Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Old Oak falls and the next chapter

Thank You, Old Oak by Britt Crow-Miller and Amy Schimler-Safford

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What makes you pick up a book to read? I have many reasons, but with Thank You, Old Oak by Britt Crow-Miller and Amy Schimler-Safford (illustrator) there were three main reasons. First, I had a copy in front of me. This picture book was available and it had/has a nice cover so I was drawn to it. Two, I enjoy Barefoot Press books. I do not always love them, but I do appreciate them. And finally there was a piece of the title or the […]

“HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.”

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

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The philosopher Didactylos has summed up an alternative hypothesis as “Things just happen. What the hell”. There are some things that are Holiday traditions in my house; watching more versions of A Christmas Carol than is probably healthy, as well as The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and The Hogfather (seriously, the show is as good as the book). Baking copious amounts of cookies (and Guinness gingerbread loaves, blasting an over 1,000 song-long playlist, driving around seeing the lights, more hot chocolate […]

Losing Tom Hart’s heart

Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir by Tom Hart

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Rosalie Lightning: A Graphic Memoir by Tom Hart is an interesting look at grief. The author’s self-centered approach (meaning he is the center of the grief, how things around him come into his circle of emotions and trying to live) is both relatable and unique to his own experiences. Anyone who has lost a child (regardless of the age) can find parts of themselves. Seeing how weeks to a few months after the death of his almost two-year-old daughter came to shape him is touching […]

I found a new place to dwell

Heartbreak Hotel by Micol Arianna Beltramini

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Several books on my recent HBR (Have Been Read) list have had similar feelings and/or themes. And yet, each one is its own unique read. Heartbreak Hotel by Micol Arianna Beltramini and illustrator Agnese Innocente falls into this “alike but not alike” category. This coming of age story is similar to the stories The History of Everything: A Graphic Novel by Victoria Evans, Raging Clouds by Yudori, and The Flip Side by Jason Walz. Yet, it is also its own work and has its own […]

Topsy turvy and then some

The Flip Side: A Graphic Novel by Jason Walz

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The Flip Side: A Graphic Novel is an unusual book that has all the feelings, but not the ones you might think of at first. They are the ones that we can share simultaneously, but at the same time, each of us have our own way of dealing with them. The first is grief and the second fear. Jason Walz shows us this through the eyes of two main characters. One, a boy who lost his best friend to (assuming) cancer (or other similar illness), […]

“Oh, of course. Mediocre men receiving positions of power they haven’t earned because of their birthrights. How against the grain.”

Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain, 3) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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All Evie Sage wanted was a well-paying job to support her family that didn’t involve her boss attempting to sexually assault her. Now, she’s the assistant accomplice (she got a promotion!) to The Villain, the kingdom’s most terrifying figure. All her job was supposed to entail was “light paperwork and occasional beheadings,” but now, she’s knee-deep in torture, familial betrayal, a kingdom-ending (or saving) prophecy, and a flirtatious disaster with the boss. All while dealing with the fact that she may not be as sweet […]



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