Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“The space between two shores is the ocean and being caught in between feels like drowning.”

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

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A new forever favorite! If you like your fairy tales dark, and reading other cultural versions of them, read this book! If you like your graphic novels lush, detailed, and darling, read this book! If you like compelling family stories, immigrant stories, and queer characters, read this book! In the forefront of Trung Le Nguyen’s graphic novel is the story of a middle schooler named Tiên who is quietly dealing with coming out and his crush on a friend.  Alongside that is his mother’s story, […]

Hands All Red

Maids by Katie Skelly

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Katie Skelly’s latest outstanding horror comic Maids opens with a gory promise to its readers: keep reading to discover whose bloody eyeball is rolling across the floor. Although, if you’re a true crime fan you may already know the answer: Maids is based on the story of Christine and Léa Papin, two sisters working as servants in a wealthy household who in 1933 butchered their employer Léonie Lancelin and her daughter Genevieve. But even if you’re already familiar with the case, which sparked debates over […]

A romance-free twist on The Little Mermaid

Fish Girl by Donna Jo Napoli, David Wiesner

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The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite fairy tales in all its forms. OG Andersen classic, the perfect Disney movie, and other adaptations as well (the musical Once on This Island stands out to me).  I’ve been back on a fairy tale kick these days (I run a series of comedic retellings of the original tales on TikTok) so I picked up this graphic novel for a quick read, and it’s very sweet! If you are unfamiliar with David Wiesner’s work, he is a […]

An adorably sweet relationship comic collection

In Love & Pajamas by Catana Chetwynd

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While I enjoyed Catana Chetwynd’s first collection, it was a bit too cutesy for me. This one, however, struck a different chord with me. While it’s still pretty cutesy, it’s also a bit toned down and more about being an established couple. Plus, after 2020, who doesn’t need something pure and sweet? The general theme of the collection is being loved, weirdness and all, and for the most part, I found the comics charming and worth a giggle. I wouldn’t say they’re laugh-out-loud funny, and that’s […]

Family, War and Making a Better Life for Your Kid

Saga book 3 by Brian K. Vaughan Fiona Staples

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The young narrator of Saga, book 3 is born of parents from two different species engaged in a brutal war. Hazel is now old enough to understand that her family must hide, not only because her mom was a soldier who freed her dad while under her guard, but because her very existence disproves that the two species most definitely can co-exist. The war is a profitable venture for powers far beyond the hero parents and all the other grunts used as fodder on both sides. Hazel […]

I want follow through, at least once

Lumberjanes 16 Mind over Mettle by Shannon Watters, Kat Leyh, AnneMarie Rogers

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I’m starting to get a little bored with this current Lumberjanes pattern: focus on a specific scout who has a personal issue, adventure ensues, friendship lesson is acquired and possibly some personal growth. This time it’s Mal who feels like she’s the scaredy-cat of the group and wants to be braver; the thing I don’t get is why she goes to Ripley the team goof for help. Ripley is totally carefree and runs into everything without thinking; I wouldn’t call that brave, I’d be calling […]



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