Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

The Whirling Desert Queen of Rajasthan

Desert Queen by Jyoti Rajan Gopal

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Well HOT DARN!  (Only I was not saying darn!) Desert Queen has probably been written for several reasons. The first, to give representation to the people of India. But also, to show how one middle class boy would grow up and show the world how to bend perceptions. Queen Harish was the alter ego of a boy from a small community, who became an orphan young, and left with two sisters to raise. His love of dance and his talents would make him dare to […]

And you thought you had a rough picture day

Picture Day (The Brinkley Yearbooks) by Sarah Sax

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Sarah Sax created their debut graphic novel (due late June/early July 2023),  Picture Day (The Brinkley Yearbooks) in a modern format but took a classic theme. The idea of trying to become popular, but there are still pitfalls at the top, has been done before. But with the characters, the ways they talk and act, are completely modern. We have Olivia (now Viv as it is “catchy” and memorable) trying to be seen. And the day of picture day she does just that. Along the […]

Even if you are not trans or nonbinary, you can learn about yourself, too.

The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics by David Daneman, The Kao, and Min Christensen

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The stories in The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics are by trans and non-binary people. Using their own words and images, the authors (mostly new to me) show us how they explored who they are. Some are new to finding themselves (one just found the words for their gender expression within the last year) and others have had years to explore.  Many times the style of their illustrations fits that (there is one woman who grew up in the 1970s and her style reflects […]

Don’t read horror in the ER

Trance Book One by Joey Capuana

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Do not read horror in the ER. In my defense, Trance Book One has a colorful, awesome looking drag queen on the cover (and in my limited experience drag queens usually lend themselves to a thoughtful, but fun, time). I guess the witch/pentagram and the snake on the cover should have been a clue it was going to be spooky/graphic. But, again in my defense, I was reading on my tiny phone screen (reader copy form, final form due in mid/late May 2023) and could […]

I really cannot say enough about this book

Look Again by Elizabeth Trembley

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VERY LONG REVIEW for this CBR15Passport genre While this review is (hopefully)tasteful, this book has several triggers.  Version one At first, Look Again, a graphic novel by Elizabeth Trembley looks like it will be this sparse, dramatic, artistic story. Then it moves in a more realistic direction. But by the end of the story (or page 118 on my online reader copy) I realized this book is one deep commentary on life and the idea of are we good witnesses to our own lives? Our own […]

It’s the cheesiest

The Princess and the Grill Cheese Sandwich. by Deya Muniz

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CBR15Passport author   Warning: Included are two plot point and image spoilers! We have the puns of the cheesiest kind (all cheese puns) and a modern love story within the pages of The Princess and the Grill Cheese Sandwich. While things are all “Kings and Queens and Dukes and Duchesses” we have handheld video games, cute t-shirt and short ensembles, and other modern conveniences. The mixture of the old and new theme styles allows for the best of both worlds. We get glamours gowns and […]



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