Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Mom’s ups and downs

My Mom Is Like a Kite by Lisl H. Detlefsen

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While mental health issue stories are not new, even in children’s books, Lisl H. Detlefsen makes a fresh and creative work in My Mom Is Like a Kite. I assumed that the Mom in question would probably have highs and lows, but I did not expect them to be as serious as they are. I assumed this would be a lighthearted story about feelings, one that says even adults are happy, sad, scared, etc. You know, real emotions. This is partly because Nathalie Dion’s illustrations […]

Try to look away from the game of living and watching living

Spectators by Brian K Vaughan

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Spectators by Brian K Vaughan and illustrator Niko Henrichon is a train wreck I could not stop reading. This graphic novel (due late fall 2025) is in the vein of Revival by Tim Seeley and artist Mike Norton, and The Walking Dead but with fewer zombies and more ghosts.  When I finished my reader copy (and in fact through it) I thought it was the most screwed up book I’ve read in a while! DAMN! What an awesome read! There is so much going on […]

Brother where art thou?

Bringing Back Kay-Kay by Dev Kothari

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Cbr17bingo Borrowed (I borrowed from the library) Recently the title Bringing Back Kay-Kay by Dev Kothari came to my attention. It was published a while back, and since my local library did not have it, I had to request an interlibrary loan. I do not think I would have liked trying to read this as an online reader. There several twists and the pacing that would make it uncomfortable for me personal reading style. When I received the copy, I looked at it and thought […]

I recommend BINGO and this book

The Last Time We Spoke: A Story of Loss by Jesse Mechanic

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cbr17bingo Rec’d: Grief stories are not new, but each is unique to that person. The main thing I came away with from reading The Last Time We Spoke: A Story of Loss, is that the author (Jesse Mechanic) is human: selfish, loving, scared, fearless, angry and hopeful. They are both a reliable and unreliable narrator as they are telling the story from their eyes and over a 20 year period. The art is tone setting and allows us a peek into the mind of someone […]

“I’m such a loser in the game of life.”

Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall - from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness by Frank Brady

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I could not put this book down. Frank Brady’s Endgame covers the entirety of Bobby Fischer’s life, from his youth to his unglamorous end. Fischer is presented as a magnetic character, simultaneously pulling and repelling friends, opponents, and the public at large. Had Fischer not had his caustic personality, it is hard to imagine how high he could’ve ascended in his mastery of chess. However, he did have a caustic personality, as well as a hateful belief system, and a fascination with younger women. Outside of […]

An old 16 millimeter camera and a real fantasy world

Final Cut by Charles Burnsa

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I gave Final Cut by Charles Burnsa a four for the illustrations. They are complicated and straightforward. The story is complex to the point of almost not understanding it. There is no real action (unless you count the two couples who get down and dirty with some mad monkey love), yet a lot is going on. There is language, drug use, alcoholism, nudity, and vomit. There is actually a story behind why I wanted to read this book. And I have no idea what it […]



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