family – Page 158 – Cannonball Read 17

Take a trip to the other side of the world and find yourself

Ichiro by Ryan Inzana

January 28, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

What is this book? Well, I can tell you what it is not. It is not easy. It is not straightforward. And it is not something to rush through. Our hero Ichiro must deal with life, death, family, moving across the ocean from New York to Japan and will begin learning what is right and wrong. We see history (American, Japanese, even a bit of Chinese), mythology (I am assuming Japanese as while I know some, I am very lacking in my Asian cultures) and […]

Only reason this book is not a 5 is because I was looking for something different with the illustrations

The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee Gulledge

January 20, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The Dark Matter of Mona Starr is not something you can really tell what it is about by the cover. I figured she might be into science or going to take a poetic journey. Instead, it is a book about one girl dealing with the Matters of her life: or the depression she is facing. Laura Lee Gulledge does not want to make it easy on you, she hits you right out of the gate, but it is not all “doom and gloom.” There are […]

Have sword, will slay dragons

How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch

January 20, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch feels like a translation due to a few bumps in the flow of wording. However, that is the only real major bump in this modern folktale. Ages 10 to 14 probably will not see anything with that. The art helps fill in a few of those spots as will the readers imagination. The lack of color and the mix of busy and minimal details also give the feeling of a classic, but contemporary too, folk tale. Words in […]

Blackwell, a town where all the girls are witches

Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea

January 19, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I have wanted to read Grimoire Noir from probably since I started reading graphic novels seriously. I wanted to open to page one and sink my eye-teeth right into Vera Greentea’s creation. The cover was a tasty looking treat and wanted to see what Yana Bogatch could come up with. And while I cannot say I was disappointed; I think I built it up a smidgen too much. I liked this fantasy mystery that is both modern and classic in its style. The feeling of something […]

Modern Jo with a classic feel

Jo: A Graphic Novel by Kathleen Gros

January 19, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Jo: A Graphic Novel by Kathleen Gros was not exactly what I thought it was going to be, but at the same time, it was exactly what I thought it would be. It is a modern reimagining of the classic, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. We have the March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. And of course, their mother, Marmee and neighbor Laurie. The book is told from the first-person perspective of Jo. This is through her events and through her blog. Of […]

It Runs in the Family

Everything My Mother Taught Me by Alice Hoffman

Can You Feel This? by Julie Orringer

The Lion's Den by Anthony Marra

Zenith Man by Jennifer Haigh

The Weddings by Alexander Chee

January 13, 2021 by andtheIToldYouSos Leave a Comment

Another year, another onslaught of bits and bobs to keep me from sitting down and giving my undivided attention to a hefty book! Everything My Mother Taught Me 3/5 Dang it Alice Hoffman, misadventures at lighthouses are my catnip! Lighthouse Keeper was my dream job when I was younger- big thanks to Ahab’s Wife- it’s a lonesome and perilous career but also pretty cool! I was a huge Hoffman fan in high school, but I drifted away over the last 15 years or so. I dipped […]

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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