June Reflections

Quality not quantity? Maybe. Mostly. I read twenty-four books in June.

Books reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews:

50. Maria. Michelle Moran. 2024. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy] 

51. Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine. Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin. 1958. 141 pages. [Source: Library]

52, Operation: Happy. Jenni L. Walsh. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [j historical fiction, mg historical fiction, animal fantasy] 

53. My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story. Georege Takei. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Nonfiction picture book, World War II]

54. Tree. Table. Book. Lois Lowry. 2024. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Books reviewed at Young Readers

76. Welcome to the Woofmore. Donna Gephart and Lori Haskins Houran. Illustrated by Josh Cleland. 2024. 80 pages. [Source: Library]  

77. They Call Me No Sam! Drew Daywalt. Illustrated by Mike Lowery. 2024. 224 pages. [Source: Library] 

78. Meatballs for Grandpa. Jeanette Fazzari Jones. Illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett. 2024. 40 pages. [Source: Library] 

79. The Boy Who Said Wow by Todd Boss. Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh. 2024. [April] 40 pages. [Source: Library] 

80. Board book: Tiny Bear Can, Too. Yusuke Yonezu. 2024. 16 pages. [Source: Library] 

81. A Fox, a Pig, and a Dig. Jonathan Fenske. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

82. The Squish. Breanna Carzoo. 2024. 40 pages. [Source: Library] 

83. How to Love a Kitten. Michelle Meadows. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] 

84. Dalmartian: A Mars Rover's Story by Lucy Ruth Cummins. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] 

85. Waiting in the Wings. Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. Illustrated by Eg Keller. 2024. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

Books reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

31. NKJV Spurgeon and the Psalms, Maclaren Series, Thomas Nelson. Devotions by Charles Spurgeon. Psalms by God. 2022. 548 pages. [Source: Borrowed]


32. Who are You? A Little Book About Your Big Identity. Christina Fox. Illustrated by Daron Parton. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy] 

33. (Preaching the Word) Deuteronomy: Loving Obedience to a Loving God. Ajith Fernando. 2012. 768 pages. [Source: Bought]


34. The Hiding Place A Graphic Novel. Corrie ten Boom. With Elizabeth and John Sherrill. Adapted by Mario DeMatteo. Illustrated by Ismael Castro. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library]

35. The Justice and Goodness of God. Thomas R. Schreiner. 2024. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

36. For a Lifetime (Timeless #3) Gabrielle Meyer. 2024. 400 pages. [Source: Library]

 

Bibles reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

12. The One Year Bible for Women. God. 2023. Tyndale. 1136 pages. [Source: Bought]

13. Thomas Nelson, KJV Giant Print, Red Letter, 544B. [Thumb-indexed] God. 1976. 1900 pages [best guess] Source: Bought

14. Berean Standard Bible, Holy Bible, (BSB) God. 2022. 1504 pages. [Source: Bought]

 Yearly and Monthly Totals

Books Read in 2024	190
Pages Read in 2024	51202
January
Books read in January	36
Pages read in January	6875
February
Books read in February	38
Pages read in February	9731
March
Books read in March	39
Pages read in March	6730
April
Books read in April	32
Pages read in April	9367
May
Books read in May	21
Pages read in May	10246
June
Books read in June	24
Pages read in June	8253

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

54. Tree Table. Book.

Tree. Table. Book. Lois Lowry. 2024. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: I am going to tell you three words. I'm choosing them at random. Listen carefully. This will be important. House. Umbrella. Apple. Remember those. I'll explain later.

My thoughts (preview): I kept this one waiting. I have absolutely loved Lois Lowry's work in the past. I have. Yet the title was odd--for me (though trust me, it works). The cover was not one that made me want to drop everything and read it. I wasn't quite sure what this one was about. I thought it would likely be worth reading...at some point. Lowry's books rarely disappoint me. 

In a way, I'm glad I waited to read it. Now I can tell EVERYONE go read this book and it will actually be available at libraries and bookstores. 

Premise/plot: What is this one about? Friendship. Friendship. Friendship. Friendship can be complex, nuanced, wonderful, perplexing. Young Sophie (our heroine) is VERY dear friends with a much older Sophie. The two have a wonderful, sparkling friendship--vibrant and delightful. Yet the older Sophie is beginning to 'show' her age, if you will. No matter how much young Sophie does NOT want to admit it, acknowledge it, accept it, things can't stay the same forever. This Sophie is not Sophie's only friend. There are others in her life that are DIFFERENT yet special. There is only ONE Sophie--irreplaceable. 

My thoughts: I purposefully kept the premise/plot on the VAGUE side. Because the JOY of this one is in the unfolding. The less you know about the specifics of the plot, the more you will enjoy the journey. You should know it is character-driven. This isn't an action-packed novel with twists and turns. Nor is it a thriller. But for readers who LOVE character-driven novels that are ALL heart, ALL soul, written with care and beauty, this one is a must. It breaks you, in a way, but it also mends.

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

53. My Lost Freedom

My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story. George Takei. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Nonfiction picture book, World War II]

First sentence: Hi, I'm George Takei, an eighty-seven-year-old actor.

Premise/plot: My Lost Freedom is a picture book biography for older readers. It is an autobiographical picture book of George Takei's time in several Japanese Internment camps during the Second World War. He was a young child--a very young child, just four years old. His earliest memories, his core memories, if you will, were formed in these war years. The picture book shares about this time in American history through a personal lens. It is personal yet broader than that. 

It would be easy to assume that this is a bleak, glummy, downer of a book. But it isn't. The book shares memories of his family life, his friendships, his community. I think he was young enough to not know just how unjust and wrong it was. Know might be a very poor word choice, feel to the depths of his soul might be better but more wordy. I think his memories would be different if he'd been twelve or thirteen when he entered the camp with his family. I also am guessing that his family chose to make the best of an absolutely horrible situation. I think they chose to make it as much a home as possible for their children. 

My thoughts: I didn't know what to expect from this one. I'd read a few books for older readers (middle grade, high school, adult) on this subject. These especially from older perspectives are rightly so angry and bitter. This may be the youngest 'memoir' perspective I've read. It does include plenty of general information about this time period in history.

Easily a five-star read.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

52. Operation Happy

Operation: Happy. Jenni L. Walsh. 2024. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [j historical fiction, mg historical fiction, animal fantasy]

First sentence: A dog is at the top of my wish list. I unwrap number three: a Monopoly board game. Then I pluck number five from under the Christmas tree: a Shirley Temple doll. And number two: a new Nancy Drew book. But number one is still very much missing. 

Operation: Happy is historical fiction--set around the Second World War--narrated by a girl, Jody, and her dog, Happy. Jody is used to moving frequently; her dad is a marine. Happy will be a constant in her life. No matter how many places, how many schools, how many friends she leaves behind--her and Happy together forever and ever. The family's newest home is [near] the naval base Pearl Harbor. Her mom--who is mentally and emotionally unstable--is fearful of the island. She has visions of great doom--even before they arrive on the island. Her daughters--Jody and Peggy--try to make the most of things. Sure Mom has horrible feelings about Hawaii but should they??? Jody may not share her mom's concerns exactly, however, she does begin to worry that Happy may die soon among other things....

This historical middle grade novel is set before, during, and after Pearl Harbor. It is told from both her point of view and that of Happy. 

My thoughts: I was NERVOUS. Dog on the cover: check. Set during a war: check. Possible foreshadowing in the first few chapters that the dog's health is declining: check. Would Happy survive to the end of the book? Would I be okay if Happy didn't???? Putting aside the dog issue, there is plenty of peril for the humans involved in this story. 

I am glad I read this one. I've been in a huge reading slump. I've lacked motivation to keep turning chapters. Maria and Operation: Happy are proving to me that I do still want to read.

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

51. Danny and the Homework Machine

Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine. Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin. 1958. 141 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Danny Dunn bent over a strange device that hung from the ceiling of his bedroom, directly over his desk.

Premise/plot: Danny Dunn loves to learn, experiment, invent. He's driven by curiosity. However Danny Dunn and his friends--new and old--don't like doing homework. In this "vintage" children's book Danny programs the Professor's computer [large, bulky, not user-friendly computer] to do their homework. This requires a LOT of programming, a LOT of extra work. He first has to teach the computer and then has to teach himself and his friends how to use the computer. Danny is under the belief that he is saving time by using a computer. The adults may be getting amusement out of this realizing that extra homework is what it really is.

My thoughts: This book does not age well....for better or worse. On the one hand, I do think vintage books can give you a glimpse into the past, a time capsule if you will. In this book and in the previous Danny Dunn book I've read, it's a glimpse into how THEY in the 1950s thought the future would look like. The first book I read Danny Dunn was about space and space travel. This one was about computers. It can be amusing to see how those living in the past imagined the future playing out. On the other hand, Danny Dunn's life is so out of place--so dated. I have a hard time imagining kids today reading about this super-ancient "advanced" computer that is "oh so miraculous" and "amazing." The story, the dialogue, the characters don't really age well. As an adult I was amused yet not particularly entertained. 

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

50. Maria

Maria. Michelle Moran. 2024. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: 
Dear Mr. Hammerstein,
It may come as a surprise that I am writing to you, as it appears that the theater industry believes I am dead and can now make up whatever they wish about me. 

Premise/plot: Michelle Moran's newest historical novel is a fictionalized account of the creation of the Broadway musical Sound of Music. Maria von Trapp, on whom the musical is in part based along with her family, was not happy with the script or characterizations. She believed--and tried to convey--just how wrong, how inaccurate, how nonsensical the changes were. She hoped--in vain--that by telling HER story and providing detailed notes (etc) that the script would be changed. This is the story of those interviews. Fran (a fictional character) is meeting with Maria and sharing what she learns knowing that the story is essentially set in stone...the musical is due to open in a matter of weeks. This novel also reveals Mr. Hammerstein's illness--this would be the last musical he would write before his death. 

The novel goes back and forth in time.

My thoughts: I love, love, love the musical Sound of Music. I have read at least one biography of Maria von Trapp. I can't remember if it was a biography written by another or an autobiography or memoir. I knew I *needed* to read this one. I found it a great read. I definitely recommend this one. 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews