Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Mazywood by Tananarive Due

Mazywood by Tananarive Due

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Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not impact my rating or review. I have to say that there were definitely parts of this book that I loved, but on the whole, when Due moved to the present timeline following Johnny Washington and his family I kept losing interest. I think that it was because the sections following Mazelle Washington as a young Black star in the 1920s and then later on when Black women and men were starting to star […]

The series that currently has/will have 114 volumes in the US

One Piece, Vol. 1: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda

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As you know, occasionally I need a change of scenery on the weekends. So instead of looking at, working with and reading books at work or home, I go to the library to look at and read books and I have been known to straighten a section. And when I do, I never know what will come of it. I usually get in some fun people watching or listening (on this trip I heard this tiny voice, “Where are the chickens?”), looking at titles that […]

Duckie and Snaps are back

Duckie & Snaps V02 We Cannot be Brave by Ame Dyckman and Tim Miller

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Book two of the Duckie & Snaps series was due in early August 2026 but I read via an online reader copy well before that, but like many reviews, I didn’t post it until now.  And all I can say about We Cannot be Brave is that it is totally Duckie and Snaps. I guess I could say it is also pure Ame Dyckman. Which means both are really out there and both are goofy and sweet.  And I could add that the illustrator Tim […]

A colorful story from a colorful author

Midnight Manor: A Backwards Bedtime Book by Sid Sharp

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Have you ever read a book and thought, “Now what?” I did with Midnight Manor: A Backwards Bedtime Book by Sid Sharp (late September 2026; read via an online reader copy). There was a beginning, middle and end to the story, but I am not sure what to do with that. Sharp’s book is one of the most abstract solid books I have recently read. Sharp is the author of the quirky books, Bog Myrtle, and the The Wolf Suit to give you an idea […]

A lesser-known story by Goodnight Moon author

The Dark Wood of the Golden Birds by Margaret Wise Brown and Ofra Amit

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In 1948, a year after she rewilded the landscape of literature with Goodnight Moon, Margaret Wise Brown watched the love of her life fade to black. Michael Strange, born Blanche Oelrichs, had cast an instant spell on Margaret–outspoken, sophisticated, and self-possessed . . . Both women were born in the wrong century, bent on bending it to their will; both were accidental radicals, just by living unselfconsciously . . . Margaret loved Michael with unassailable devotion, and Michael was dying. So she did the hardest […]

Though I’m not the audience for this, I think y’all need to read

Balloon by Bruce Handy and Julie Kwon

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Sorry Bruce Handy, but I am not digging the mostly wordless text to the story called Balloon. It is Julie Kwon’s illustrations that captured my attention and kept me moving along. However, I love the story that inspired your book. I really love that your son named his cat Balloon in honor of the lost balloon. And yes, the cat of your daughter has an equally cool name. I love unusual names for pets and I can only think of a few other names that […]



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