Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Small poetry book; big punch

Crown Nobel by Bianca Phipps

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Maybe Crown Nobel was too short. Or maybe I was not the right reader for Bianca Phipps’ poetry collection. As there was something about this that was off for me. I knew what they were saying, but sometimes I was not sure what the theme of the poem was. It felt at times that the language was abstract. Or there were pieces missing in the story. However, it was an experience that I am glad I took. Phipps deals with serious subjects. But despite those […]

Dad was a fungi…

What Goes Up by Christine Hepperman

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What Goes Up by Christine Hepperman is about the why and how a night that was one huge mistake came about. It is written in a prose poetry format. I will leave it up to you if you think the actions of the narrator fit the “crime” that started it all. (This is not a Mystery Book, but the narrator does treat the events that she learns of to justify her own actions as if “two wrongs make a right”). Our main character shows you […]

“There is a pay phone by a truck stop near the town of Leonard, Arizona. Sometimes at night it starts to ring.”

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel

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I was first drawn into Emily St. John Mandel’s world back in 2015, when Station Eleven caught my eye after popping up in a few “best of” lists.  It became an immediate favorite, and I know that love is shared here within our CBR community! I’ve read it twice since first picking it up, most recently in March, right as the world started to dip further and further into pandemic horror. I wrote in a previous review that I would not have picked up The Glass Hotel […]

What the flying monkeys did I just read?

Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen

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There no traditional action in Big Girl, Small Town. Yet, you are drawn into the book from page one. Michelle Gallen made me fall in love with a fictional character. She made me see myself in her. She made me want to root for this character who (on the surface) is not an overly likable person. Or at least, not at first. You watch as Majella (our heroine) live her life. Or what passes for living in a Northern Ireland town after “The Troubles” have […]

Three books, one review, (almost) endless reading

The Couch Potato by Jory John

Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall

A Garden in Your Belly: Meet the Microbes in Your Gut by Masha D’yans

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A short laundry list of picture books is what you’ll find here. These books, while are good, just do not lend themselves for a nice long solo review. I will start off with two that have a theme to them: A Life Lesson. A Life Lesson #1 is The Couch Potato by Jory John. This is the fourth in The Bad Seed series by John. It is a cute story about having an indoor and outdoor balance to one’s lifestyle. It is nice to be […]

A Walk To Adventure

Timo the Adventurer by Jonathan Garnier

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Timo the Adventurer is, to say the least, an odd book. The theme is mostly obvious with the question of “What a hero truly is” as its main point. However, there are also the themes of learning to trust others; asking for help; giving help; learning to forgive others along with yourself and learning from your mistakes. Jonathan Garnier crafted a book that might appeal to most kids ages 8 to 12 (or young 13). There is action, fantasy violence and even the tiniest bit […]



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