Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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The new familar

The Princess and the Grain of Rice by Tina Cho

December 10, 2025 by BlackRaven 2 Comments

When I first started working at the bookstore, I decided I was going to collect Cinderella stories from around the world. I found so many I had to stop. There were just too many. Then I decided that I would read as many fairy tales as I could and only collect the ones that really hit the spot.  And what book hits a spot better than a Princess and the Pea story? Or more accurately  The Princess and the Grain of Rice. However, this time […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction, History, Poetry, Romance Tagged With: Asia, Asian, Country & Cultural, fairytales, folktales, korea, Korean, Princess and the Pea, princesses, queens, Social Themes, Tina Cho, Values & Virtues

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:548 · Genres: Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction, History, Poetry, Romance · Tags: Asia, Asian, Country & Cultural, fairytales, folktales, korea, Korean, Princess and the Pea, princesses, queens, Social Themes, Tina Cho, Values & Virtues ·
Rating:
· 2 Comments

I wrote a long review about two books and it’s longer than the books probably…

Sun, Moon, and Star: A Folktale from Korea. by Nancy So Miller

Beatrix and Her Friends by Anne Lambelet

September 29, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Folktales have always been a go-to read for me. I enjoy learning about other cultures and seeing how they have been interpreted. Plus, I enjoy comparing them with other cultures’ stories. One true folktale (it even says so in the title) is  Sun, Moon, and Star: A Folktale from Korea. The other, while not a pure folktale, I consider her stories to be folktale adjacent. It is a biography of Beatrix Potter, aptly named, Beatrix and Friends. Nancy So Miller took an established story of […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: adaptations, animals, Anne Lambelet, Asian, author, Beatrix Potter, Fables, Fairy Tales, folk lore, Korean, legends, myths, Nancy So Miller, rabbits

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:421 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry · Tags: adaptations, animals, Anne Lambelet, Asian, author, Beatrix Potter, Fables, Fairy Tales, folk lore, Korean, legends, myths, Nancy So Miller, rabbits ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Four books for the price of one review (and a lunch break filled with books)

The Peacock Who Howled with Jackals  by Nahid Kazemi

You Can't Tame a Tiger by Stephanie Ellen Sy

RJ and the Ticking Clock by Ian Duncan

Who Needs the Dark?: The Many Ways Living Things Depend on Darkness by Laura Alary

May 7, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The other day I found a few titles I was interested in via an email newsletter. When I looked them up to see if reader copies online were available, they had thumbnails of the images, but not the full  text. I read these introductions, but was hoping to find finished copies sometime in the future (as they are all summer and fall publications). The next day what to my wondering eyes did appear? It was eight tiny reindeer…. I mean, those four titles I had […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry Tagged With: animals, Asian, celebrations, darkness, earth science, environmental science, Fables, fathers, friendship, Ian Duncan, jackals, Julien Chung, Laura Alary, LGBTQ, lions, Nahid Kazemi, parents, Risa Hugo, school, Scot Ritchie, self-esteem, Social Themes, Stephanie Ellen Sy, Time

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:246 · Genres: Children's Books, Fiction, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Poetry · Tags: animals, Asian, celebrations, darkness, earth science, environmental science, Fables, fathers, friendship, Ian Duncan, jackals, Julien Chung, Laura Alary, LGBTQ, lions, Nahid Kazemi, parents, Risa Hugo, school, Scot Ritchie, self-esteem, Social Themes, Stephanie Ellen Sy, Time ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Based on a Japanese folktale

The Beckoning Cat by Koko Nishizuka and Rosanne Litzinger

April 30, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The cover of the online version of The Beckoning Cat by Koko Nishizuka and Rosanne Litzinger (illustrator) was what caught my attention. This white cat jumped off the screen and meowed “look at my colors, my odd grin and you know you want to read me.” I debated laying down as I was at work and a talking computer screen was more than I was ready for. But I went to get some air and read it a bit later. I would love to give […]

Filed Under: Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction, History, Poetry Tagged With: animals, Asian, Cats, Fables, Fairy Tales, family, folklore, Japan, Koko Nishizuka, Koko Nishizuka and Rosanne Litzinger, legends, myths, Rosanne Litzinger, Social Themes

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:231 · Genres: Children's Books, Cooking/Food, Fiction, History, Poetry · Tags: animals, Asian, Cats, Fables, Fairy Tales, family, folklore, Japan, Koko Nishizuka, Koko Nishizuka and Rosanne Litzinger, legends, myths, Rosanne Litzinger, Social Themes ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Her heart was American

Tokyo Rose - Zero Hour: A Japanese American Woman's Persecution and Ultimate Redemption After World War II by Andre R. Frattino

April 25, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The only reason that the graphic novel, Tokyo Rose – Zero Hour: A Japanese American Woman’s Persecution and Ultimate Redemption After World War II by Andre R. Frattino, is not a five rating is because of the illustrations. While it is understandable why they are in black and white, they were not my favorite things for multiple reasons. I know that illustrator Kate Kasenow did a lot of work on them. I appreciate the hard work, the time and even the final result to make […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Young Adult Tagged With: 1940s, Andre R. Frattino, Asian, Asian-American, Ethnic studies, Iva Toguri, Iva Toguri D'Aquino, Janice Chiang, Japan, Kate Kasenow, radio program, Tokyo Rose, United States, Wars & Conflict, women, World War II

BlackRaven's CBR17 Review No:215 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Young Adult · Tags: 1940s, Andre R. Frattino, Asian, Asian-American, Ethnic studies, Iva Toguri, Iva Toguri D'Aquino, Janice Chiang, Japan, Kate Kasenow, radio program, Tokyo Rose, United States, Wars & Conflict, women, World War II ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Boy: Part Two

The Boy From Clearwater: Book Two by Yu Pei-Yun, Jian-Xin Zhou and Lin King

December 10, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

About a month or so ago I read The Boy From Clearwater: Book One by Yu Pei-Yun, Jian-Xin Zhou and Lin King (Translator). At the time I didn’t think I would go onto book two, The Boy From Clearwater: Book Two, but something said I should and located an interlibrary loan copy from my local library.  Usually sequels are not as strong as the first book, but while I feel the first book was stronger in many aspects, this second book has strong pieces of […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Sports, Young Adult Tagged With: Asian, China, family, Jian-Xin Zhou, Lin King, political, Political prisoners, Social Themes, Twain, Yu Pei-Yun, Yu Pei-Yun, Jian-Xin Zhou and Lin King

BlackRaven's CBR16 Review No:591 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, Health, History, Non-Fiction, Sports, Young Adult · Tags: Asian, China, family, Jian-Xin Zhou, Lin King, political, Political prisoners, Social Themes, Twain, Yu Pei-Yun, Yu Pei-Yun, Jian-Xin Zhou and Lin King ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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