Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

A little rain

Island Storm by Brian Floca

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Island Storm by Brian Floca and Sydney Smith is an interesting picture book. I read via an online reader copy and it is due later in July 2025. While the story itself was not my favorite, I really enjoyed the illustrations. They set the tone well, making action out of a piece of paper (or screen).  I was not sure how to say it, therefore I took the publisher’s description and had (I believe an AI program) come up with something. And that something is: […]

Puddles and Penguins

The Noisy Puddle: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons by Linda Booth Sweeney

No Huddles for Heloise by Deborah Kerbel

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I write my reviews before I post. I might miss a few things (I am a horrible editor for myself), but I try to organize my thoughts. But when I counted out my review for The Noisy Puddle, it was less than 170 words. To fill the quota I’ve added a fiction book to go with the non-fiction one. Besides, it’s twice the fun in one review! And while many probably will like the first book, if you’re like Heloise, you don’t always follow the […]

She climbed and protected so we all could enjoy

Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains by Anita Yasuda and Yuko Shimizu

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I am not a sports person. I am not an outdoors person. I am not a hiking person. And I am certainly not a mountain climbing person. I am a person who will read a book outside (but it’s a porch and there better be running water/bathroom and cool drinks nearby). And I am a person who will read a book about someone who is an outdoors, sporty, mountain climbing person. And  Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains by Anita […]

Two books. Two different adventures.

Campingland by Ame Dyckman

Team Unihorn and Woolly #1: Attack of the Krill by Alexis Frederick-Frost

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I follow Ame Dyckman on X (formerly Twitter). I think she is a hoot and a holler and most of her books follow that concept. They might not have her blue hair (or pink or yellow or …) but they do have spark and sizzle. And Campingland (illustrated by James Burks) does have spark and sizzle… and a skunk, a few squirrels, fish, buggies, marshmallows, hot dogs, a beaver and a very interesting way to go camping. This is a funny and cute way of […]

“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it.”

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

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After graduating from college, Chris McCandless vanished from his former life and took to the road. The next that his family heard about him was several years later, when he was discovered to have starved to death in the remote Alaskan wilderness. I love Krakauer’s writing, astute and lyrical, and the way he tells this story makes me feel like I’m peering into the abyss of mortality he describes encountering on his ascent of Devils Thumb. Into Thin Air is one of my favorite books […]

Everybody and Every Body Outdoors: Disabled Hiker’s Guide to WA and Oregon

Disabled Hiker's Guide to Western Washington and Oregon: Outdoor Adventures Accessible by Car, Wheelchair, and on Foot by Syren Nagakyrie

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I don’t live in the Pacific Northwest. I have been heard regularly saying, “Oh that sounds nice but, correct me if I’m wrong, sounds like that’s an OUTSIDE thing” when someone’s brought up the outdoors and why I have to just have to go hiking someplace or to see some lake or even just go… there. However, for some reasons I won’t disclose (because work) and some others I will disclose in a sec I came across Syren Nagakyrie’s Instagram account @disabledhikers which led me to their website which led me […]



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