Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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One of My All-Time Favorite Works of Art

Fruits Basket Collector's Edition Vols 1-12 by Natsuki Takaya

Fruits Basket Another Vols 1-4 by Natsuki Takaya

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CBR15Bingo: Strange Worlds (Tohru becomes involved in the strange world of the Sohma family and there are supernatural events throughout.) The problem with writing a review of one of my all-time favorite series is that I mentally become that clip from a Lady Gaga interview (“Talented, brilliant, incredible amazing, showstopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference…”) and it makes it hard to summarize my thoughts beyond an incoherent shaking of the person listening […]

Too tropey high school survivalist story makes me feel old

Classroom of the Elite vols 1-5 by Yuyu Ichino, Syougo Kinugasa

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Classroom of the Elite might be a sign that I’m getting too old for some things. In particular, the high school set manga in which the kids are allowed to rule their schools, even to the extent of life and death (kind of but probably not really) competitions for status. The Advanced Nurturing High School (ironically named, at least to me) seemingly encourages a cut-throat atmosphere where the graduates are basically guaranteed good college, good job, etc. Naturally, most of our characters are in the […]

Turns out Tropes Can be Saved if Self Aware

Mission Yozakura Family vol. 1 by Hitsuji Gondaira

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So I read a preview chapter of this new mange last year, and later when I wanted some kind of mindless entertainment I went and got the published first volume of Mission: Yozakura Family. The premise is almost as goofy as the story: painfully shy and traumatized Taiyo can hardly function in school except with his childhood friend the pretty and popular Mutsumi Yozakura. It turns out she’s part of a family of spies and they end up “married” to save both of them from […]

The sword fighting is more interesting than the romance but not the point

Fence: Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan

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Bingo 20: Star I think I mostly like the comics better; the novels for Fence, including Fence: Disarmed, get too wrapped up in the personal drama. At least Fence: Disarmed fits the star square; part of the premise of the whole series is that Nicholas, the new(est) kid at King’s Row boarding school, wants to become a star fencer to impress his supposed father Robert Coste who is a major figure in the sport. Part of the problem though is that Robert may have no […]

Think a train might hit softer than these ladies

Wild: Or So I Was Born To Be by Cristian Castelo

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cbr14bingo Scandal Level 3 (the scandalous behavior) This first volume of “the Wild” series, is set in the late 1970s and is a coming of age on the roller derby track. Do not worry about winning, just try to stay alive, as you hallucinate, dreams and the rival teams after you. The ketchup, mustard and hamburger colors show in minimalist format, the gruesome ugliness of it all (and the spaghetti eating contest wall of shame). Cristian Castelo has a warp self of self. They made […]

My high school years were never this interesting

Thieves by Lucie Bryon

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Ella and Madeleine are two girls who do not really realize the other likes them. All Ella does is start sweat oceans when she admires her from a far. But due to a stupid drunken event, Ella wakes up one morning and learns that she has stolen some things from the party from the night before. Because of Ella’s BFF, she is tossed together with Madeline the day after, but is caught red handed with the stash. But before that Madeline has made the confession […]



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