Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“I’m not joking, but we still laugh because laughter is the best way to cover pain.”

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

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If you’ve read a Jenny Lawson book before, you’ll know what to expect here. Side-splitting anecdotes, social anxiety, lots of animal stories, bizarre arguments with her husband Victor, talking openly about mental health issues like depression, etc. (She has treatment resistant depression and doesn’t shy away from talking about her lowest moments, including feeling suicidal.) And yet this book feels light and very human. Some notable departures in this one, she spends quite a bit of time reflecting on the differences between her and Victor’s […]

“The world feels safer somehow if we share our pain. It becomes more manageable. And by sharing our pain, we inspire others to share theirs. We are so much less alone if learn to wear our imperfections proudly, like tarnished jewelry that still shines just as brightly.”

Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson

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Reading about loss, grief, and love in Harrow: The Ninth  while grieving the loss of my dog was perhaps not the best choice.  After reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for Cannonball Book Club, it seemed best to keep the comedy going and The Bloggess’s Broken (in the best possible way) was sitting on the shelf waiting.  I  thought I knew what I would be getting in a Jenny Lawson book.  Raw openness about her mental and physical health, along with side splittingly funny stories.  […]

A powerful story of belief, grief, and belonging

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

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Gifty is the daughter of two Ghanaian immigrants: her mother, a depressive woman who turns to American Evangelical Christianity for a respite from life, and her father, a man who abandons his family to return to his home in Ghana. Gifty has a brother: an athlete who struggles with addiction. Throughout the novel, Gifty bounces from memory to memory as she completes her doctoral work at Stanford in neurology and takes care of her mother. Each memory reveals layer after layer of who Gifty is […]

Sure: we’ll say they’re ‘kids’ books….

a kids book about Disabilities by Kristine Napper

a kids book about Body Image by Rebecca Alexander

a kids book about Anxiety by Ross Szabo

a kids book about Racism by Jelani Memory

a kids book about Depression by Kileah McIlvain

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Hey all! I know it’s been a while –> Covid is a beast, and Long Covid its just as beastly older sibling.  But! I am determined to actually write some reviews this year, so here we go. Short Review: These books are amazing, and if you ever see a sale on them (which is how I wound up with these), grab as many of them as you can.  Love, your friendly neighborhood former reading/kindergarten teacher. Now, actual thoughts and paragraphs: I don’t know what other […]

Care. Tasks. Are. Morally. Neutral.

How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis

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Are you a parent? If no, are you at least a human? Do you struggle with any of the following: housework, meal prep/planning/obtaining/cooking, laundry, the constant mental energy suck of parenting, daily hygiene? Is any of that a result of depression, ADHD, disability, life-is-a-marathon exhaustion, lack of support, having more to do than there are hours in the day? Do you feel: guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, shitty self-worth, like a failure? If you answered yes to any of those questions or anything similar, BUY THIS […]

A really sweet and heart-warming comic about gay teens

Heartstopper, vol 1 by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper, vol 2 by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper, vol 3 by Alice Oseman

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Heartstopper, vol 1: 4.5 stars Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?   Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn’t been too great, but at least he’s not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie – the kid who was […]



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