grief – Page 3 – Cannonball Read 17

And you thought your Nanny was a strict monster!

The Sleepover: A Graphic Novel by Michael Regina

July 10, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

cbr17bingo Black (the cover is mostly black and dark colors) The graphic novel, The Sleepover: A Graphic Novel by Michael Regina, reminds me of the RL Stine Goosebumps series or the Are You Afraid of the Dark? Series (or something similar as I know there are several thriller/horror reads out there). Things are spooky, but not necessarily over the top, but also things are not for the sensitive reader. It deals with grief (death of a caregiver who was like a grandmother to the family), […]

Strong Succession vibes in Maclean’s new contemporary

These Summer Storms by Sarah Maclean

July 8, 2025 by Malin 3 Comments

4.5 stars CBR17 Book Bingo: Family Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this ARC. My opinions are my own. Alice Storm hasn’t had any contact with her family for five years, since she went public with some unsavoury company secrets and her father disowned her. Now her larger-than-life father, Franklin Storm, is dead, and she has to return to the family’s private island off Rhode Island to pay her respects. She isn’t planning on staying past the funeral, but it seems even in death, […]

An Eminently Quotable Novel

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

June 27, 2025 by Tracy 1 Comment

This book was a first for me: the first time I ever tabbed a book. I had avoided doing so in the past because I thought it required some kind of system, but this novel is just so quotable that I couldn’t resist (though I didn’t develop a system). It’s largely about Cyrus, an Iranian-American man whose life has been shaped by tragedy, generational trauma, and addiction. Now two years into recovery, he is focused on trying to find meaning and purpose in life and […]

A funny thing happened after my dad died

Talking to My Father's Ghost: An Almost True Story by Alex Krokus

June 11, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

While I am giving Talking to My Father’s Ghost: An Almost True Story by Alex Krokus a five, it is more of a 4.5 to 4.75 as I had a few issues with things. Such as I am not a direct fan of the illustrations; though I appreciate the time, effort and work that goes into them. I would like to see the final product to see if color is being used and have explained to me how our characters are a daddy penguin and […]

It Starts With the Funeral

Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer

March 22, 2025 by Emmalita 1 Comment

There’s a moment quite late in Four Weekends and a Funeral that pushed this contemporary romance from a 4 to a 5 star read. For a good chunk of the book, grief and guilt have been bubbling under the surface of Ali’s life. Several things come to a head and she has an emotional moment in The Mall of America, followed by an intervention by her two best friends. Ellie Palmer gives Ali this moment in the aftermath that beautifully captures friendship. We eat too […]

More than the cookie crumbles

Crumble (A Graphic Novel) by Meredith McClaren and Andrea Bell

February 27, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Though Crumble (A Graphic Novel) by Meredith McClaren and Andrea Bell is currently available, I read it via an online reader copy. When I first heard about McClaren’s graphic novel several months back, I figured it would be a nice story, but nothing to go wild over. While it was not my favorite read, it has several elements that really made this not only a fun read, but have a little edge without being too mature. Our main character and her family can put their […]

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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