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 […]

Tea for you and me

Tea with an Old Giant by Jane Yolen

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Sometimes when you find/see a book and/or title, you think it is one thing. You base that assumption on the cover image and/or the author and/or illustrator’s name. Or you base it even on other books you have recently read. And when you finally do read that book (I was lucky enough to have one of my book dealers send me a finished copy), they turn out to be different than expected. Now, a title called Tea with an Old Giant that has a giant […]

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 […]

Dinosaurs and friends

Dinosaurs for Dylan by Tracy Gulovsen

Counting Up the Olive Tree : A Palestine Number Book by Golbarg Bashi

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I have been finding samples in my online readers. And while that allows me access to so many titles, it also means I have to get the final copy but they are not due until November and October 2024! Yet, I am excited to share what I can, as you will need to be in line with me at the local independent bookstore getting copies.  Tracy Gulovsen and Renate Vermeulen-Potter have Dinosaurs for Dylan (due mid November 2024). It is a sweet story that I […]

What lurks in the corn

The Girl in the Corn by Jason Offutt

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I’m starting my review of The Girl in the Corn, with the that there are big time TRIGGERS in this book. After all, it’s a horror book and therefore there are several horror images. Perhaps they could be more so, but even what they do show (such as the murder of a child, the brutal murder of the dog and several other people, plus drug use/abuse, guns, kidnapping, sex, and what I consider rape) is not pleasant to say the least, and, of course could […]



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