Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

My love/hate relationship with surprises and how it lead me to finding a book to recommend

Dear Duck, Please Come! by Sarah MacKenzie

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I have a “Love/Hate” relationship with surprises. Especially if I expected to read something and something else pops up entirely!  I was going to read Because Barbara: Barbara Cooney Paints Her World  by Sarah Mackenzie and illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen, but when I clicked on the button to do so, Dear Duck, Please Come! by Sarah MacKenzie and illustrated by Charles  Santoso came up instead. So, me being me, I took it as a sign to read it. And actually, I’m glad I did. […]

“Actually though, uh…. I do need to use the bathroom after all.” 

Orchard of the Tame by Marlo Meekins

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The title of my review of Orchard of the Tame by Marlo Meekins and Nick Cross is that line from the book because it is funny and a counter to the rest of the book. There are several good one-liners here and there, but overall, the story is dark. Even sometimes physically, as the illustrations are all black with just some white spots. Or this could be because it was an online reader copy (by the time I publish this review, it should be available). […]

I read (almost) everything Barack Obama tells me to

This Other Eden by Paul Harding

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This Other Eden (2023) by Paul Harding is another book that I picked up because it was one of Barack Obama’s favorites of the year. Harding tells the story of a small group of people, some of them mixed-race, who lived on a tiny, rugged island (Apple Island) off the coast of Maine in 1911. The largest family was the Honey family. Esther and her son, as well as her son’s three children all live together. It is a hard existence, but they generally have what […]

Murderbot is back again

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

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I’m slowly working my way through the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. I think Fugitive Telemetry (2021) is the fourth or fifth Murderbot novella that I’ve read. Even though science-fiction is not my favorite genre, I’ve definitely enjoyed reading these books. They are funny, creative and exciting. The Murderbot is both impressive and relatable, and my science-fiction, loving friend is so happy that I continue to read these. On the other hand, I have a hard time remembering the details in these books, and especially keeping the […]

Exactly the Christmas/Holiday Stories I Need Right Now

Upon the Midnight Queer by ‘Nathan Burgoine

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They brought their own light, and found they were not alone. I am so grateful to have had ‘Nathan Burgoine’s Upon the Midnight Queer on my kindle the past two days. Burgoine is sharing his holiday tradition with us, Christmas stories that center queer folks. In each of the 11 stories, he reminds us that queer people have always existed and found community with each other. In a world that is often not safe for the different, we find each other and share our light. […]

Dogs slobber! They smell! They POOP! And they bark!

Dog Trouble by Kristin Varner

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Dog Trouble by Kristin Varner came up in my older online reader copies. I was at first not thinking I would read as I am a cat, not dog person, and the cover made me think I knew what was going to happen (a lot of chasing rowdy dogs that really aren’t cute but annoying and a kid who doesn’t “get” the seriousness of things). But it was more than that. At first things felt like “all the other books” about separated and/or divorced families […]



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