Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


I wonder if they say, “Break a leg” for good luck in India?

The First Girl on Stage: Tunga Dances the Yakshagana by Shruthi Rao

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Are you looking for a good story about breaking the gender barrier with a subject not many might know about. The First Girl on Stage: Tunga Dances the Yakshagana by Shruthi Rao and  illustrator Devika Joglekar might be what you are looking for.  The girl of the story becomes obsessed with the dances she sees on stage. The swirling, the costumes, the colors, the excitement she copies all the time. At first, her family finds it amusing, then not so much, as she continues to […]

Dance like your ancestors are watching

I Am a Bon Dancer by Brandi-Ann Uyemura

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Recently I noticed that I have been reading a lot of titles that are similar to each other, be it the theme or the way it is presented. Therefore, I was hoping to find a few new themes or at least new ways of presenting them. In I Am a Bon Dancer, by Brandi-Ann Uyemura and Amy Matsushita-Beal (the lovely illustrations creator) the dance itself is a new way of presenting an old theme, but the idea of family and trying your best has been […]

Dance Dance Dance….

Emma & Capucine, Volume 1 by Jérôme Hamon and Lena Sayaphoum

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While I enjoyed reading the two parts that are inclined in  Emma & Capucine, Volume 1 by Jérôme Hamon and Lena Sayaphoum, I was not able to be WOWed by it. There is nothing new to the events or thoughts happening. However, it is still a nice coming of age story Part One. We deal with growing apart from an older sibling, dealing with a dream not happening, finding new dreams, parents learning to support rather than push for themselves, and jealousy. There are at […]

I think he liked to dance

Willi Ninja: Vogue Legend by Joy Michael Ellison

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When I need a quick read I head to my piles of reader copies. Sometimes I need to go to my online links and sometimes I have physical copies. This time it was an online reader copy for Willi Ninja: Vogue Legend by Joy Michael Ellison and illustrator Nabi H. Ali.   Due mid-May 2026 you’ll be just in time to learn about Willi Ninja and become inspired to dance like him in the hot summer nights. Yes, Mr. Ninja (not his real name) was […]

Enemies to lovers at a performing arts summer camp

Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday

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Why: Learning that I adore Jenny Holiday’s Christmas in Eldovia trilogy, Emmalita recommended that I should read Into the Woods and I’m glad I did! What: Into the Woods is a contemporary romance.  Wild Arts summer camp is in last minute need of two artists in residence for the July and August sessions.  Through acquaintances Gretchen Miller and Teddy Knight end up filling in for the dance and instrumental music programs respectively.  After an initial round of wrong impressions and then bonding through camp experiences, Gretchen and Teddy […]

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror

Pointe of Pride by Chloe Angyal

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I’ve been waiting for Pointe of Pride since shortly after Pas de Don’t came out. It did not disappoint. I had so much fun reading.  Carly and Nick have strong Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy vibes with their prides and their prejudices (masking insecurities) acting as barriers. They have a meet disaster and initially show each other their worst sides. And then Carly hears Nick talking about her in a less than complimentary way. Neither is in a good place emotionally at the start of the book. Carly feels like […]



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