Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Christmas Cannonball!!!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

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This is one of the only books that I re-read every year. It’s not December or Christmas until I sit down and read through this little book – and I still have the battered copy that I received as a gift in elementary school… 30ish years ago. It’s the story of a small town cookie-cutter, same-every-year, church Christmas pageant. The same sweet and innocent girl plays Mary every year, there are the shepherds in bathrobes, toddler angels, and traditional carols. But this year, the Herdman […]

Why do people keep ruining this book?

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz

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If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, I LOVE Pride and Prejudice. It’s one of my all time faves, and I’m a sucker for reboots and any manner of variations….. as long as they’re good. This was… not. This modern ‘retelling’ centres on Darcy Fitzwilliam who returns to her hometown of Pemberly, OH over Christmas after her mom experiences some health problems. She has been largely estranged from most of her family, and hasn’t been home in years. She runs into Luke […]

This reimagining just doesn’t do justice to the old classic

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

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Almost every year I’ll take a time-out from holiday mayhem and revisit A Christmas Carol. I was reluctant to review it for CBR, though, because I did that already, back in 2014. So I hit the internet and searched for something Christmas-related that I hadn’t read before and found Mr. Dickens and His Carol on several lists of best Christmas books. Mr. Dickens and His Carol is a fictional account of how Dickens came to write that famous Christmas ghost story. A few details do come […]

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree, who invented thee?

Tomie dePaola's Christmas Tree Book by Tomie dePaola

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I am sure that I have mentioned before that I love Tomie dePaola! Even the books that are not as strong as some of my favorites are always delightful to read. dePaola always knows how to write a story on the level for anyone to enjoy and keeps one’s interests. While the publisher says it is for ages 4 to 8 I can see an older child enjoying it as well and of course adults will get a kick out it. This time, we learn […]

A special time of year for everyone

The Tree That’s Meant to Be by Yrval Zommer

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Christmas books are hit or misses. Are they “too Santa” or are they “too Spiritual” or are they trying too hard to mix the two? Or are they trying to be “cute” and fall so far from the mark that it is a puddle of mush on the page? During my morning rounds at work the other day, I spotted this book faced out. I was thinking either “too Santa” or “too religious” (and while neither is wrong, I just like books “in the middle” […]

7 Vests and One Cool Bird

Little Robin’s Christmas. by Jan Fearnley (

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I enjoyed the illustrations immensely in Little Robin’s Christmas. This story by Jan Fearnley is sweet. But it did not hit the right note with me. The point of the story is obvious (be kind to others) and the ending was a bit forced for my liking. The cameo by another person we associate with the color of red and a winter holiday was a little disappointing. Little Robin has seven vest and each day he puts a new one on. But as he goes […]



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