Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

And you thought your job was soul sucking

Hunger's Bite by Taylor Robin

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I asked (texted) a friend the other day asking her, “Why do I find books almost a year before publication? Especially book one of a series?” She answered it was because I was in the early book business. Reader copies are machines to the future (publication of a book), but also they are the dynomite used to open the passages for the trains of reading in the first place. And if the found early book is a stinker, no problems. But when you find something […]

From Lima, Peru for Sunny City, California

Vampirita and the Angry Mob (Book 1): A Charming Tale of a Young Vampire's Adventure in California by Mariana Llanos

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Vampirita and the Angry Mob (Book 1): A Charming Tale of a Young Vampire’s Adventure in California by Mariana Llanos and illustrated by Laura Brenalla is the story of a “new kid in town” but has a slightly different twist to it with a vampire as our main character. However, the relatable issues of homesickness, not fitting in, and trying to be nice when you want to be anything but, is familiar. However, regardless of how much we know this story, the author has fun […]

Mevan and their bike

The Bicycle: How an Act of Kindness Changed a Young Refugee’s Life by Patricia McCormick

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I did not read the entire article I had about some new books coming, but it was highlighting summer and bicycles. The list was around half a dozen titles long, all picture books. I figured I could locate copies of most of them. And in fact, was able to find online reader copies for all of them. However, four of them stood out for me. These four were different but still had familiar elements that I found comforting.  In The Bicycle: How an Act of […]

Bring Back My Color

The Gray City by Torben Kuhlmann

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While it was hard to put down, the pacing of the not-so-picture book The Gray City is a bit slow. Each chapter is only a few pages long (and as read via an online reader copy I am not sure of the final format size) but the page is filled. And even when everything is gray there is still color, hinting at the revelation our heroine, Robin, learns at the end of things.  This story unfolds, as said, a bit slowly. Torben Kuhlmann wants you […]

A week of family

Family Poems for Every Day of the Week : Poemas familiares para cada dia de la semana by Francisco X. Alarcón

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I have been holding onto over 1000 emails that have at least one online reader copy. At least one of those had four. I was skimming the titles, looking at the links… nope nope nope…. Delete, save, nope nope, next time…. Until I came to  Family Poems for Every Day of the Week : Poemas familiares para cada dia de la semana.  The other books were a mix of genres, but this said “Poems.” Okay, that is what I need. Something short and hopefully fun. […]

The might stand a ghost of a chance

All the Lovely Bad Ones Graphic Novel: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

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All the Lovely Bad Ones Graphic Novel: A Ghost Story (novel by Mary Downing Hahn) and adapted by Scott Peterson, Naomi Franquiz, Brittany Peer and  Joamette Gil is probably my favorite of the novels by Hahn turned graphic novel. And their Wait Till Helen Comes was always a favorite book, so you’d think that adaptation would be my favorite, but there was something about this one that captured me. It probably was because Helen had been a favorite, and therefore, nothing lives up to it, […]



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