Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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For the nerdiest of word nerds

Why Q Needs U: A History of Our Letters and How We Use Them by Danny Bate

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CBR18 BINGO: You, a homophone of “U.” Also because I speak and write in English. Double Bingo! Diagonal: One, Map, You, 26, Or Four corners and the center: Left, One, Repair, Or, You I’m amazed that anyone whose first language is something other than English can ever master writing in this silly language. It’s so full of contradictions and spelling travesties that one has to wonder how we got to this place. Danny Bate has written a highly detailed account of exactly that. In the […]

Talking over a cup

Luli and the Language of Tea by Andrea Wang and Hyewon Yum 

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Luli and the Language of Tea by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Hyewon Yum   Available July 2026 for paper, hardcover avialalbe read via an online reader Once upon a time there was a little girl named Luli. She did not know a lot of English, and neither did the other children who are in the free care center they are at when their parents go to an English as a Second Language class. This made her sad as she is a friendly girl and likes […]

Where else can you find an alphabet book with Deceitful in it?

The Flip-Flop Alphabet: A Book of Word Choices book by Duopress Labs, Nathaniel Eckstrom

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Lately it seems like my really fun reads are all coming later than sooner. Take The Flip-Flop Alphabet: A Book of Word Choices book which is due November 2026. And here I have a reader’s copy in March 2026 making me feel that is is not fair to y’all to have to wait for this clever and fun alphabet book. The concept of using words more mature than those in a typical alphabet allows for the child’s growth and the introduction of new concepts. I […]

I really wish I could read Vietnamese because it’s really a neat looking language!

Mindful Tots: Loving Kindness (Bilingual Vietnamese & English) (Barefoot Bilinguals) by Whitney Stewart

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My book dealer from Barefoot Books is at it again. Several months ago I received a package of goodness (or books) and accidentally put it with my Christmas goodies, so I didn’t find it until recently. Then just the other day, I had a new package with more amazing titles. Between the two I found a few that I have read (but physical copies now) and many new ones. One of the new ones was  Mindful Tots: Loving Kindness (Bilingual Vietnamese & English) (Barefoot Bilinguals) […]

Book images came from the interweb, but I like them so used them so thanks to who posted

My Heart Speaks Kriolu by Stefanie Foster Brown and Keisha Morris

Piccolo by Dan Yaccarino

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For this review I am going to combine My Heart Speaks Kriolu by Stefanie Foster Brown and Keisha Morris, and the title Piccolo by Dan Yaccarino. Both are currently available but were read via an online reader. This combination is not because of their themes being alike. Or even their place being mentioned, but because they have a nice “other” to them while staying familiar.  both books are good books if you want something that will not be a surprise in theme, but is presented […]

“An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.”

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R. F Kuang

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1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to England by Professor Lovell, a mysterious Englishman who happened to appear at his mother’s deathbed . Once there, he trains for years at a grueling pace in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. (And yes, it’s a tower; subtlety, this England doth not have it.) Babel is the world’s center for translation and, more importantly, magic. […]



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