Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Neshama would make a good name for a perfume

Neshama by Marcella Pixley

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Marcella Pixley’s poetic prose novel, Neshama, is one of those books I would have loved as a kid and good for the 10 and up crowd. However, as an adult, there were a few bumps. The themes are good: being yourself, standing up for yourself and forgiveness, but first, I’ve read several middle grade readers and a lot of books with the theme so it was a bit repetitive. That is why if you’re new/newish to the middle grade coming-of-age story it works perfectly. As […]

“Whaaaaaat????? That’s Dracula!”

Children of the Night (When Monsters Wake #1) by Victoria Setian and Savanna Ganucheau

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I went into reading Children of the Night (When Monsters Wake #1) by Victoria Setian and Savanna Ganucheau (illustrator) with little to no knowledge of the content. I saw it faced out at the library, knew I had it on my radar and said, why not check it out? I picked it up a few nights before it was due back to start reading, thinking that it was a graphic novel, how hard could it be?  Well, it was not difficult, but it was not […]

Female friendship

Rebis: Born and Reborn by Irene Marchesini and Carla Roncalli Di Montorio

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Because I have really wanted to read the graphic novel Rebis: Born and Reborn by Irene Marchesini and Carla Roncalli Di Montorio for a year now, I think I had too high hopes for it. The concept was good, but there was some execution of the final results for me. It was an interesting look at the concept of a woman’s place and how she is shunned, blamed, and used as the scapegoat when she does not “obey” the rules. This flows into how a […]

meditation

Ocean of Stars: The Beginning of Everything by Azita Ardakani and Rebecca Rebouche

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Ocean of Stars: The Beginning of Everything by Azita Ardakani and Rebecca Rebouche is due late September/early October 2026. It was read by me, via an online reader copy. It’s not a book that should be read once and forgotten. It needs multiple readers. Therefore, I cheat and give you the review of Robing Wall Kimmere that fits what I feel this book is about: “The luminous prose of Ocean of Stars offers an invitation to remember our fundamental kinship with the natural world. This […]

Once upon a time, there was a brave hero named…Grandpa

The Land of Unfinished Dreams by Marco Ventura and Marco Ferraris

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Most of my rating of four is for the fun images of Marco Ferraris in the graphic novel, The Land of Unfinished Dreams. However, the story, by Marco Ventura, had a few bumps, but once I got into things it flowed well. This was because Ferraris created images that help you see the action. The text (I am assuming) is translated which probably accounts for any issues I had to start with. In many ways, the  themes of the story are for teens and adults, […]

This isn’t your Happy Days Cunninghams

John of the Night by Darryl Cunningham

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Recently I have read two books that gave me such a stomach ache for all the right and wrong reasons. One of those was John of the Night by Darryl Cunningham. I’ve no idea what I read. But I liked it. I think…. On one level things are really straight forward. We have a superhero-Christ like figure who might be the Anti-Christ, or at least might be working for them as John could be either hero, villain or some combination of the two. Then things […]



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