Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Instagram
  3. Follow us on Bluesky
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • Getting Started in CBR18
    • Rules of Respect
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
    • About Cannonball Read
  • Our Team
    • The CBR Team
    • Leaderboard
    • Recent Comments
    • Participant Interviews
    • Cannonballer Location Maps
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
    • Star Ratings
    • Featured Review Archive
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • Donate
    • CBR Merchandise
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • 2026 Registration
    • Suggest a Review
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Social Media

I’ve got the butter knife blues

lues with a Butter Knife: The Unstoppable Music of CeDell Davis by Jason Peterson and R. Gregory Christie

March 6, 2026 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Out of all the music I enjoy listening to, Blues has never been a top one. However, I appreciate how it has shaped the music world. I appreciate the hard work, troubles that people had to overcome and how it represented (and still does) a world rich in culture. And yes, I like it, there are a few songs I have enjoyed, but it is not my “go to” when it comes to listening. With that said, I know a few of the big names, […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: African American & Black, Blues, CeDell Davis, Disability, Jason Peterson, Jason Peterson and R. Gregory Christie, music, R. Gregory Christie

BlackRaven's CBR18 Review No:78 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry · Tags: African American & Black, Blues, CeDell Davis, Disability, Jason Peterson, Jason Peterson and R. Gregory Christie, music, R. Gregory Christie ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Black womxnhood

Wash by Ebony Stewart

December 10, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Though available, I read via an online reader copy. I did not read all of the poems by Ebony Stewart in their collection Wash. This is because it is difficult to read poetry online for me and second, they were terribly intense and it was not something I really needed to immerse myself in at the time. However, I will find a finshed copy and just sit and read. Stewart has a passionate voice that needs to be slowly enjoyed. And I hope this does […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Religion, Romance, Short Stories Tagged With: African American & Black, Ebony Stewart, Women Authors

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:547 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Religion, Romance, Short Stories · Tags: African American & Black, Ebony Stewart, Women Authors ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Davis lecturing and marching.

Be the Light: How She Became Angela Davis by Daria Peoples

August 20, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Do you know who Angela Davis is? If you do, you are one up on me. I had never heard of them, or if I had it was just a footnote in history. And to be honest, Davis deserves to be more than a footnote. She needs her own thousand paged book. Instead I must settle for the clever picture book (currently available but read on line) Be the Light: How She Became Angela Davis written and illustrated by Daria Peoples. Davis was born in […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, History, Non-Fiction Tagged With: 20th Century, African American & Black, Angela Davis, Civil & Human Rights, Daria Peoples, Social Activists

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:363 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Children's Books, History, Non-Fiction · Tags: 20th Century, African American & Black, Angela Davis, Civil & Human Rights, Daria Peoples, Social Activists ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Their voices

Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience: A Young Adult Poetry Anthology by Amber McBride, Erica Martin, Taylor Byas and LLC Ashwin Writing

April 29, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore & the Black Experience: A Young Adult Poetry Anthology by Amber McBride, Erica Martin, Taylor Byas and LLC Ashwin Writing (photographer) is getting a lot of press. It will get a lot of awards and a lot more attention before things are said and done. And it deserves all and everything it gets. It is a very lovely collection of poems. We have contemporary poets and classical ones, too. You will know some of the poems and others will […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult Tagged With: African American & Black, Amber McBride, Amber McBride, Erica Martin, Taylor Byas and LLC Ashwin Writing, classics, contmpoary, diversity, Erica Martin, folklore, LLC Ashwin Writing, Own voices, Social Themes, Taylor Byas

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:224 · Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult · Tags: African American & Black, Amber McBride, Amber McBride, Erica Martin, Taylor Byas and LLC Ashwin Writing, classics, contmpoary, diversity, Erica Martin, folklore, LLC Ashwin Writing, Own voices, Social Themes, Taylor Byas ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Two reviews for you

Mary Had a Little Jam by Tammi Sauer and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Pencil  by Hye-Eun Kim

April 10, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

My recent picture book reading day included a lot of books. So many in fact that I had to break them into two different reviews. Also read and now included in this review were Mary Had a Little Jam by Tammi Sauer and Vanessa Brantley-Newton and Pencil  by Hye-Eun Kim. Well, Hye-Eun Kim’s book was more looked at than read as it is a wordless picture book. And still Pencil is something that I can write several words about. The fun part of this book […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: African American & Black, art, diversity, Environment, Hye-Eun Kim, imagination, music, nature, nursery rhyme, Performing Arts, science, Tammi Sauer, Tammi Sauer and Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, wordless picture book

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:186 · Genres: Children's Books, Comedy/Humor, Fiction, Poetry · Tags: African American & Black, art, diversity, Environment, Hye-Eun Kim, imagination, music, nature, nursery rhyme, Performing Arts, science, Tammi Sauer, Tammi Sauer and Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, wordless picture book ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Look forward with the words of Watson

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson and Ekua Holmes

March 6, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson was one of those books I had heard about, seen, but never really wanted to read. I mean, I like young adult literature, I like poetry and I like young adult poetry. However, I judged the book by the cover and theme. I assumed it would be some flowery “poor me” story. Instead, it is a truly strong and amazing short collection of poems that are relatable, informative and thoughtful. The language is lovely, but straight forward. […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult Tagged With: African American & Black, American Poetry, coming-of-age, Ekua Holmes, Girls & Women, Renée Watson, Renée Watson and Ekua Holmes, Social Themes

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:127 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Young Adult · Tags: African American & Black, American Poetry, coming-of-age, Ekua Holmes, Girls & Women, Renée Watson, Renée Watson and Ekua Holmes, Social Themes ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 5
  • Next Page »


Recent Comments

  • Tracy
    on “What is a river but an open throat; what is water but a voice?”
    I really liked this one.
  • Jennifer Fahie
    on I like you
    This review brought attention to a unique and engaging collection of poems. The commentary made the book sound both entertaining...
  • faintingviolet
    on Sex Cult and Wellness Startup
    It left me feeling bored, which is a problem. I'm glad that Pooja also rated it on the lower side,...
  • narfna
    on Sex Cult and Wellness Startup
    I almost added this to my TBR when I saw you were reading it, but I'm glad I waited for...
  • Emmalita
    on “You do not need to be afraid. You do not have to be good…You are the scariest thing in the woods.”
    I think there is more visibility for stories with older and middle aged women. I’m here for it.
See More Recent Comments »

Support Our Mission

  • Support Our Mission, Donate Today!
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo

The reviews and comments posted on this site reflect the opinions of individual posters and do not reflect the views of Cannonball Read.

© 2026 Cannonball Read Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) | Log in