This week I reviewed two books.
63. Thank You, Sun. Douglas Florian. 2026. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [children's poetry, 4 stars]
20. Connect: How to Grow Your Church in 28 Days Guaranteed. Don Corder. 2019. 233 pages. [Source: Borrowed] [3 stars, christian nonfiction]
Century of Viewing #36
1930s
- 1932 Movie Crazy. You have to be in the right kind of mood to watch really old movies. I was not in the mood apparently. HOWEVER, the premise does sound interesting...perhaps not original but interesting. Harold Hall (not to be confused with Professor Harold Hill, Harold Hill) wants to be in movies. The problem? He isn't an actor and he's terrible at it. He's good at making people laugh unintentionally. For whatever reason, when he arrives a movie star actress falls for him????? Definitely insta-something which I just can't fathom. He ends up winning the girl and I think getting to be in movies too but all because he's accidentally funny and goofs up all the time always. The plot is vaguely similar to Buster Keaton's Free and Easy. Though in that one, Buster's character did NOT want to be an actor...he only wanted the girl....a nobody from a small town with no talent whatsoever except incredibly bad taste in men. I don't see the appeal for Harold Lloyd. HOWEVER, maybe I just haven't found the right movie yet. I saw one or two last year that were very MEH.
- 1934 Evergreen. Musical. For better or worse. A daughter who resembles her mother (they are played by the same actress) 'returns' to London and enters show business posing as her beautiful, never-aging mother. She even pretends to have a grown son--but her and the fake son fall in love. So secrets can't stay secret long....but you can sing your way out of trouble if you're beautiful??? I'm not sure. I was expecting more of a resolution than a song and dance number, but that was probably asking too much.
- 1935 Call of the Wild. He's looking for gold...and finds love. She's looking for her missing husband...and finds a second chance at love. Her husband...well...I think he's just looking to survive. But he's thrilled to be reunited with his wife...he's clueless that this movie has been about his wife finding love with Clark Gable. He lets the girl and his dog go....
- 1951 When Worlds Collide. A sci-fi disaster movie from the early 1950s. This time it is NOT a meteor but a planet....or two....heading our way. An ark will be built--a rocket ship to save a selected few. I enjoyed this one.
1980s
- 1985 Back to the Future. Enjoyable. Fun. Nostalgic. Definitely enjoyed my trip back.
2020s
- 2023 Starved for Perfection. Every time I watch a Karen Carpenter documentary I hope for a different end. I tend to overthink and ask a lot of what ifs when I read or watch biographies. The one that stuck with me this time was what if fame wasn't a factor. Would she have found love and happiness and avoided the heaviness of life??? What if she'd been allowed to stay behind the drums and not forced out in the spotlight and into more scrutiny. What if she'd been 1000000% supported by her family? What if her brother hadn't been the only beloved child. BUT her music was and is wonderful. And that voice is unforgettable. And I'm guessing that HER tragic ending helped others avoid such an end. It brought awareness and knowledge. Lives may have been saved because people realized how dangerous this was/is.
© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
