August Monthly Reflections

This August I read twenty-three books!

Books Reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

50. The Knife of Never Letting Go. (Chaos Walking #1) Patrick Ness. 2008. 512 pages. [Source: Library]
51. Rash. Pete Hautman. 2006. 256 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, YA dystopia, YA fiction, YA futuristic; YA Sports]
52. Prey. Michael Crichton. 2002. 507 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book, 5 stars, adult science fiction, adult thriller]
53. The Best Bear in All the World. Paul Bright, Brian Sibley, Jeanne Willis, Kate Saunders. 2016. 115 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, audio book, Winnie the Pooh sequel]
54. The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins. Melanie Dickerson. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, clean romance, historical romance, Jane Eyre wannabe]
55. The Future of Us. Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. 2011. 356 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, YA fiction, YA science fiction, coming of age]
56. Paperboy. Vince Vawter. 2013. Random House. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, MG fiction, coming of age, MG historical, based on true story]
57. This is Christmas: Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits. 2023. 224 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, Christmas, music appreciation]
58. Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It's a Wonderful Life, America's Most Beloved Holiday Film. Emily St. James and Lauren Theisen. 2026. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [2 stars, adult nonfiction, essays]
59. The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster. Illustrated by Jules Feiffer. 1961/2011. Random House. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, children's fantasy, children's classic]
60. A Mismatch Made in London. Melanie Dickerson. 2026. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical romance, clean romance]
61. Old Man's War. John Scalzi. 2005. 318 pages. [Source: Library] [adult science fiction, 5 stars, military science fiction]
62. In the Red. Christopher Swiedler. 2020. [March] 288 pages. [Source: Library]
63. Thank You, Sun. Douglas Florian. 2026. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [children's poetry, 4 stars]

Books Reviewed at Young Readers

61. Pizza and Taco #11: Pizza and Taco: Scariest Sleepover Ever. Stephen Shaskan. 2026. 72 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, graphic novel, early chapter book]
62. One Mad Cat and the Missing Book. Vicky Fang. 2026. 64 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, early reader, early chapter book, animal fantasy]
63. Orris and Timble Star Stories. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Carmen Mok. 2026. 80 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, early chapter book, animal fantasy]
64. WhoHQ: The Beatles. Ellen Labrecque. Illustrated by Fanny Liem. 2026. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, j nonfiction, j biography, music appreciation]
65. Shy. Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. 2026. 52 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, animals, music appreciation]
66. We Are All Ears. Jonathan Fenske. 2026. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [beginning reader, 3 stars]
67. Hairy and Scary! Jan Thomas. 2026. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, humor, picture book]

Books Reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

20. Connect: How to Grow Your Church in 28 Days Guaranteed. Don Corder. 2019. 233 pages. [Source: Borrowed] [3 stars, christian nonfiction]

Bibles Reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

6. New American Standard Bible 1995, New Inductive Study Bible. GOD. 1995. 2296 pages. [Source: Bought] [Bible, bible review, 5 stars]

Totals for 2026

Totals for 2026
Books Read in 2026	157
Pages Read in 2026	38347
January Totals
Books Read in January	21
Pages Read in January	5119
February Totals
Books read in February	24
Pages Read in February	4225
March Totals
Books read in March	18
Pages read in March	4099
April Totals
Books read in April	16
Pages read in April	6386
May Totals
Books Read in May	11
Pages read in May	4067
June Totals
Books read in June	26
Pages read in June	4767
July Totals
Books read in July	18
Pages read in July	3239
August Totals
Books read in August	23
Pages read in August	6965

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #36

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....

1950s

• 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

Twenty Year Blogoversary

Becky's Book Reviews turns TWENTY today! Can you believe it?! In some ways, 2006 feels like yesterday, and, in other ways it feels like it's ages ago. Well, maybe not yesterday. But definitely not twenty years.

Your guess is as good as mine in terms of HOW many books I've reviewed over the past twenty years. I know I read a LOT more books at the beginning. My reading and reviewing has slowed down a lot since 2006!!! My love for rereading has only increased.

Knowing that I was going to be celebrating twenty years, I wanted to reread some OLDER books that I loved, loved, loved when I first started blogging. I wish I could have read twenty books that met this goal. I did not. I was able to reread seven books!

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Rash by Pete Hautman
The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Paperboy by Vince Vawter
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
In the Red by Christopher Swiedler

First book reviewed on the blog: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Last book reviewed on the blog: Thank You, Sun by Douglas Florian

Blogging has changed in twenty years. I started out the blog with a readership of me, myself, and I. And I think we're almost down to that again. I do consider it as more a conversation with either my past self or future self. I often check my blog to see if I've read the book...and if I have...if I liked it, loved it, or hated it. But there were a handful of years that blogging was a true community. Blogging may not be a thing much these days. BUT reading will always remain.





© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Century of Viewing, August

I watched twenty-one things in August! Two were K-dramas.

5 star movies and shows:

4-D Man
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Agent Kim Reactivated
Back to the Future
Daylight
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Strong Girl Nam-Soon
The Sunshine Boys

4 1/2 and 4 star movies:

Deluge (4 stars)
Top Speed (4 stars)
What's Up Doc (4 1/2 stars)
World's Greatest Lover (4 stars)
Starved for Perfection (4 1/2 stars)
When Worlds Collide (4 stars)



© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

63. Thank You, Sun

63. Thank You, Sun. Douglas Florian. 2026. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [children's poetry, 4 stars]

First sentence: Thank you, sun. You give us light. You shine all day until the night. You warm our planet as you burn--and ask for nothing in return.

Premise/plot: Douglas Florian's newest poetry picture book is Thank You, Sun. It is a book celebrating nature. Each poem is illustrated by the author. The poems are accessible and lovely.

My thoughts: I don't always read poetry but when I do...it is usually Douglas Florian. I really love his poetry. I am SO thankful to have found his works. Do seek him out if you're looking to add poetry books to your classroom library or home library.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews