Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Queen of Play Makes Everyone’s Day

Odder: An Otter's Story (Picture book) by Katherine Applegate and Charles Santoso

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I was in the right mood the other day when I found an online copy of Odder: An Otter’s Story (Picture book) by Katherine Applegate and Charles Santoso (the lovely illustrator). Because this book could be considered overly saccharine and too sugary sweet. And when something is overly sweet I can really be a real Scrooge and a Humbug it. Yet, I was in the mood for something sweet, cuddly that just might make you have a tear (or ten) in your eye. Due in […]

Know When to Fold

The Marrowbone Marble Company by Glenn Taylor

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When I grew up, the surfaces of my childhood were sand, scraggly Bermuda grass, and gravelly asphalt for roads.  My parents, who grew up back East, had skills that I never had an opportunity to learn as a child, such as roller skating.  Even learning to ride a bike was a fairly dodgy proposition.  And one of those old school skills, for my Dad, was shooting marbles.  I understand he was pretty damned good at it.  The “Marble”, in the title of this book, is […]

“Leave it to you?” “Yeah. I’ll take care of it for you.” A small smile broke across his face. “Wife.”

In a Rush by Kate Canterbary

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Sometimes I get really in my head about a book and lose the ability to string words together that convey my thoughts and feelings. Everything I’ve tried to write about In a Rush sounds overthought and boring, so I decided to go with the vibes the book brings to the function. The function being your reading place of choice. In a Rush leads with big marriage of convenience vibes that mask a strong “it’s always been you” core. Ryan has no subtlety when it comes […]

Yet another once-promising series traveling an unfortunate path

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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I came late to the Empyrean saga by Rebecca Yarros. I just read the first two installments, Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, about a month ago when I found them on Kindle Unlimited. Of course I’d seen them all over BookTok for the last couple of years, but I’d just never gotten around to reading them. The more people raved about them, the more resistant I became. (Honestly, I still haven’t read ACOTAR for much the same reason.) I thoroughly enjoyed Fourth Wing. I raced […]

Off Ice Problems

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

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In a Swedish small town miles from anywhere, the only source of local pride is a hockey club that, like the town itself, has seen better days. To many of the townspeople, the fates of the two seem inextricably linked. As the factories close and jobs leave town, the talent pool of young hockey players diminishes in proportion. So it’s understandable that the town’s leaders have gotten hooked on the idea that a rejuvenation of the hockey club could spark a turnaround for Beartown as […]

Don’t pass on these Passover books

An Invitation to Passover by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen and Mariia Kolker

Why On This Night? : A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration by Rahel Musleah and Louise August

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Both of the Passover books in this review are from February 2024, however, I still had online reader copies of both. The first, An Invitation to Passover by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen and illustrated by Mariia Kolker was read in full, while the second, Why On This Night? : A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration by Rahel Musleah, and Louise August was skimmed. With that said, both seem to be really good Passover stories. Olitzky’s story is a younger introduction to the […]



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