Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   
How the Rivermaid Grew Her Tale

Mermaids! Black Rapunzel! Fairy Tale Social Justice!

How the Rivermaid Grew Her Tale by Jessica Wilson, Sophie Bass

The Magic Callalou by Trish Cooke, Sophie Bass

September 12, 2026 by cosbrarian Leave a Comment

I picked up two fairy tale books to read that I didn’t realize had the same illustrator, Sophie Bass – and it turns out they go so beautifully together! The first is a folklore collection, How the Rivermaid Grew Her Tale and Other West African and Caribbean Myths by Jessica Wilson. This is aimed at an upper elementary/middle grade audience, but would be loved by anyone interested in folklore. Wilson offers a mix of traditional folktales (“How Anansi Became the King of Stories,” “Why the […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Short Stories Tagged With: african mythology, afro-caribbean, Fairy Tales, folklore, folktales, fractured fairy tales, Jamaica, jessica wilson, Jessica Wilson, Sophie Bass, Sophie Bass, Trish Cooke, Trish Cooke, Sophie Bass, West Africa

cosbrarian's CBR18 Review No:23 · Genres: Children's Books, Short Stories · Tags: african mythology, afro-caribbean, Fairy Tales, folklore, folktales, fractured fairy tales, Jamaica, jessica wilson, Jessica Wilson, Sophie Bass, Sophie Bass, Trish Cooke, Trish Cooke, Sophie Bass, West Africa ·
· 0 Comments

Some interesting bits but overall kind of meh fantasy

Iyanu: Child of Wonder, vol. 1 by Roye Okupe, Godwin Akpan

March 10, 2022 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

It may not be the best sign when the summary of a book on the back cover is more informative about plot and character than what’s in-between the covers. Iyanu has an interesting premise in that it’s based on Yoruba culture and lore; thankfully the story involves some local language (translated), and a small section of notes addressing the historical and mythological basis. Without these, this is a bland fantasy coming of age story. The orphan develops mysterious powers (chosen one, anybody?), a mentor who […]

Filed Under: Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Young Adult Tagged With: #fantasy, african mythology, comic book, coming-of-age, Godwin Akpan, Iyanu: Child of Wonder, mythology, Roye Okupe, Roye Okupe, Godwin Akpan, yoruba, Young Adult

CoffeeShopReader's CBR14 Review No:24 · Genres: Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Young Adult · Tags: #fantasy, african mythology, comic book, coming-of-age, Godwin Akpan, Iyanu: Child of Wonder, mythology, Roye Okupe, Roye Okupe, Godwin Akpan, yoruba, Young Adult ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Everybody please read this so I can have somebody to talk to about it.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy, #1) by Marlon James

February 18, 2019 by narfna 3 Comments

NB: I received a gratis copy of the book from the publisher but that has not affected the content of my review. “You want to know what’s my purpose? To kill the men who killed my brother and father, leaving a grandfather fucking my own mother. To kill the men who killed my brother, because they killed him because he killed one of theirs. Who killed one of his, who killed one of theirs, and on and on while even gods die. My purpose is […]

Filed Under: Fantasy Tagged With: #fantasy, african mythology, Black Leopard Red Wolf, epic fantasy, folklore, Grimdark, Marlon James, mythology, narfna

narfna's CBR11 Review No:21 · Genres: Fantasy · Tags: #fantasy, african mythology, Black Leopard Red Wolf, epic fantasy, folklore, Grimdark, Marlon James, mythology, narfna ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments


Recent Comments

  • bjornsnipe
    on “It’s like there’s something about me that just encourages people to want me dead. Probably my sparkling personality.”
    Oh, I know. I'm in Sussex County, and I have maybe two independent bookstores near me, and neither of them...
  • G.D. Giant
    on CBR BINGO: Craft—Author writing fanfiction of her own book!
    Oh, this is interesting. I had no idea she'd done this. I have the same feeling you do about the...
  • faintingviolet
    on “It’s like there’s something about me that just encourages people to want me dead. Probably my sparkling personality.”
    I am also in the northern parts of NJ (we must be pretty close, Paramus is about an hour east...
  • Malin
    on “It’s like there’s something about me that just encourages people to want me dead. Probably my sparkling personality.”
    Wow, you went to absolutely amazing lengths to get your hands on this book. I buy them in e-book, so...
  • Emmalita
    on Opus the Penguin Stories
    I love Opus!
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