Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


And I thought it odd when my classmates when to NJ to visit family

Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins

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Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border is a contemporary story on several levels. Of course, it is first a Christmasstory. Maria, Juan and their mother are going to see their Grandmother. They take a long trip to see her. And they bring presents. And second, it is a story about a family that must be creative about how they deliver said gifts, as they are separated by the border, the fence and the Border Patrol. Yet, this is a happy story […]

Gone to the dogs

Antoinette by Kelly DiPucchio

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Antoinette is probably more a 2.5 than a three. There is something missing for me. Plus, the illustrations and I just are not meshing as I would have liked. Kelly DiPucchio is the author of the companion book Gaston as well as this one. If you do not know who Gaston is, that is fine. His story is told as needed to fit Antoinette’s story. However, you do not necessarily need to know who he was. But, of course, it does not hurt to have […]

Road trip

The Lost Cousins by B.B Cronin

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I found the hide-and-seek aspect a bit difficult in The Lost Cousins by B.B Cronin, therefore, this is more for the older child (5 to 8 or even older). However, it is suggested for slightly younger aged group. It will depend on the actual child and if there is adult help as well. Just announced as part of the NYT’s Best Illustrated Books of the Year 2019, it is described: “All great picture books make you see the world in a new way, but B.B. […]

When “smell the gunpowder you swallowed” hits you harder than you thought

Still Can’t Do My Daughter’s Hair by William Evans

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Still Can’t Do My Daughter’s Hair is another collection from the Button Poetry company. And while not all collections are for everyone and William Evans’ collection might not resonate with everyone, it probably has a broader appeal. Evans work is straight forward and (obviously) is poetic it is not “flowery” to not being able to understand the point. You see the amazing images come to life as he writes of life, death, love and being a black man in America. He speaks about his father […]

A violent, sad, but very satisfying ending (Triple Bingo)

Locke & Key, vol 6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

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#CBR11 Bingo: Not My Wheelhouse (horror) (Would also work for Illustrated) Spoiler warning! This is the sixth and final volume in the Locke and Key series. It is absolutely NOT the place to start. This review will probably contain spoilers both for earlier and this collection, so don’t read it unless you’re completely caught up. The first volume is Welcome to Lovecraft.  In this final volume, the Locke kids have to confront the evil that has been haunting their family for over a generation. If there was any doubt that […]

Would have liked there to be a stronger romance element

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

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4.5 stars From Goodreads, because it’s been over a month since I finished this: The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book. When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, […]



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