Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


Join the CBR18 Book Bingo Reading Challenge—Now Underway!   

Just a family tradition

Cemetery Game by Alan Woo and Rachel Wada

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Cemetery Game by Alan Woo and illustrator Rachel Wada is due September 2026 and was read via an online reader.  And now comes the more fun part of the review, but also a bit tricky to write. I was not a huge fan of things. I liked the idea of culture, family and traditions, but it felt flat. I liked the presentation, but the illustrations felt off, like maybe a bit computerized or not fully human formed. Yet, this is a nice book. It introduces […]

“What sort of man would wish to murder the president of another land? None but a barbarian.”

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

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CBR15 BINGO: Politics, because it addresses U.S. and Belgian involvement in the Congo In 1959, evangelical Baptist preacher Nathan Price takes the word of God to the Belgian Congo, bringing his wife and four daughters with him. Though the mission is supposed to last one year, the family’s stay is extended through the sheer stubbornness and bad judgment of their patriarch and, while the novel spans 30+ years, the majority of it takes place in the few years that Price is actively proselytizing in a […]

His Holiness Pope Francis I stirs things up….

Francis The People's Pope by Ted Ral

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When I learned we had a Pope Francis my first thought was, “We have a Pope FRANKIE???” (And I mean no disrespect, truly I only have love here.) He caught my eye. Now I was curious who this man was. What was the hub-bub about? He was the fifth Pope I was alive for but only the second I was “aware of” (I knew of Pope John Paul II, as I remember the assassination attempt, but I was still a kid and not into politics). […]

Sleep tight after a grand celebration

Good Night Hanukkah by Adam Gamble

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Good Night Hanukkah is a perfectly detailed look in the board book format of the Festive of Lights. And while aimed at the baby to about four-years-old, anyone can appreciate it. Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper created a book that is highlighting each of the family’s personal celebrations. We see the special foods, songs, the Menorah, games played, gift giving and the meaning behind the celebration on every page. Katherine Blackmore’s illustrations bring it all to life with lovely colorful illustrations. From playing the Dreidel […]

If You Live Forever…Maybe Do Something?

Eternal Life by Dara Horn

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Eternal Life – Dara Horn Finished on April 7, took 13 days to read 2 stars on Goodreads Genre: Fiction Rating 2/2 Fiction Well, this was not a good book. Finishing this book convinced me that in addition to keep a list of books I want to read on Goodreads, I need to keep notes on who or what media outlet recommended books to me. That way I can actively avoid recommendations from those sources in the future if I end up disliking a book. […]

I never meet a Tomie book I didn’t appreciate

Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise by Tomie dePaola

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Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise is based on the Canticle of the Three Young Men or the Benedicite from the Book of Daniel and Psalm 148. Tomie dePaola has created a poem inspired by these Old Testament Scriptures but has a modern voice that only he could do. While the art does not immediately say “Tomie” it does have elements of his signature style. The fact it is also based on “embroideries and designs of the Otomi people from the mountain villages around San […]



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