Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Esperanza Rising: Powerful Historical Fiction for the Y.A. Crowd

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

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I was excited to read Esperanza Rising because Pam Munoz Ryan wrote perhaps my all-time favorite Y.A. novel, Echo. It did not disappoint. Munoz Ryan excels at crafting thought-provoking historical fiction for the fourth/fifth grade crowd…though I personally enjoy her work myself and think other adults would feel the same. In Esperanza Rising, she takes the reader to 1920s Mexico, still reeling from the Revolution. When tragedy strikes thirteen-year-old Esperanza’s wealthy, land-owning family, she is forced to depart from her beloved ranch to the fields […]

Two writers on an island

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

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CBR17Bingo: “G” I’m a fan of Emily Henry, and I’ve read most of her books, so when I saw she had a new one out: Great Big Beautiful Life (2025), I knew I would be reading it eventually. I thought this was an interesting read, although it’s not my favorite book by Henry. Alice Scott is a journalist waiting for her big break. Hayden Anderson is a pulitzer-prize winning non-fiction writer who is often grumpy. The two end up on Little Crescent Island vying for a job. […]

History, women, and books

The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes

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CBR17Bingo: “B” I first thought that The Boxcar Librarian (2025) by Brianna Labuskes might be a good present for my mother, since she was a librarian herself. But I wouldn’t give any book to my mother that I wasn’t willing to read myself, so I put a hold on it at the library. This book takes place around the Depression Era of the 1930’s, and the story follows three different women whose lives are unexpectedly intertwined: Millie, Alice, and Colette. Millie grew up on her aunt and […]

The review I date myself by my pop culture references or Scooby Doo and the Not so Masked Villains

Toxic Summer by Derek Charm

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The cover of Toxic Summer by Derek Charm looks like it would be a fun, summer romance romp. Maybe it would have some misadventures or possibly a monster that is a masked one, or even one that has a “is it or isn’t it?” thought. But instead, it turned out to be a bit cartoonish and not always in a fun way.  Still, if you like over-the-top antics, a bit of humor, and somewhat queer romance, this is the book for you. Of course, you […]

More Christmas and Yule please

The Legend of the Christmas Witch by Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza

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With the book, The Legend of the Christmas Witch, I wanted more about Christmas and less, well, witch. I understand that Dan Murphy and Aubrey Plaza wanted to build up to the climax, but it made no real sense to me why things were called Christmas. First, she practices Yule celebrations. Second, we only see her being impatient, spoiled and naive. We do find Christmas with a Santa character, who is the witch’s beloved twin brother who turns out to be a bit of a […]

When fear makes you small, friendship makes you tall

Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder and LeUyen Pham

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The book, Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by LeUyen Pham is a fun and sweet story dealing with the common themes of fear and bravery. We also have friendship and how that ties into overcoming the fear to be brave. While the themes are not new, the presentation gives things a fresh and clever take. The colors and details are rich, but not “too much” and allow focus on the story. The only real issue I had (since I read this due late […]



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