Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Remember, It’s YOUR prom; make it one to remember always!

Carrie by Stephen King

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

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I thought my prom was “bad” in that it all felt overhyped, my feet hurt the whole evening, I swear my hair ended up hurting from all the pins I had stuck in it, and I got into a fight with my friends at Safe Grad and ended up walking home from the high school carrying my prom dress in a backpack (I was supposed to get a ride home with said friends).  However, it didn’t end in flames or death so you know what?  […]

We Create Our Own Monsters

Carrie by Stephen King

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

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Carrie Carrie White is a high-school student who is an outcast. She lives with her religious fanatic of a mother and is very much alone. One day, while taking a shower in gym class, she gets her first period. Since her mother never taught her about the menstrual cycle, she thinks she is dying and starts hysterically screaming and crying. The other girls find this hilarious and start throwing pads and tampons at her, jeering to “plug it up”. Then suddenly, a lightbulb explodes. The […]

The Weight of Blood

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

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Wow, that a fun retelling of “Carrie” by Tiffany D. Jackson. She did her own spin on it, and incorporated many different elements that make it more updated. I have to say though, I wish that Jackson had followed along with how King chose to end Carrie. The ending on this one didn’t really work for me and it was honestly not realistic. It took me out of the story a bit. “The Weight of Blood” follows a podcast that decides to take on the […]

Blackout

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton

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What a great collection. I loved the idea of authors getting together to have characters set in the same place/time/date with them all spinning their individual stories. This was honestly lovely and I had no problem with any of the storylines. To have a young adult romance book starring mostly Black characters was wonderful to read. I started wishing for this to get turned into a miniseries. I miss really good romantic movies/tv shows. It feels like they have gotten out of vogue the past […]

How a victim is made a villain

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

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Three years ago, I reviewed Tiffany D. Jackson’s YA novel Monday’s Not Coming. It’s one of those novels that stays with you long after you’ve read it due to the tragic subject matter and Jackson’s excellent writing. Grown, published in 2020, is another powerful YA novel that tackles disturbing subject matter taken from today’s headlines. This time, Jackson writes a story inspired by R. Kelly and the abuse of young Black girls at the hands of a powerful and famous man. This is not an […]

White Smoke

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

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So I went back and forth on the rating on this one a few times. I thought that parts of the book just didn’t hang together very well. And the ending was so abrupt. It just didn’t work for me. I think this was a great homage to “Wait Til Helen Comes” though. I am not seeing the whole “Hill House” narrative some people said. The house in the story is not insane. Also quit comparing every black horror novel to “Get Out”. Once again, […]



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