Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

I bet this will be a pretty good movie.

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

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SPOILERS KINDA SORTA I went into this ready to love it, and mostly did. Grace is a sad and lonely woman whose son and husband have died. She’s convinced herself she’s undeserving of love, or fun, or of much of a life at all. She’s retreated into math (she’s a teacher) and is kinda just waiting for it to be over. Then she gets some crazy news regarding an inheritance, specifically of a small house on Ibiza, left to her by a former colleague she […]

Book 2: Villains be villainous.

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

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Book 2 of ??? in this year’s Robin Hobb journey! I liked this one. I didn’t like it as much as the first one, but it’s still a solid 4 stars. The Pace of Assassin’s Apprentice  felt like slow and deliberate because we were getting to know Fitz, setting up the other characters, laying groundwork for other pieces of the narrative, getting to know the lay of the land, literally. Royal Assassin felt, weirdly, a little slower to me, in a more frustrating way. Like […]

Well, this one made me cry.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

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One of my new year’s resolutions was to be more intentional about reading chapter books to my kids (ages 7 and 9) on a regular basis – with the goal being a book a month, say, or a big book that we have started but never finished (looking at you, The Hobbit) I hope to incorporate my thoughts on how read-aloud-able these books are in my CBR reviews – maybe it will help fellow parents on similar reading journeys! Anyway, we started the year off […]

“Never be afraid to be honest and stand up for what is right…. Just remember to balance your courage with wisdom.”

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M Draper

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Stella by Starlight is a work of youth lit by Sharon M Draper, who also wrote Out of My Mind (now a Disney+ movie). Draper has a knack for writing from the perspective of young girls on the outside. In Out of My Mind, the main character has a disability that affects her mobility and her ability to speak, but it doesn’t stop her from pushing forward for herself and her community. In Stella by Starlight, Stella is a Black 5th grader in rural 1932 […]

Enemies to lovers at a performing arts summer camp

Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday

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Why: Learning that I adore Jenny Holiday’s Christmas in Eldovia trilogy, Emmalita recommended that I should read Into the Woods and I’m glad I did! What: Into the Woods is a contemporary romance.  Wild Arts summer camp is in last minute need of two artists in residence for the July and August sessions.  Through acquaintances Gretchen Miller and Teddy Knight end up filling in for the dance and instrumental music programs respectively.  After an initial round of wrong impressions and then bonding through camp experiences, Gretchen and Teddy […]

“To peel back the carpeting of the world and tumble into the stars.”

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

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I read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries in two days.  Since I didn’t want to start a new book until I caught up on reviews, I decided to read it again. It took only two days to read it a second time.  What I’m saying is that I enjoyed this book so much I read it twice in four days.  Written in the style of a personal journal, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries is an engaging fantasy set in an alternative 1909 where fae, fairies, Fair […]



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