Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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On a Highway to Hell

Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson

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  This book was WOW…so good. It’s a book about grief, trauma, revenge…and vampires!! Taking place in the late 70’s as a backdrop, we meet Duane, a Vietnam Vet and bartender, who’s just trying to stay sober and help his wife raise their niece while her mother spends the rest of her life in prison. Life has taken it’s toll on the whole family–life above the bar that her parents own (instead of chasing her dream of writing and witnessing the man you love return […]

Fall in love with NOLA swamps

Grandpere's Ghost Swamp by Rachel M. Marsh

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I was immediately drawn to Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp because of its wonderful cover, and the synopsis absolutely sold it. I loved Basil trying to figure out what she wants to do for career day (which absolutely is NOT restaurant even though her parents believe she’ll be third generation!) while also dealing with the grief of losing her g’pere. But at his funeral, she sees his ghost and he sends her on a quest of sorts to learn more about their Cajun roots, and along the […]

The Sins of Parenting Weigh Heaviest in Everyone ?

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

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I spend a lot of time reflecting in my parenting, a little too much according to my therapist. But as my eldest daughter gently slams into her teenage years, I’m conscious of how my words and actions can impact them. My younger daughter being more emotionally honest and more easily vulnerable with me, while I have to be patient and emotionally open myself to give my eldest her space. Giving emotional space to them and having that honesty and openness with myself has taken time […]

“Nightmares do come true, but never in the shape you expect.”

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

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Shoutout to BookPage, the free monthly magazine found at all my local libraries, for recommending Taylor Adams’ Hairpin Bridge. This isn’t a book I would have picked up on my own, so it was exciting to expand my horizons with new-to-me author and a darker read than I’m used to. Overall this was a well-written, taut thriller with something meaningful to say about grief. The story begins like all good stories – in a diner. Lena Nguyen, a loner in her twenties, is seeking closure […]

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 […]

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 […]



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