grief – Page 16 – Cannonball Read 17

“The tastes she wanted me to remember. The feelings she never wanted me to forget.”

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

January 29, 2022 by GentleRain 2 Comments

I read this in an emotionally complicated state, which probably fits with the emotional complexity of the book itself. My mom got me this for Christmas, and then I finished it today after she let me know she’d fainted and was in the emergency room. So reading a book about a mother dying when I wasn’t sure what was going on with my own mom was a recipe for some stressful reading. (My mom is probably fine, by the way, I don’t think she’s in […]

“I’d rather live with a tender heart, because that is the key to feeling the beat of all of the other hearts.”

Little Weirds by Jenny Slate

January 23, 2022 by faintingviolet Leave a Comment

What a delightful, odd, heartfelt book. Many thanks to NTE for sending it my way. I put this one on my to read list following watching Jenny Slate’s Netflix special Stage Fright which is a mix of a stand up and documentary. When I finished Stage Fright I was much more interested in Slate than I had been before. Having now finished Little Weirds which she wrote at about the same time, I feel as though I have had an interesting, if not entirely understandable, […]

Old fashion feel to a book of today

Sweeping Up the Heart by Kevin Henkes

January 17, 2022 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Sweeping Up the Heart is a cute little book by Kevin Henkes. Known mostly for his picture books, he has created some lovely middle reader novels. However, the adult reader will realize that they have seen the subject, the message, before. This is not fresh, but for the aged 8 to 10 (or even up to a younger 12) it is a nice story of change and friendship. The subject centers around loss (via death and divorce), friendships (new and old), family, and love. Our […]

For the love of all the things, correctly labelling genre and providing content warnings matters.

Always, in December by Emily Stone

January 15, 2022 by faintingviolet 6 Comments

I don’t normally suggest reviewing a book while angry at it, but here we are. I should probably wait to further reflect on why I’m feeling this way. But. But I have already angrily thrown it into the return slot at the library and after four hours of being annoyed, and having it come right back to front of mind the moment I was done watching the finale of the Station Eleven adaptation I have decided to try to purge my anger into digital ink […]

Don’t have a grandfather? Go pick one out at your local senior home

Can You Whistle, Johanna? by Ulf Stark

December 20, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Can You Whistle, Johanna? by Ulf Stark, translated by Julia Marshall and illustrated by Anna Hoglund was not what I expected of this English translation of a Swedish story. I thought at first it was going to be a book about a friend teaching another to friend (a female) to whistle. Or maybe a younger sibling some whistling techniques. Perhaps even, it was going to be some way to show that boys and girls are equal (everyone can whistle). Instead, it is about a young […]

I really want a fancy gourmet donut now

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau

December 16, 2021 by Malin 1 Comment

Disclaimer! This was an ARC from Netgalley. My views are my own, and I had already pre-ordered the book before getting the advanced reader copy. Ryan Kwok is grateful for the opportunities he’s been given. While his latest movie, a romantic comedy, isn’t getting the ravest of reviews, he’s fully aware that it’s unusual enough for rom coms to star Asian actors and he’s lucky to have gotten the chance as a romantic leading man. He’d also like to be famous for more than his […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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