Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

One summer of food, friends, family

Speak Up, Santiago!: A Hillside Valley Graphic Novel by Julio Anta

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Speak Up, Santiago!: A Hillside Valley Graphic Novel by Julio Anta and illustrator Gabi Mendez is a story about friendship (even to yourself), family and finding your place. The cultural references, the ideas of community and more comes to life. The feeling is a younger The Misfits by James Howe, with colorful illustrations that brings Santi and his four new friends together.  In the end it is a cozy read that is both familiar and fresh. Santi is trying to come to terms with not […]

Two girls, couple mysteries and basketball.

Shirley and Jamila Save Their Summer by Gillian Goerz

Shirley and Jamila's Big Fall by Gillian Goerz

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When ten-year-olds Shirley and (new girl) Jamila meet accidentally at a local tag sale, their summer takes an interesting turn, one that neither expected it to take. They not only find a way to not go to the summer camps their mothers have signed them up for and find a bit of freedom, they also solve a case of stolen property and a missing gecko, not to mention they become friends. All of this and a bit more happens in Shirley and Jamila Save Their […]

Shake your Team Pom!

The Adventures of Team Pom V01: Squid Happen by Isabel Roxas

The Adventures of Team Pom V02: The Last Dodo by Isabel Roxas

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I have been trying to read The Adventures of Team Pom V01: Squid Happen and The Adventures of Team Pom V02: The Last Dodo for I do not know how long! I found an online reader copy ages ago, and when I recently uncovered it, unlike the others that are older and have been deactivated, these two never went away. And I am glad it did not, as Isabel Roxas has one funny story series on their hands. Publisher description says for book one: it […]

CBR Diversions – Beach Reads and GIFs Galore

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I don’t know about you, but I definitely need a diversion at the moment, so let’s do as we always do—turn to books. Specifically, the beach read.  You know the ones, the rereads or new reads that don’t require much effort to pay attention to, the ones that you can pick up and put down as you nap (or drink) by the pool or shore. What books are coming out this summer that you are waiting for with bated breath? Who’s got a pre-order of Carrie […]

CBR12 Book Bingo – Friendship

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

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Big Summer was not what I was expecting, but it was thoroughly enjoyable all the same. While the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads run the gamut from one to five stars, I wouldn’t swing too far in either direction. I feel this nicely fits in the three-to-four star range. It contains all of the elements of a fun beach read, even if some aspects feel squeezed in. Big Summer tells the story of Daphne Berg, a plus-size influencer, and Drue Cavanaugh, a nauseatingly beautiful socialite. Six years […]

Everybody said: so? As in so what?

Summer by Ali Smith

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The closing volume of the Seasons Quarter by Ali Smith. Arguably, this is the best or at least most impressive of the books, but I will get to that. The books are not sequels, so you can read them in any order. Instead, each novel focuses on a season (and things attached to that season) and generally try to capture the current moment (as of publication) while also trying to place things within broader contexts or connected thematic moments. So in this book, the absolute […]



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