Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

If you want the sweet of The Snowman, look somewhere else

When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs

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How do you make a book about The Bomb and War beautiful? As Raymond Briggs or actually, read their graphic novel titled When the Wind Blows. This is not The Snowman with its whimsy and sweetness. This is a book that will make you laugh, be sad, have an off chuckle (should I really be laughing at these poor people?), then you will not stop crying. This is an amazing Anti-War story that is not for the sensitive reader, but is a must read to […]

The island might be unspoiled but some of its residents really stink…

Summer Shadows by John Harris Dunning, Ricardo Cabral, Brad Simpson and Jim Campbell

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The cover of Summer Shadows by John Harris Dunning, Ricardo Cabral, Brad Simpson and Jim Campbell is a tad misleading. It makes things look like a teen thriller in the line of a slightly darker Christopher Pike, RL Stine, or Richie Tankersley Cusick and the like. In other words, something from the late 1980s or early 1990s when I was a teen and actually reading realistic paranormal.  Instead of a “teeny bopper thriller with supernatural” we get sex, drugs, and vampires. We get some downright […]

When you’re Evil (ish) and make a mean latte

teenagers, self-esteem, good and evil, fame villains, by Kennedy Tarrell

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When I saw the cover of Evil-ish by Kennedy Tarrell I figured it would be in the fantasy genre and I hoped for a graphic novel. The graphic novel hinting covers have fooled me often of late so I was hoping I was not going to be disappointed and instead of a good, old fashioned graphic novel, I would find myself reading a (gasp! clutching pearls) a NOVEL! Actually, that hyperbole works well for this cute, fun, and cozy familiar story. Our main character is […]

The not so social media

Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez

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Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez has its moments, but I was not the audience, and therefore, most of the moments were lost on me. However, ages 8 to (young) 13 would really enjoy it. The modern themes keep it contemporary, but with a classically familiar feeling of the coming of age story. Gabby is 9 years old. She is an only child and precocious (it’s obvious why her parents were good with just one of her!). She is obviously a bit […]

Does this author ever write a bad book?

Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel

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Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel This graphic novel is not perfect, but it is darn close. There were just one or two small “bumps” for me. But overall fans will get a huge kick out of this. There is much happening and Bechdel uses their usual wit and observations to get the job done. Even if they cannot get the job of writing their new book or the TV script done. It is life during the years of 2020 to “now” (or around […]

The title I forgot, the book I enjoyed

Hummingbird Heart by Travis Dandro

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Have you requested a book from the library and when you get the notice that it is in you pick it up and say, “Why in the world did I want this book?” Well, I do that probably more than I should. However the kicker is, 8 out of 10 times I enjoy it. I think forgetting why one was getting an item/book is a good way to allow yourself to not go into something with any preconceived ideas. And Hummingbird Heart by Travis Dandro […]



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