Illnesses & Injuries – Cannonball Read 17

So, I took this book with to a Dr appointment to read in the waiting room…

Notes from a Sickbed by Tessa Brunton

August 26, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

During a long weekend (I had to take a Monday off for a doctor’s appointment) I read two memoirs and one non-fiction graphic novel on loneliness (which I had been working on for weeks). I started Notes from a Sickbed by Tessa Brunton before I went to my doctor’s appointment and brought it with me. The considerate person in me felt it was probably not the most appropriate read to read there, but the smarty pants in me was laughing my pants off at the […]

Family Dynamics

Our Wish for You: A Story About Open Adoption by Dano Moreno

Other Words for Nonno by Dave Cameron

January 4, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

September 2023 had two interesting books come out. Of course, it had more than that, so I should say that 2023 had a lot of books come out and September 2023 had two of those that I read in 2024. They were found as I was cleaning up my online reader copies, which is going to take me well into 2024 to even dent, while I find new 2024s and will need to balance the two. However, I am glad I took the time to […]

One little girl and a big wish

Rivka's Presents by Laurie Wallmark

July 6, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

It is 1918 and Rivka cannot wait to go to school. But she is told the night before, she must stay home as her father has the flu and her mother needs help taking care of her younger sister, while she works. The Lower East Side of New York City comes alive with how one plucky young girl finds a way to get the education she needs. She trades chores for reading and math lessons. And when her father is finally well, all her hard […]

When AIDS crashed the party

The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir by Lynn Curlee

February 14, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

CBR15Passport Different genres (Nonfiction as memoir) Holy Flying Monkeys! The Other Pandemic: An AIDS Memoir was not what I expected. My first thought was, “Um…do we really need a book about AIDS? Didn’t we already “do that?” But then I realized two things, first it was a memoir and not a factual book (my bad) and second, especially as I got into it, I realized that yes, we really do need this book. This is not a book about AIDS, but about Lynn Curlee […]

Oh, I got a brand new pair of roller skates

Karen’s Roller Skates: Babysitters Little Sister Graphic novel by Ann Martin

December 1, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Did you like the Babysitters Club by Ann Martin? Or did you enjoy the Babysitters Club graphic novels? If you did, and you are looking for something else in the universe, you can do the Babysitters Little Sister Graphic novel series. As it suggests, these books are for the younger crowd. Characters you probably know from the older formats, are here, but done in simpler text and context. Karen’s Roller Skates is book two in this series. It is a stand-alone tale, but it probably […]

Always be by my side.

Mommy Sayang by Rosana Sullivan

May 22, 2019 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The first thing I noticed about Mommy Sayang by Rosana Sullivan was that there was a fun cover featuring a diverse people. The second thing I noticed was that was some bold blue and I was envious of the girl’s curly hair. After opening I noticed that there was some fabulous gorgeous, lush, fantastically created illustrations. Each page is filled with more detail than you can see in one viewing. Just reading the art would not be a waste of time. Sullivan is an artist […]

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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