Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A truly international and diverse magical school

The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

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CBR15 Bingo: Edibles – Dhonielle Clayton ramped up the concept of magical food to an almost absurd level, many sound down right hard to eat. Things like Jamaican patties that sing reggae when you cut them open and hummingbird cakes that fly around are two that stick out in my memory. A few years ago I discovered Clayton through her YA Belles duology, The Belles and The Everlasting Rose, which I thought were both 4 star reads. The Marvellers came to my attention due to the […]

An adult story with some triggers

Yerba Buena: A Novel by Nina LaCour

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Cbr15bingo Queer Lives, bingo Yerba Buena is a beautifully written and conceived novel about love and loss. Its two main characters, Sara and Emilie, have experienced trauma and tragedy at a young age. As adults, they are each trying to find their place in the world and perhaps find love with each other, but they still struggle with the ghosts of their pasts.  Sara and Emilie grew up in very different environments but share similar problems. Emilie’s family’s Creole roots are in New Orleans, but […]

Revisiting the Shades of Magic world with a captivating new story that also brought back fan favorites

The Fragile Threads of Power by V.E. Schwab

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CBR15 Bingo: Sex – V.E. Schwab does not include sex scenes in any of her books.  They tend to be more ‘fade to black’ moments.  However, I wish this book had more than just suggested sexy times! Several years ago when Schwab finished the original “Shades of Magic” trilogy, she left a door open to potentially revisit the series in the future.  Apparently inspiration struck and we now have The Fragile Threads of Power to build upon the first trilogy.  First off let me say that […]

Excellent short story collection

Walking on Cowrie Shells: Stories by Nana Nkweti

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CBR15bingo Africa This book was a finalist for the Caine Prize for African writing  This 2021 collection of 10 short stories, Nana Nkweti’s debut work, is a riveting read. Each story is thought provoking, some are shocking, all are brilliantly written. This is the kind of book you could read quickly but it deserves to be savored.  Nana Nkweti is a Cameroonian American writer, and her stories focus on the experience of being a “hyphenated American.” For some who have come to the US from […]

For the birds

Angel Catbird Vol. 1 by Margaret Atwood, Johnnie Christmas, Tamra Bonvillain

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Cbr15bingo strange worlds Yes, in this final month of CBR bingo I am in a rush to get as many squares checked off as possible. As a result, I am scouring our home bookshelves for anything that can help me fill in my remaining squares. Angel Catbird Volume 1 is a graphic novel that has been sitting on the shelf for years. I remember when it came out, I was kind of excited to see that Margaret Atwood had written it. I am a fan […]

“All it takes is one voice, singing in the darkness.”

Rainbow in the Dark: The Complete Saga by Comfort Love and Adam Withers

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Cbr15bingo nostalgia, bingo This 2013 graphic novel would fit a number of categories for bingo, but given its overall message, I am using it for “nostalgia.” Rainbow in the Dark takes place in a world that looks like ours but that has been taken over by a dark force called the Gloom. The people are unaware that they are in its grip until a band of warriors frees them. Their response to that freedom is what drives the narrative forward and makes the story relevant […]



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