Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

3 friends were the laughs never end

Bat, Cat & Rat #1: The Cozy Home: Three-and-a-Half Stories by Ame Dyckman

Bat, Cat & Rat #2: Vacation: Three-and-a-Half Stories by Ame Dyckman

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I like Ame Dyckman’s writing. I also like their online persona. They are a hoot and selfishly answer tweets and comments to her. You can count on a funny squirrel story, something about their fox in the yard, something the college kid said, or the husband shook his head at, as she colors her hair yellow, pink, or blue. And I love how she shamelessly promotes her own books! And that is how I learned of Bat, Cat & Rat #1: The Cozy Home: Three-and-a-Half […]

A word by any other name would still be reindeer

Ánh's New Word: A Story about Learning a New Language by Hanh Bui

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I thought at first  that  Ánh’s New Word: A Story about Learning a New Language would be more about the learning of English as a second language than what it was. Now, yes, it is about learning English, but it is also about learning how to be brave, how to have the courage to try and the idea of family being there for you. Anh is a young child who moved to the US from Vietnam and is living in a relocation camp with her […]

And you thought your job was soul sucking

Hunger's Bite by Taylor Robin

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I asked (texted) a friend the other day asking her, “Why do I find books almost a year before publication? Especially book one of a series?” She answered it was because I was in the early book business. Reader copies are machines to the future (publication of a book), but also they are the dynomite used to open the passages for the trains of reading in the first place. And if the found early book is a stinker, no problems. But when you find something […]

Tea for you and me

Tea with an Old Giant by Jane Yolen

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Sometimes when you find/see a book and/or title, you think it is one thing. You base that assumption on the cover image and/or the author and/or illustrator’s name. Or you base it even on other books you have recently read. And when you finally do read that book (I was lucky enough to have one of my book dealers send me a finished copy), they turn out to be different than expected. Now, a title called Tea with an Old Giant that has a giant […]

Beautiful reads

Seeker of the Truth: Kailash Satyarthi’s Fight to End Child Labor by Srividhya Venkat

A Song For August: The Inspiring Life of Playwright August Wilson by Sally Denmead

Love of the Half-Eaten Peach by Lee Wind

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I debated if I should write a review about three books I only read as samples. Yet, I realized that they are must know about and I do not think they will have any surprises when they finally come out.  All were read via online samples of the picture book. In mid-late July 2024 we will see Seeker of the Truth: Kailash Satyarthi’s Fight to End Child Labor. Srividhya Venkat’s book was the one that had the smallest sample, but I was hooked. Starting as […]

From Lima, Peru for Sunny City, California

Vampirita and the Angry Mob (Book 1): A Charming Tale of a Young Vampire's Adventure in California by Mariana Llanos

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Vampirita and the Angry Mob (Book 1): A Charming Tale of a Young Vampire’s Adventure in California by Mariana Llanos and illustrated by Laura Brenalla is the story of a “new kid in town” but has a slightly different twist to it with a vampire as our main character. However, the relatable issues of homesickness, not fitting in, and trying to be nice when you want to be anything but, is familiar. However, regardless of how much we know this story, the author has fun […]



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