Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A Cozy Story that Won’t Stress You Out

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

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I must have felt like I needed a book hug, since I chose this one, which was described as a cozy read. I’ve heard of cozy mysteries and have been curious about the quaint worlds they inhabit. To be clear this is not a cozy mystery, it’s a cozy story – a gateway drug of sorts into cozy mysteries. This is a story about Mika, a witch who lives in England. Mike meets with other witches, in a sort of bi-monthly support group, but members […]

Simon Snow’s Adventures Come to an End

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell

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I didn’t find Wayward Son quite as engaging as Carry On,  possibly because I was already familiar with the world of Simon Snow, or maybe I’m just not a fan of road trip stories. I still enjoyed reading it, and I did eventually feel fully engaged in the novel. It just took a little while for me to get there. The novel is set about a year or so after the events of Carry On. Penny and Baz are finishing up their first year of university, while […]

Don’t judge a book by its cover or an ogre by the crusty toenails

Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill by Maureen Fergus

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Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill was not, my favorite book I read during a picture book marathon. However, it was a book that I enjoyed because it took a familiar theme of, “Don’t judge a book by its cover or an ogre by the crusty toenails” and switched it up a bit. Maureen Fergus’s story is simple, Princess Pru has a great life. She has two overprotective dads, three tarantulas and an ostrich named Orville. But when the ogre moves in next door, […]

Orit Bergmana writes a book

Simon Says Good Night by Orit Bergman

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When I first saw the cover of Simon Says Good Night my first thought was that it was an awkward cover. My gut reaction was that it is a “cuter” version of a “Sambo” character (instead of the stereotypical dark character with exaggerated features, the skin was a light chocolate milk, with rosy cheeks giving it an Italian clown look). That alone actually made me want to read it, as I know I really should not judge a book by its cover. When I saw […]

I keep saying I’m not a horror reader, and yet…

Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! by Kanako Inuki

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I keep saying that I am not a horror reader. However, I am trying to go outside my comfort zone in reading, and that would include horror and manga. And guess what? Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! is both.  Not only are there several stories within this collection, Inuki (author and illustrator) has extras at the end talking about influences, an interview with them from several years ago, things that scare her, manga that they read and much more. There is also (at the […]

Little Seed, Big Heart

Little Seed by Benson Shum

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As of the writing of this review for Little Seed by Benson Shum, I have read six of their books, with the except of Holly’s Day at the Pool, and Alex’s Good Fortune written and illustrated by Shum; Go to Sheep and Hide ‘n’ Sheep by Jennifer Sattler (illustrated by Shum) or Sloth Went by Adam Lehrhaupt (illustrated by Shum). And while looking at what I needed to/had read I realized they are the author/illustrator of First Night of Howlergarten, which I really liked but […]



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