Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


And you thought your Nanny was a strict monster!

The Sleepover: A Graphic Novel by Michael Regina

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cbr17bingo Black (the cover is mostly black and dark colors) The graphic novel, The Sleepover: A Graphic Novel by Michael Regina, reminds me of the RL Stine Goosebumps series or the Are You Afraid of the Dark? Series (or something similar as I know there are several thriller/horror reads out there).  Things are spooky, but not necessarily over the top, but also things are not for the sensitive reader. It deals with grief (death of a caregiver who was like a grandmother to the family), […]

“We all carry our special homes with us – in our backpacks and pockets, and in our hearts.”

My Home Is in My Backpack by Eugenia Perella

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cbr17bingo, MigrantMigrant: There are many ways to find a book when you work in a bookstore. One is finished copies sent out before the book is published. This way the bookseller can get the full feeling of the book. And I am very glad I was able to do this with My Home Is in My Backpack by Eugenia Perella (due in October 2025). An online copy would not  do this book justice. Clara and her family are forced to leave an unnamed home/homeland. They […]

You can’t solve every problem by throwing money at it

Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria

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4.5 stars CBR17 Pie Chart Challenge: Diversity   Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for this ARC. My opinions are my own. Ava is nursing her hurt feelings over the dissolution of her marriage in a hotel bar, when a handsome man approaches and offers to make her a better drink than the one she currently has (she made a face when sipping it). The man clearly has bartending experience, and after a brief conversation, Ava discovers that the charming man in fact owns the […]

“Join a commune!” they said.

The Gulf by Adam de Souza

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The Gulf by Adam de Souza was an interesting read. However, since I have read several similar titles, the theme did not WOW or “Hit me powerfully.” However, it was a great coming of age story with some interesting twists and turns. The concepts might be a bit mature for some readers, but for the most part the content is fine for at least thirteen and up. And as always, older teens and adults should read it as it has an almost all age appeal. […]

There’s a lot to unpack and my suitcase isn’t big enough

My Father, the Panda Killer by Jamie Jo Hoang

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After finishing My Father, the Panda Killer by Jamie Jo Hoang, I texted a friend to tell her I had finally finished the difficult book I was reading. It was difficult as the pacing felt slow to me and the subject is far from easy. The main character is the first generation to be born in the states after her parents fled war-torn Vietnam during/after the war. We, like the narrator Jane, learn about things in snippets with her having to fill in the blanks. […]

The grandfather, the boy, the guitar and the song

The One About the Blackbird by Melanie Florence

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Bring the tissues when you read The One About the Blackbird by Melanie Florence and illustrator Matt James (read via an online reader copy, due later October 2025). This is a bittersweet story of the love of a grandson and grandfather and how the tables turn as time goes by, but music always pulls them together. The story is about how a young boy is always surrounded by music. One night he tells his grandfather he, too, wants to make music like his favorite song […]



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