Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

If he wears a shirt, why doesn’t he need pants?

Make Your Bed with Skipper the Seal by William H. McRaven

by Leave a Comment

Make Your Bed with Skipper the Seal are the 10 steps/points that the author William H. McRaven learned while they were a human Navy Seal.  They have spoken about them at commencements and in several books for adults. This time, with Howard McWilliam creating the cartoon illustrations, they created a picture book that talks how a seal named Skipper becomes not only the best Navy Seal, but the best Seal he could be. The idea is that the little things are important such as how […]

Be the Hero

The Mythics #4: Global Chaos by Patrick Sobral and Patricia Lyfoung

by Leave a Comment

The Mythics #4: Global Chaos is obviously the fourth graphic novel in the series by Patrick Sobral and Patricia Lyfoung. One should read them in order, but thankfully there is a recap at the start that not only introduces you to the characters, but it also gives a recap of what has previously occurred. The aged (strong) 8 to 13-or-14-year-old might not be able to jump into the middle like this, but I was able to piece together enough to get the idea of things. […]

Existential Wisdom in a Small Package

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach

by Leave a Comment

I finished this book just before the new year, then immediately reread it and finished it again yesterday. I needed the time to process and absorb it. It has some of what I think would be considered postmodern elements, and I needed the re-read to help me separate the fiction from the philosophy of how to view the world. Richard (the narrator, not the author) meets Donald Shimoda while barnstorming: flying from farm town to farm town and taking locals for airplane rides. Donald used […]

A desi retelling of Austen’s Emma

Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron

by 6 Comments

Kamila has a pretty great life – a job she loves, friends she adores and who adore her, a wonderful dog, and of course Rohan, her childhood friend who’s always been by her side. Nothing needs to change. Right? Right? I adored this book. Partly because I love Austen’s Emma and enjoyed picking out its echoes here, but what sold me most on this book are the characters. Kamila is a heroine I loved rooting for, one who felt authentic with her joy and her […]

Food and Folks

Dumplings for Lili by Melissa Iwai

La Princesa and the Pea by Susan Middleton Elya

by 2 Comments

A local school was purchasing a few titles for their library. I was unaware of the picture books Dumplings for Lili and La Princessa and the Pea. Therefore, I gave them a quick peak when they came in. Both were two of the sweetest books I have read all year! (Okay, got the year joke out early.) These two books are a modern fairytale and a reimaging of a classic. Dumplings for Lili by Melissa Iwai is a lovely, illustrated book about a young girl […]

Dawson moved to the beach

The Beach House by Rachel Hanna

by 4 Comments

There is no sex in this book. Well, off screen there is sex if you count Julie’s husband and his mistress knocking boots in a condo in Boston, but Julie never gets to do the horizontal hanky panky with Dawson (really? DAWSON???). Instead, there’s a couple of chaste kisses in the epilogue. Rach, if I’m going to read a trashy romance novel, I want some, you know, romance. And s-e-x. Just before Julie and her husband are set to sell their Atlanta area home and […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo