Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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From India to Israel

The Blue Butterfly of Cochin by Ariana Mizrahi & Siona Benjamin (Illustrator)

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I like finding out things that might not be familiar to me, or to the majority of people if it is presented in a fun way, as I do not care for “just the facts” and “dry textbooks.”  I like things like The Blue Butterfly of Cochin by Ariana Mizrahi and illustrated by Siona Benjamin. (Currently available, I read this via an online reader copy). I like taking a fictional story and basing it in the facts to make it relatable to the reader.  This […]

The philosophy of tikkun olam

One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story by Victoria Tentler-Krylov

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Recently published (in August 2024), One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story by Ruth Spiro and illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov, explores the concept of Tikkun Olam, which has several meanings, but basically is to “improve your surroundings.” The authors afterwards is important because it not only helps expand on this idea, but allows you to know that while it is told via a “Jewish lens” in the book (authors words), it is not limited to this religion. Many religions and cultures practice this idea. The […]

Family celebration

A Turkish Rosh Hashanah by Etan Basseri

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I was reading A Turkish Rosh Hashanah (via an online reader copy though it has recently been released) by Etan Basseri and thought about The Light Keeper by Levin, Baslaw and Priestley. It is not because they have a similar theme, setting (one is set in Russian, one in Turkey), or even that the main characters are all Jewish, but it just had that feel of something familiar and yet, also different. It was sweet, interesting and a bit educational without being textbook-like. They both […]

Soap Opera Level Drama & Ghosts!

Rules for Ghosting by Shelly Jay Shore

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I happened across this title, and had to read the synopsis, and a queer trans Jewish ghost story was something I didn’t know I needed in my life until that moment. I knew this was going to be full of drama (who announces their affair at Passover Seder?!) but it’s also so full of emotional nuance. Ezra grew up as the eldest daughter and he had a lot of those tendencies baked in where he is always trying to fix things for his family and […]

That’s a bingo!

The Ex-Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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4.5 stars Smart Bitches Summer Bingo: Pets (Steve Rogers Goldstein plays a fairly major role in the book) CBR16 Bingo: Dreams (Shay has dreamed about having her own show on public radio for over a decade) Shay Goldstein grew up loving radio. She and her now deceased father would listen to radio together and even have their own pretend radio shows, so she is very grateful for her job as a producer at a Seattle public radio station, and is very happy with what she […]

It’s time for book roundup! Get along little bookies!

The Midnight Mitzvah by Ruth Horowitz

Bo Keeps the Beat: The Piano Pedal Problem by Andrew Bambridge

A Bold Pumpkin Plan by Katy Hudson

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It’s time for a book roundup! Each book is good for all types of readers and listeners. Not only that, they are nice companions to each other with their softer toned stories, illustrations and less traditional “action” stories. This mixture of books is one of the reasons why I love books. You never know what delightful treat you will find. The first and last titles are more traditional picture books, while the middle one has a chapter format and is part of a series. All […]



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