themselves confronting the trauma of their childhood all over again. The youngest sister, Claire, is living a privileged life of […]



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