Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Old fashion feel to a book of today

Sweeping Up the Heart by Kevin Henkes

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Sweeping Up the Heart is a cute little book by Kevin Henkes. Known mostly for his picture books, he has created some lovely middle reader novels. However, the adult reader will realize that they have seen the subject, the message, before. This is not fresh, but for the aged 8 to 10 (or even up to a younger 12) it is a nice story of change and friendship. The subject centers around loss (via death and divorce), friendships (new and old), family, and love. Our […]

For the love of all the things, correctly labelling genre and providing content warnings matters.

Always, in December by Emily Stone

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I don’t normally suggest reviewing a book while angry at it, but here we are. I should probably wait to further reflect on why I’m feeling this way. But. But I have already angrily thrown it into the return slot at the library and after four hours of being annoyed, and having it come right back to front of mind the moment I was done watching the finale of the Station Eleven adaptation I have decided to try to purge my anger into digital ink […]

Don’t give up the ghost

Sheets V01 by Brenna Thummler

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Sheets V01 by Brenna Thummler is an enjoyable story. It is a graphic novel that incorporates interesting ideas of life and death. The here and the afterlife have much in common. There are rules, groups, and even laundry. Thummler’s theme in 1997-1998 might have been fresher then, but now is slightly dated. We have seen the issues with family, friendships, not fitting and dealing with the everyday. Yet, this book is still a cozy read that works well for ages 10 and up. Marjorie is […]

Don’t have a grandfather? Go pick one out at your local senior home

Can You Whistle, Johanna? by Ulf Stark

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Can You Whistle, Johanna? by  Ulf Stark, translated by Julia Marshall and illustrated by Anna Hoglund was not what I expected of this English translation of a Swedish story. I thought at first it was going to be a book about a friend teaching another to friend (a female) to whistle. Or maybe a younger sibling some whistling techniques. Perhaps even, it was going to be some way to show that boys and girls are equal (everyone can whistle). Instead, it is about a young […]

be prepared to be hungry and sad all the time

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

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My friend Evin has the best description of this in her short review which helped solidify some of my confusion with the show: it’s “a beautiful meander,” as opposed to a narratively driven memoir as you might expect. Zauner takes us through the confusing, complicated relationship she had with her mother through the language that should be familiar to anyone vaguely well versed in the ways of the Asian immigrant parent: food. Descriptions of and names of food are everywhere–this is not a book to […]

Might not kill you but just might help cure insomnia

This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher

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When I was between ages 12 and 15-16, I would have devoured this young adult novel, This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher. It has everything: romance, love triangles, a good bad boy, murder, mayhem, mystery, red herrings, strange person in a mask, and metaphorical masks as friends have secrets. As an adult, I feel that this book was cliched, convoluted, with a too neat ending, and had an obvious twist. The characters were unlikable to my adult-self, but as a teen I would […]



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