Becky's Book Reviews: 2025

Saturday, April 05, 2025

Week in Review #14

This week I reviewed six books.

34. Dead Happy (HappyHead #2) Josh Silver. 2024. [May] 416 pages. [Source: Library] [YA fiction, YA dystopia, 3 stars]

Read this if...

You enjoyed HappyHead (which I reviewed in March)
You enjoy YA dystopias (this one is a queer dystopia)
You enjoy suspenseful survival stories

35. The Enemy's Daughter. Anne Blankman. 2025. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Historical fiction, MG coming of age, MG fiction, 3 stars]

Read this if...

You enjoy historical fiction; this one is set during World War I
You enjoy shipwreck stories
You enjoy coming of age stories with a strong friendship theme

31. Wrong Time Rooster. Michael Parkin. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [3 star, picture book, telling time, concept book, farms]

Read this if....

You are looking for a concept book about telling time set on a farm

32. Monti and Leo: A Mystery in Pocketville. Sylvie Kantorovitz. 2025. 80 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, early chapter book, friendship, animal fantasy]

Read this if....

You enjoy early chapter books
You enjoy early chapter book mysteries
You enjoy early chapter book series

3. KJV Large Print Journal the Word Bible. God. 1769. 2016 pages. Thomas Nelson Publishers. [Source: Bought] [5 stars]

Read this if...

You enjoy the KJV
You want a journaling Bible with LARGE PRINT and actual WIDE MARGINS

30. The Screwtape Letters. C.S. Lewis. 1942. HarperCollins. 224 pages. [Source: Bought]

Read this if...

You enjoy C.S. Lewis
You enjoy Christian classics
You enjoy Christian fantasy

Century of Viewing Week #14

1910s

1913 Mabel's Dramatic Career. This Mabel Normand picture provides perspective. Perspective on what other comedy shorts were like. Perspective on how other actors....act. If you've mostly seen just Buster Keaton--with or without Roscoe Arbuckle--then you don't really have a clear idea of the big picture. This one features Roscoe Arbuckle in a minor role--audience member in a movie theater. So essentially Mabel Normand is in relationship with Mack Sennett. The two are having issues. BIG issues. He's all flirty with other girls. His mother disapproves of Mabel. He asks for the engagement ring back. She cries. She begs. She fights the other woman. Etc. Years later he sees her IN the movies--on screen. She's now a famous star and he's ALL KINDS OF JEALOUS and regretful. He makes poor decisions. This short was so incredibly stupid. The acting was SO BAD. Like SO, SO, SO, SO bad. And Mabel Normand was supposed to be one of the best? Anyway, nice to have perspective in what early comedies were like.
1917 The Butcher Boy Roscoe Arbuckle and Buster Keaton (and Al St. John) star in this short. Roscoe and Buster both have vaudeville backgrounds. I believe Roscoe had been in the movie business since 1909? 1910? He meets Keaton and asks if he wants to give movies a try...and Keaton improvises his way right into Roscoe's next picture. Keaton has charisma and the IT factor for sure. The camera loved him. And the rest is history. As for plot, as I said, the story is mostly improvisation. Roscoe is 'the butcher boy' at a general store. Keaton is a customer. Al St. John is the rival in a love triangle.
1917 The Rough House Keaton and Arbuckle's second collaboration. Again starring Al St. John. (Al St. John, I believe, is Roscoe's nephew.) The plot is again a low priority. Buster plays a delivery boy in love with a maid....and eventually he becomes a cop. This one isn't my favorite or best. But it's not horrible.
1917 His Wedding Night is another Keaton and Arbuckle collaboration. (Again starring Al St. John). Keaton plays a delivery boy. He's delivering a wedding dress to Alice, Roscoe's girl. The jealous rejected rival, Al St. John, kidnaps Buster (dressed up in the wedding gown as model)....everyone thinks Alice has been taken. The race to the justice of the peace....leads to a surprise for one and all. Buster is a delight. It's very silly.
1917 Oh, Doctor! This one is definitely my least favorite Arbuckle/Keaton collaboration. Buster may commit 100% but it's not an easy sell even when you have as much commitment as Buster. Anyway, this one has Buster being a CHILD and Roscoe's son at that. To see a grown man act like a seven year old boy is a little much--short pants and all. And Roscoe's character is a rascal at that.
1917 Coney Island Another Keaton/Arbuckle collaboration. Roscoe is at the beach with his wife. Buster is on a date with his girl. But he doesn't have money to get into the amusement park. Al St. John steals Buster's girl. Roscoe, Buster, the girl (Alice), and Al St. John all end up in the amusement park/beach. Antics are had. It's HILARIOUS. Mostly. And Buster Keaton AS LIFE GUARD.
1918 Out West This one is close to being my favorite. I apparently ADORE Buster Keaton as saloon owner/sheriff in a top hat. This one is problematic for about two minutes--give or take. But most of it is delightful. Roscoe is a drifter who drifts into a western town--a small western town--that has a problem with law and order. There's a girl to be rescued, and drinks all around.
1918 The Bellboy Yet another Arbuckle/Keaton collaboration. This one has all three--Al St. John, Roscoe Arbuckle, and Buster Keaton--working at a hotel. Plenty of acrobatics and mix-ups. Overall fun.
1918 Moonshine Still yet another Arbuckle/Keaton collaboration. This one has Keaton and Arbuckle as revenuers hunting down bootleggers. Very meta. Very fun. Poor video quality. But plenty of laughs. Not my absolute favorite....but enjoyable.
1918 Good Night, Nurse. Another Arbuckle/Keaton collaboration. This one is mostly odd. Very surreal. Almost all of it is a dream. Keaton plays a WOMAN WITH UMBRELLA which is just fun. You never see his face. He's not meant to be "Buster Keaton" exactly. But he's unmistakable. This takes up about two minutes of screen time. Just a snippet of delight. Roscoe is a DRUNKEN MAN ON STREET trying to light up a cigarette. He befriends fellow drunks and brings everyone (and a monkey) home to his unhappy wife. To the NO HOPE SANITARIUM he goes the next day....Buster Keaton plays a doctor. Then it turns into a DREAM with all the weird/odd/surreal dream logic.
1918 The Cook is probably my favorite-favorite-favorite Arbuckle/Keaton collaboration. This one does star Luke the Dog. Roscoe Arbuckle is THE COOK and Buster Keaton is THE WAITER. There's dancing. Broken dishes. Unhappy customers. A robbery. A chase. SPAGHETTI. Plenty of fun to be had. This one is so enjoyable, so delightful.

1920s

1926 The General. I watched The General twice this week. First, I watched the CARL DAVIS soundtrack The General. This one is probably the most familiar to the most amount of people. This was my first time to see it. It is several minutes longer than the one I've been watching all these months. Second, I watched the WILLIAM PERRY The General. Carl Davis has multiple instruments. I'm not sure it's a 'full orchestra' mind you. But definitely a handful of instruments at the very least. The William Perry is just piano. I love, love, love, love the William Perry soundtrack. It lives in my head rent free. I adore it. I love everything about it. I had heard Carl Davis' soundtrack on Spotify a handful of times. So it is a little familiar. The movies are obviously mostly the same. But scenes have been re-arranged. I enjoyed BOTH. I see myself watching the Carl Davis one again-again too. So the story--if you haven't noticed it in any other week--is Johnnie Gray loves TWO THINGS....his engine and his girl, Annabelle. When both are taken by Northern spies (this is a Civil War drama-comedy-action-romance), Johnnie goes in pursuit of his love(s).

1930s

1935 Hayseed Romance is a Buster Keaton (talkie) short. It is WONDERFUL. No exaggeration. I watched it three times in one day. I made my Dad watch it before I even finished it once. It was just so WONDERFULLY funny. It had me laughing out loud in a handful of places. So a man, Buster Keaton, answers a want ad placed in a paper. Farm Help needed, object matrimony. But who placed the ad???? And will Buster Keaton suit!!!!
1938 Adventures of Robin Hood. This one stars Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. It is fabulous. Highly recommended. Soundtrack is awesome. Lots of sword-fighting and dashing adventures.
1939 Bachelor Mother. Ginger Rogers and David Niven star in this New Year's themed semi-holiday romance. Why did I watch it in the last part of March? Because it was going off Tubi on March 31! I will watch again-again when it comes back later in the year. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this shopgirl marries store-owner's son story. Sound familiar? It's essentially the same plot as IT (a silent movie) and BUNDLE OF JOY a Debbie Reynolds musical from the 1950s. So Ginger Rogers' character finds a baby on a doorstep of a children's home....she's assumed to be the mother....and her job depends on her pretending it is so. This one is FABULOUS and quotable.

1950s

1955 My Sister Eileen is a Jack Lemmon MUSICAL. Two sisters come to New York City. One wants to be a writer--and submits her work to Jack Lemmon's magazine--and the other wants to be an actress. Both sisters will fall in love....but not without obstacles. And the conga! It's enjoyable. I think this is the third time (in my life) that I've watched it. I do not own it. So I just wait for it to come around on Tubi.

1960s

1962 The Notorious Landlady is a Jack Lemmon movie. Black and white. Multiple genres. Is it a mystery? Yes. In part. Is it romantic comedy? Yes. In part. Is it COMEDY with slapstick elements? For sure. Does it have FRED ASTAIRE. Indeed it does. The last fifteen minutes of this one is a riot. Of the laughing sort I mean. If Buster Keaton didn't have a hand in this, then it certainly is almost influenced/inspired by his kind of antics. It was a HOOT. I mean a movie ending doesn't really get more hysterical than this one does. No matter how many times I watch it, I still LAUGH until it hurts.
1965 The Great Race is a Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon movie. Jack Lemmon plays a mustached villain. Natalie Wood plays a revolutionized woman. (This is a period drama). The 'race' is an automobile race. On paper, this seems like it would suit me just fine. In actuality, well, I want my time back. Seriously want it back. Still a little bitter a week later. I love and adore Jack Lemmon, I do. BUT NOT IN THIS ONE.

1980s

1980 Hollywood. 13 part documentary series narrated by James Mason. Each episode was on a different topic pertaining to early Hollywood. Twelve were focused almost exclusively on silent films. The thirteenth episode was about the transition to sound. LOTS of interviews with silent movie stars still living. Also cameramen and stunt men, etc. Definitely glad I watched it.

2020s

2025 The Lady's Companion. Not recommended. Not really. Oh I suppose you might like it more than me....if you like generic non-specified period dramas that do not accurately convey any period in history. If you are all about breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the narrator voiceover, if you like addressing the audience directly. If you don't mind modern music (like ALL BY MYSELF, etc.) blaring in period pieces. If you want modern values and opinions to be the norm in generic historic "past." If you don't mind smut. (I fast forwarded and/or kept my eyes closed and listened to the music to give hints of when it was safe to open my eyes again.)

Friday, April 04, 2025

35. The Enemy's Daughter

35. The Enemy's Daughter. Anne Blankman. 2025. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Historical fiction, MG coming of age, MG fiction, 3 stars]

First sentence: Marta leaned back against the ship's railing as far as she could go without falling over the side.

Premise/plot: Marta and her father are Germans aboard the Lusitania--secretly. Though not spies, they know that using their own papers to travel would be problematic--to say the least. They had been in America visiting family and now with the war--World War I--they are having difficulty traveling back safely. The sinking of the ship coincides with their discovery. Soon, Marta finds herself in England on her own. Her father is imprisoned and/or detained. Somewhere. She has no way of knowing where he is or what steps to take to find out where. Essentially on her own in a foreign country with whom she has some biases. Germany and England are at war after all. Germany is right all the time, isn't it? So what's a girl to do to survive without her identity becoming known?

My thoughts: I wanted to love this one. I did. I wanted to feel swept up, up, and away. I wanted to feel it to be an incredibly compelling stories where I cared deeply about the characters. And there is a chance--since reading is subjective--that it may be exactly that for another reader. I felt strangely detached from the characters and the story. I don't know if it was all me or if the book perhaps is more tell than show. (As opposed to more show than tell). One thing I can still appreciate is that Marta's friendship comes through a shared love of books. With that I can relate 100%. Books can build bridges across cultures, etc. And a shared love of specific stories can help encourage friendship to bloom.

Tuesday, April 01, 2025

34. Dead Happy

Dead Happy (HappyHead #2) Josh Silver. 2024. [May] 416 pages. [Source: Library] [YA fiction, YA dystopia, 3 stars]

First sentence: I used to like video games.

Premise/plot: Dead Happy is the sequel to HappyHead. Seb (Sebastian) and Eleanor are a 'couple' heading to the second phase of Happy Head, Elmhallow. Their 'relationship' is mutually convenient. They need to be a couple to succeed in the program, and perhaps even to survive long enough to escape the program. However, pretending 24/7 may prove challenging--especially for Seb. There are five couples--ten individuals--and they all want to win the competition no matter the cost.

How far will anyone go to 'win' when winning means going against everything you've ever believed to be right?

My thoughts: I'm conflicted. On the one hand, it was a compelling read. It was. I came into the story on the hooked side of things because of the first book. On the other hand, I'm just not sure the second book is *as* good as the first. It doesn't need to be. It doesn't. It felt like ONE book divided into two. There was less world-building and less suspense, in my opinion, than in the first book. The first book had more of a surprise factor, I suppose? That being said, I definitely cared enough to keep reading to find out what happened next....

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Century of Viewing, Month Three

In March, apparently, I only watched fifty-eight "things." Does that feel right? No. Not really. But I did have a cold at one point, and, I've been distracting myself by watching Buster Keaton themed music videos. (I may do a "top ten" list at some point). And I have been preparing to follow the second Karen Read trial--which starts in April. So that's a lot of legal videos on YouTube.

Sixteen were five-star movies. Some of these I watched multiple times throughout the month. A few of the movies I watched this month were LONG movies. I want to say at least two of them were three hours. Quite a few of these were MUSICALS.

March 5 Star movies:

The General (1926) Buster Keaton
Seven Chances (1925) Buster Keaton
South Pacific (1958)
13 Going on 30 (2004)
The Great Dictator (1940)
You Can't Run Away From It (1956)
What About Bob? (1991)
Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (1987)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
The Blacksmith (1922) Buster Keaton
Calamity Jane (1953)
Twilight Zone: Once Upon a Time, season 3, episode 13 (I believe) Buster Keaton (1961)
The Matrix (1999)
Sherlock Jr. (1924) Buster Keaton
The Cameraman (1928) Buster Keaton
My Best Girl (1927)

March's 4 stars and 4 1/2 stars:

College (1927) Buster Keaton
High Sign (1921) Buster Keaton
The Boat (1921) Buster Keaton
Allez Oop (1934) Buster Keaton
The Wedding Singer (1998)
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Miss Congeniality (2000)
When In Rome (2010)
Man of La Mancha (1972)
Ladyhawke (1985)
On Moonlight Bay (1951)
The Haunted House (1921) Buster Keaton
The Cook (1918) Buster Keaton
Suspense (1913)
Iron Man (2008)
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Doughboys (1930)
Free and Easy (1930)

March Reflections

In March, I read thirty-four books. Seventeen, I believe, were five-star reads. I read some AMAZING books. I also read my first one-star read of the year.

Books reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

21. Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century. Dana Stevens. 2022. 447 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction, biography, history, culture] [3 stars]

22. The Secret of Honeycake. Kimberly Newton Fusco. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [j historical fiction, j fiction] [5 stars]

23. Happy Town. Greg Van Eekhout. 2024. [October 22] 208 pages. [Source: Library] [j fiction, mg fiction, j dystopia; mg dystopia, speculative fiction; 4 stars]

24. The Rose Bargain. Sasha Peyton Smith. 2025. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [YA Fiction, YA Fantasy, YA Horror, YA Romance] [3 stars]

25. Daughters of Shandong. Eve J. Chung. 2024. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [adult historical fiction, coming of age, refugees, adult fiction] [4 stars]

26. To Say Nothing of the Dog. (Oxford Time Travel #2) Connie Willis. 1998. 512 pages. [Source: Bought]

27. One Wrong Step. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2025. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, mg historical, mg action, mg survival, mg fiction]

28. Famous Last Words. Gillian McAllister. 2025. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

29. Martian Chronicles. Ray Bradbury. HarperCollins. 1997 edition. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, science fiction, speculative fiction, classic, short stories]

30. All Better Now. Neal Shusterman. 2025. 528 pages. [Source: Library] [1 star, YA fiction]

31. How Sweet the Sound: A Soundtrack for America. Kwame Alexander. Illustrated by Charly Palmer. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, nonfiction, picture book for older readers, poetry, history]

32. HappyHead. Josh Silver. 2023. 383 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, YA dystopia, YA fiction]

33. Sunrise on the Reaping. Suzanne Collins. 2025. 382 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book!] [4 stars, YA dystopia, YA thriller, YA fiction, series book]

Books reviewed at Young Readers

21. George Washington's Spectacular Spectacles. Selene Castrovilla. Illustrated by Jenn Harney. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book biography, history, j nonfiction]
22. Lone Wolf Gets a Pet. Kiah Thomas. Illustrated by K-fai Steele. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, early chapter book, humor, animal fantasy]
23. Bruce Saves the Planet. (Mother Bruce series). Ryan T. Higgins. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, series book, 3 stars]
24. Hi, Cat. Bye, Cat. Jade Orlando. 2025. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars] [board books, cats]
25. Squash the Cat: Stuck in the Middle. Sasha Mayer. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, cats, jealousy, toys, picture book]

26. I Have Three Cats. Michelle Sumovich. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, cats, pets, 3 stars]
27. How To Make a Bedtime. Meg McKinlay. Illustrated by Karen Blair. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, bedtime books]
28. The Baby Who Stayed Away Forever. Sandra Salsbury. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, bedtime book, humor, family, 5 stars]

29. Bouncing Bunnies! Fiz Osborne. Illustrated by Tim Budgen. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book]
30. Will the Pigeon Graduate? Mo Willems. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book, gift book, inspirational, humor]

Books reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

20. A Promise to Love. Serena B. Miller. 2012. Revell. 332 pages. [Source: Bought]
21. Five Things Every Christian Needs To Grow. R.C. Sproul. 2002/2008. Reformation Trust. 135 pages. [Source: Free Download? Bought?]
22. How Can I Begin to Teach the Bible (9Marks) (Church Questions) David Helm. 2024. 64 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars
]23. A Book of Comfort for Those In Sickness. Philip Bennett Power. 1876/2018. Banner of Truth. 97 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars]
24. The Wages of Cinema: A Christian Aesthetic of Film in Conversation with Dorothy L. Sayers. Crystal L. Downing. 2025. 256 pages. [Source: Review copy] [philosophy, film history, biography; 3 stars]25. Sing!: How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church. Keith and Kristyn Getty. 2017. B&H Books. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]
26. 8 Bible Stories for Early Readers (Adventure Bible) Illustrations by David Miles. 2025. Zondervan. 248 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]
27. Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]
28. Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in The Meantime. Matthew McCullough. 2025. [May] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy] [christian living, christian nonfiction, 5 stars]
29. The Big Picture Story Bible. David R. Helm. Illustrated by Gail Schoonmaker. 2004. Crossway Books. 451 pages. [Source: Review copy] [5 stars]

Bibles reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

2. The Holy Bible, 1611 Edition, King James Version, 400th Anniversary, Hendrickson Publishers. 1611/2003. God. 1536 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars]

2025 Totals

2025 Totals
Books read in 2025	94
Pages read in 2025	20,397

January 2025
Books read in January	30
Pages read in January	7,020
February 2025
Books read in February	30
Pages read in February	4,782
March 2025
Books read in March	34
Pages read in March	8,595

Saturday, March 29, 2025

Week in Review #13

This week I read ten books!

29. Martian Chronicles. Ray Bradbury. HarperCollins. 1997 edition. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, science fiction, speculative fiction, classic, short stories]

Read this if...

You love science fiction
You love short stories
You love The Twilight Zone

30. All Better Now. Neal Shusterman. 2025. 528 pages. [Source: Library] [1 star, YA fiction]

Read this if....

You like to read boring stories with insufferable characters
You haven't spent enough brain cells thinking about COVID and pandemics

Read this if...

You want to get a big picture overview of the history of Black music
You enjoy poetry

32. HappyHead. Josh Silver. 2023. 383 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, YA dystopia, YA fiction]

Read this if...

You enjoy dystopias [this one is a queer dystopia]
You enjoy thought-provoking what-ifs [this one is about a monstrous mental health treatment center]

33. Sunrise on the Reaping. Suzanne Collins. 2025. 382 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book!] [4 stars, YA dystopia, YA thriller, YA fiction, series book]

Read this if...

You are a fan of the Hunger Games book series
You are a fan of the Hunger Games movie franchise
You don't require any happiness or hope in your fiction

29. Bouncing Bunnies! Fiz Osborne. Illustrated by Tim Budgen. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book]

Read this if...

You like stories with bunnies
You don't mind your rhymes a little forced

30. Will the Pigeon Graduate? Mo Willems. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book, gift book, inspirational, humor]

Read this if...

You grew up with Mo Willems' Pigeon series
You are looking for a replacement to Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss

27. Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Read this if...

You want/need help with your prayer life
You want to learn to pray the book of Psalms

28. Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in The Meantime. Matthew McCullough. 2025. [May] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy] [christian living, christian nonfiction, 5 stars]

Read this if...

You need encouragement and hope
You are a Christian. I do think everyone will benefit from this one.

29. The Big Picture Story Bible. David R. Helm. Illustrated by Gail Schoonmaker. 2004. Crossway Books. 451 pages. [Source: Review copy] [5 stars]

Read this if...

You enjoy bible story books
You want an overview of the gospel
You want to share the Bible with little ones

Century of Viewing Week #13

1910s

1918 The Cook Roscoe Arbuckle plays The Cook while his sidekick, Buster Keaton, plays a waiter. The restaurant may not pass inspection, however, guests may have a blast watching everything unfold. This short is essentially in three parts. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT AT LEAST THREE PERHAPS FOUR minutes of film are missing from this silent film. The first part features an open restaurant and an extremely viral dance sequence. The second part features a closed restaurant--as the staff relaxes to eat SPAGHETTI together. Each has their own unique way to eat these tricky long noodles. The third part sees the staff relaxing once again--mainly Buster and Roscoe and the girl. [I can't remember which Alice it is...since many of their shorts feature one or more Alices.] The short also features Al St. John as a burglar who ends up getting chased relentless by the scene-stealer, LUKE THE DOG. This is a JOYOUS, delightful short. I love, love, love, love, love the first two sections. I do wish we had the full film. I am EXTREMELY thankful that the film was recovered at all. It was thought to be completely LOST for decades. I do think the viral clips of Buster Keaton DANCING and eating spaghetti have probably helped to contribute to his appeal to the YT generation.

1920s

1921 High Sign is 100% silly and delightful and just zany fun. I adore it. I do. Buster Keaton plays HIT MAN and BODY GUARD. I don't think he meant to be either. He's an absolute terrible shot. [Al St. John guest stars in this one and is his accidental 'target.'] It all starts with him looking in the HELP WANTED section of the newspaper. He answers an ad and goes to see "Tiny Tim" at a shooting gallery. Highly recommend this silly short. It was the first of Buster Keaton's independent works to be filmed (in 1920), but, not the first to be released. He decided to release ONE WEEK first. It wouldn't be until the next year (1921) that he would release it.
1921 The Haunted House is again SUPER SILLY and enjoyable. Buster Keaton plays a bank teller. A beautiful woman persuades him to bend the rules just a little--as to when the vault could be opened. His day goes down hill from there....as not everyone in this town is honest...and Buster Keaton gets a little STUCK in an ooey-gluey mess....literally. He soon finds himself on the run and heading straight for the counterfeiter's hangout--a "Haunted" House. It's a hoot. At one point Buster finds himself sitting in a chair that is "alive." Anyway, again this one is super silly and fun. There are ghosts and skeletons and thieves.
1924 Sherlock Jr. Is Sherlock Jr. the perfectly perfect Buster Keaton movie? Probably. Definitely. Almost yes. I don't know why it took me so long to see it a second time. This was the first Buster Keaton movie I saw (January 3, 1925). It has stunts/gags; it has romance; it is surreal (movie within a movie); it has chases and explosions; it is funny; it is sweet. This was the film where Buster Keaton broke his neck....literally....and kept right on filming except for an afternoon break. He went to a friend's house for a DRINK [remember Prohibition was going strong] to help him get over his strange headache. I love, love, love the shy-timid-awkward character "Projectionist." I also love the bold, confident, dashing detective Sherlock Jr. I love the framework--putting all the surreal elements in the dream/movie sequence. (He dreams himself into the movie he's projecting.) The characterization is fun for both--but especially the dream sequence. The romance is sweetest in the real world, however. I love, love, love, love the ending.
1926 The General. Is The General Buster Keaton's best work? So hard to answer. I think it was definitely what he was PROUDEST of. As for me, I absolutely LOVE AND ADORE every single second of this action-drama-comedy-romance. There's not a single emotion that goes unexplored in this film. Johnnie Gray loves two things absolutely--his engine "The General" and his girl, Annabelle. When the enemy steals them both--though one quite by accident--what is a guy to do except steal them back! This one is set during the early years of the Civil War. I was able to see it six times in March.
1927 My Best Girl. Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers star in this romantic comedy. A shop girl falls--accidentally--in love with the store owner's son. He is "working his way up in the company from the ground up". He is using a different name, however. She can't help falling for him, and, it's mutual. The problem? He's technically engaged to someone else. (Someone who gets very little screen time.) Will these two overcome the obstacles in their path? This one has just enough slapstick to make me think that it is in fact a comedy too. Her parents are a HOOT. (Maggie and Joe are the character names.) These two would go on to marry in the 1930s. Charles "Buddy" Rogers is adorable. It was nice to see him in a comedy instead of a drama; the only other movie I've seen of his is WINGS (also from 1927).
1928 The Cameraman is perhaps Buster Keaton's most conventional ROMANTIC COMEDY. He falls hard and fast for a secretary (Sally) who works at a news station. She is the one who gives out tips to the camera men, those news journalists who go out and film stories and get footage of all the best stories. He has no experience as a cameraman, however, he'll do anything to be a part of her world. So he sells his camera--not a video camera--and sets out to be a cameraman. Meanwhile, he's wooing her. And SHE is smitten. Their date--from beginning to end--is MEMORABLE I tell you. However, obstacles persist as her favoring him--though inexperienced--might mean they miss out on the footage they need to give them a big story. Can he come through when it matters most? This film is GIDDY-MAKING. I believe it is missing a few minutes of footage as well.

1930s

1930 Doughboys is a Buster Keaton "talkie." He plays a rich man, Elmer, who accidentally finds himself enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War I. He thinks that he is entering an employment agency. His chauffeur quit unexpectedly and he's literally wanting someone to drive him home! He finds out a little too late that he's joined the army and there's no backing out of that commitment. For better or worse, however, he finds the girl he's interested in--Mary--is also there to entertain the troops. There are misadventures and misunderstandings...plenty of obstacles....this one had its moments. Some very memorable scenes. The ending was all kinds of STRANGE. I still haven't made sense of it.
1930 Free and Easy is another Buster Keaton "talkie." I believe it was his first talkie. He plays Elvira's agent. Elvira, the woman Buster madly loves, is being compelled by her overbearing, pushy mother to go to Hollywood to make it in the movies. Elvira falls (boo, hiss, boo, hiss) for a no-good Hollywood actor. She forgives him for trying to seduce her (lying to get her to go to his place where he's making all these proclamations with only one thing in mind; it is only her persistent tears and protests and ELMER bursting in the room with her mother that ends the situation.) HOW she could pick him over Buster's character is unfathomable. I suppose realistic. Only in that I think people make poor decisions all the time. PLUS there are plenty of times where love is just simply unrequited. His deep, true, pure love goes unrecognized and unappreciated. He loves her enough to let her go because her happiness is all that has ever mattered to him. As I said the first time around, the tears can be tasted. He may have personally hated being dressed up as a literal clown in this movie, but, his acting is SPOT ON. I mean he sells it. He does. I think this movie suffers for several things. First, I think there are scenes that could be cut. This is a movie about making movies. So it features lots of scenes from fake movies. This is fine in small doses. It is. Even humorous. Second, I think I would love it MORE if Elmer got the girl. But I will say this as a HUGE BONUS. Seeing BUSTER SING AND DANCE was wonderful. He could sing. He could dance. He could act. If the studio had valued him at all....oh the movies that could have been....should have been made.

1950s

1951 On Moonlight Bay Gordon MacRae and Doris Day star in this musical set in 1917/1918. It is a charming--dare I say quaint--family drama. The Winfield family has just moved...and their oldest, Marjorie, finds herself ready to give up baseball for boys...one boy in particular. A college man, William Sherman. The problem? He doesn't exactly "believe" in the institution of marriage. Her father does NOT approve of this 'wild' man. But her heart belongs to him and no one else. The sequel is BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON (which I watched in February).

1960s

1961 Twilight Zone: Once Upon a Time. Buster Keaton guest stars on The Twilight Zone. There is a framework to the story. The framework is an 1890s 'silent movie' story. Woodrow Mulligan is a bit cranky/grumpy about how life is unfolding. He is a janitor and his employers just happen to have invented a TIME MACHINE HELMET. He puts it on and goes to the future--the 1960s. There he realizes how good he had it. EVERYTHING is noisier, more crowded, more expensive. Just overwhelming. But his time machine breaks....can he get it fixed and return to the 'good old days'? I loved, loved, loved this one so much. It was wonderful. It was hilarious. The intertitle cards were a HOOT. I loved that Buster Keaton REUSED A SKIT FROM THE GARAGE which he had originally done with Roscoe Arbuckle. I loved that there are cop interactions in both.

1990s

1999 The Matrix is a Keanu Reeves science fiction movie. Obviously one I've seen numerous times before. I can't imagine anyone not being familiar enough with the basic premise. If memory serves I love the first film the best and it goes downhill from there? I think??? I will probably try to finish the series at some point this year. Probably. Maybe.

Thursday, March 27, 2025

33. Sunrise on the Reaping

33. Sunrise on the Reaping. Suzanne Collins. 2025. 382 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book!] [4 stars, YA dystopia, YA thriller, YA fiction, series book]

First sentence: "Happy birthday, Haymitch!" The upside of being born on reaping day is that you can sleep late on your birthday.

My thoughts (preview): Is Sunrise on the Reaping a necessary addition to the Hunger Games series? Maybe. Maybe not. Readers will most likely come to the book knowing both a) how Haymitch's story ends (as revealed in the Hunger Games book series) and b) Haymitch's Hunger Games story (the 50th Hunger Games). At the very, very, very least they will know Haymitch was the victor for Twelve during his year. There remains no way to keep suspense in the story.

Premise/plot: Readers who have [long] been fans of the Hunger Games will get Haymitch's backstory in greater depth. There are plenty of details to be filled in that haven't been revealed already.

My thoughts: I am SO CONFLICTED.

On the one hand, this is set roughly twenty-five (twenty-four) years before the first Hunger Games book. Readers catch glimpses of what life was like in Twelve when Haymitch was a teen. They get to know him before he'd touched a drop of alcohol. Readers see how life in the Capital is as well. MAGS. MAGS. MAGS. (You might say I was thrilled to get to see Mags again). Readers also meet a VERY young Effie Trinket. Another familiar character is PLUTARCH and, of course, President Snow.

On the other hand, there is something futile and hopeless about Sunrise on the Reaping. There is no suspense. EVERYTHING we know about Haymitch in the "present" (aka Hunger Games trilogy) leaves no doubt that the book cover-to-cover will be futile, meaningless, hopeless. No possibility for a smidgen of happiness or peace.

The plot itself is BRUTAL, brutal, more brutal, all bleak all the way.

There are no surprises. I mentioned twice now how the book lacks suspense. I think this is the nature of the Games. ALL the books that feature Hunger Games are going to follow a set pattern, formula, rigidity. There is nothing new under the sun. What allows for more unique storytelling is before and after. And again, readers know how the story is going to end--Haymitch bitter, angry, disturbed, apathetic, drunk, a waste. But what the book does is strip away the possibility of a happier Haymitch AFTER the third book. Perhaps this is because this is something the movie gives him that the book never intended? Perhaps this is Suzanne Collins way of saying IGNORE THE MOVIES, Haymitch is *mine*.

Several things to note: FIRST it seems that there is nothing new under the sun. I wouldn't be surprised if every year of the Games there's a few kids [at least] who try to rebel against the system and break the games and make a stand and whatnot. Katniss was not the first. Just the last.

Second, the book's greatest strength will be in CHARACTERS and RELATIONSHIPS. Readers know that the game will be brutal, bloody, bleak, ugly, horrific, psychologically damaging, twisted. But it is in how the main character is in relationship with others in the arena that matters.

32. HappyHead

32. HappyHead. Josh Silver. 2023. 383 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, YA dystopia, YA fiction]

First sentence: "I think it's down there," Mum says.

Premise/plot: Is HappyHead 'like Hunger Games' but better'? Maybe. So essentially this is a [queer] dystopian thriller with a strong emphasis on mental health. That is, to rephrase it, what if the 'mental health treatment center' was at the [horrific] core of the dystopia. What if the people entrusted with caring for society's most vulnerable, most at risk, were evil monsters. Sebastian, the narrator, is a young gay teen who is struggling with balancing pleasing himself [being true to himself] and wanting to please others. This isn't only about sexual orientation or identity. This is about him being a people-pleaser even when it is making him deeply unhappy. I think it is an also universal struggle in that age-old question: do I really want to be the person my parents want me to be?

So Sebastian (Seb) is one of many [a hundred I think????] chosen to take part in a mental health retreat. 'At risk' and 'troubled' teens applied for experimental therapy treatment 'HappyHeads.' They'll be put into teams and face challenges--literal at time: physical challenges, mental and emotional as well. What wasn't quite advertised is that this is a competition. Each participant has a ranking. To what extent 'rankings' matter remains to be seen....for most of the novel.

Readers meet the other participants....notably Eleanor and Finn. Finn is the 'bad boy' of his dreams. Eleanor is his 'partner' in pretense but also for tactical reasons. She's ranked HIGHLY and she seems to have an instinct for knowing what the powers that be want from the participants. Because Seb wants to please the powers that be, he finds it easier to go along with her.

Obviously there are secrets and twists and turns....

My thoughts: I found this to be a compelling read. Not at all my normal 'cup of tea' if you will. But unlike Hunger Games, there is no love triangle. AND it is not really focused on being a love story. It is much more in the 'dystopia' and 'coming of age' and 'thriller' camp than being a romance.

Unlike Hunger Games, the characters ARE IN THE DARK. The mysteries are true mysteries. The suspense feels more authentic that way. Hunger Games is very this-is-the-way-things-are. There is something rigid and strict about Hunger Games. The Games may be twisted, however, there's order and structure and HISTORY. This leads to plenty of info-dump possibilities. HappyHead is different in that Seb truly has no idea what is going on and what may be coming. None of the characters do.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

31. How Sweet the Sound

First sentence: Listen to the fireside chorus
of the motherland
to the talking drums
dancing beneath the golden sun
that beat a bold tapestry
of yesterday's stories
and tomorrow's dreams.
To the magnetic chants that welcome each day
and the praise songs that sing us farewell.

Premise/plot: Picture book for older readers. How much older? A lot older. The premise is simple enough: an overview or history of Black Music in America. The delivery is anything but simple. How Sweet The Sound requires a LOT of unpacking--which requires effort and diligence. NONFICTION POETRY. History is conveyed through poems. Poetry in and of itself requires a good bit of unpacking to appreciate. The lines are coded; in other words, each poem features many coded lines--insider code that requires unpacking. Meaning can only be clarified/understood if you're in the know. Each poem has a decoder, if you will, annotations that go into greater depth explaining most every word. If you don't read the back matter, then you've missed the point.

My thoughts: I read it the first time and skipped the back matter. I was not impressed. Not really. Sure I knew that my appreciation was expected, was required, was almost mandatory. (Some books are like that.) I decided that before I gave it a review, I'd reread it. I decided to start with the back matter. Would I recommend this method? Maybe. Probably. It wouldn't hurt. I would either a) suggest starting with the back matter b) suggest reading a spread/poem at a time and then flipping to the back matter.

I don't know that I love this one. I think in part because I keep wanting the book to be something else. Which is not at all fair. I'll try to clarify. I love, love, love, love, love reading picture books about jazz, for example. Fiction. Nonfiction. I have read many picture book biographies of black jazz musicians, for example. I've read picture book biographies of other musicians--not just jazz. This book isn't about one genre, or even a handful of genres. It is all encompassing. ALL genres, many centuries, many decades. There's some name-dropping here and there--mainly coded. But this is like a fly-over or skimming. It isn't a deep-dive. Poetry is a natural choice for the narrative. It is. It truly is. It makes sense in so many ways. Yet poetry is another barrier for me personally.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

30. All Better Now

30. All Better Now. Neal Shusterman. 2025. 528 pages. [Source: Library] [1 star, YA fiction]

First sentence: It was the wrong time to be living on the streets.

My thoughts (preview): Is this the worst book I've read this year [2025]? YES. So far at least. Why? Horrible premise. Horrible plot. Terrible characters.

Premise/plot: COVID-19 might be settling down but Crown Royale, a new virus is spreading all around. You either a) catch it and die (4% of cases?) b) catch it and your brain becomes well, Imagine-fied (think of the noxious John Lennon song, "Imagine." This is 96% of cases?) Those who catch it seem to want EVERYONE to catch it.

This story exists in propaganda-land and every character has a hammer or two. Readers never catch a breath from nonsense being shouted, spouted, thrown around, pounded, stamped, etc.

There are a handful of characters. Not a single character--well, not really--is likeable...or likeable enough. There are two semi-minor characters that aren't dreadful. But essentially it's a duel of propaganda between those wanting to spread Crown Royale (the happy virus that turns your brain to mush) and those wanting create a counter-virus that turns you into a....well....an emotional psycho. One virus strips you of choice and turns earth into "heaven." The other strips you of choice and turns earth into "hell."

There was not one scene, one character that made this book enjoyable or thought provoking.

My thoughts: I hated this book. I hated it so much. This is sad mainly because I have such WONDERFUL memories of reading and absolutely loving Neal Shusterman's books. Multiple of his I've rated five stars. I've always found them super-compelling, interesting, good, great even. This one was HORRIBLE. Unless you want to feel trapped in a nightmare surrounded by people you detest and can't escape.

29. The Martian Chronicles

29. Martian Chronicles. Ray Bradbury. HarperCollins. 1997 edition. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, science fiction, speculative fiction, classic, short stories]

First sentence: One minute it was Ohio winter, with doors closed, windows locked, the panes blind with frost, icicles fringing every roof, children skiing on slopes, housewives lumbering like great black bears in their furs, along the icy streets.
And then a long wave of warmth crossed the small town. A flooding sea of hart air; it seemed as if someone had left a bakery door open. The heat pulsed among the cottages and bushes and children. The icicles dropped, shattering, to melt. The doors flew open. The windows flew up. The children worked off their wool clothes. The housewives shed their bear disguises. The snow dissolved and showed last summer's ancient green lawns.
Rocket summer. The words passed among the people in the open, airing houses. Rocket summer. The warm desert air changing the frost patterns on the windows, erasing the art work. The skis and sleds suddenly useless. The snow, falling from the cold sky upon the town, turned to a hot rain before it touched the ground. Rocket summer. People leaned from their dripping porches and watched the reddening sky.

Premise/plot: Martian Chronicles is a collection of Mars-themed short stories. It has been published in several different editions. New stories kept getting added, for example, small edits here and there. The earliest stories are from the 1940s. Each chapter can (and does) stand alone. The stories do have a flow, and, perhaps some do depend on what has gone before. But there is not one main character. It doesn't follow a particular person or family.

This time around [I might have rearead this one a half dozen times or so] I read it from the Library of America edition (2021). It uses the *original* dates. And it includes all of the stories, I believe.

January 1999 Rocket Summer
February 1999 Ylla
August 1999 The Summer Night
August 1999 The Earth Men
March 2000 The Taxpayer
April 2000 The Third Expedition
June 2001 And the Moon Be Still As Bright
August 2001 The Settlers
December 2001 The Green Morning
February 2002 The Locusts
August 2002 Night Meeting
October 2002 The Shore
November 2002 The Fire Balloons
February 2003 Interim
April 2003 The Musicians
May 2003 The Wilderness
June 2003 Way in the Middle of the Air
2004-2005 The Naming of Names
April 2005 Usher II
August 2005 The Old Ones
September 2005 The Martian
November 2005 The Luggage Store
November 2005 The Off Season
November 2005 The Watchers
December 2005 The Silent Towns
April 2026 The Long Years
August 2026 There Will Come Soft Rains
October 2026 The Million Year Picnic

My thoughts on individual stories, and, first sentences from the stories

"Ylla"

They had a house of crystal pillars on the planet Mars by the edge of an empty sea, and every morning you could see Mrs. K eating the golden fruits that grew from the crystal walls, or cleaning the house with handfuls of magnetic dust which, taking all dirt with it, blew away on the hot wind.

A story told solely from the perspective of the Martians, in this case, a husband and wife. A husband has a very definite reaction to his wife's strange dreams. She dreams of a man, Nathaniel York, coming in a ship, in a rocket, and landing. The dream even tells her where and when. But her controlling and perhaps jealous husband has a way of dealing--for once and for all--with his wife's dreams.

"The Earth Men"

Whoever was knocking at the door didn't want to stop. Mrs. Ttt threw the door open. "Well?"

The story of the second expedition. Let's just say that the welcoming committee wasn't quite what they expected! First, NO ONE wanted to bother with them, then they were greeted by a strange assortment of Martians all claiming to be from Earth. And then....well, that wouldn't be polite of me to spoil it!
"The Third Expedition" (aka Mars is Heaven)

The ship came down from space. It came from the stars and the black velocities, and the shining movements, and the silent gulfs of space. It was a new ship; it had fire in its body and men in its metal cells, and it moved with a clean silence, fiery and warm. In it were seventeen men, including a captain.

This one is a classic short story that you may have stumbled across in another context from The Martian Chronicles. (I've heard two radio adaptations, for example.) And the title is self-explanatory. It is the story of what happens when the third expedition lands. It is the story of what they see and WHO they see. It is a story that stretches you, perhaps. But it's a good one!

"--And the Moon Be Still As Bright"

It was so cold when they first came from the rocket into the night that Spender began to gather the dry Martian wood and build a small fire. He didn't say anything about a celebration; he merely gathered the wood, set fire to it, and watched it burn.

And now we're on to the fourth expedition, the fourth rocket ship to successfully land on Mars. This time they manage to stay alive past the initial day or two or three. This is the story of what happens when one of the crew members, Spender, goes off on his own to learn the Martian culture, to explore the ruins, to explore the cities, to examine the artifacts and remnants of a culture that is gone with the wind. What happens next...well....there are a million reasons why readers shouldn't sympathize with Spender, but, like Captain Wilder, they may feel the pull all the same.

"The Settlers"

The men of Earth came to Mars. They came because they were afraid or unafraid, because they were happy or unhappy, because they felt like Pilgrims or did not feel like Pilgrims. There was a reason for each man. They were leaving bad wives or bad jobs or bad towns; they were coming to find something or leave something or get something, to dig up something or bury something or leave something alone. They were coming with small dreams or large dreams or none at all.

One of my favorite vignettes. For some reason it reminds me of John Steinbeck.

"Night Meeting"

Before going on up into the blue hills, Tomas Gomez stopped for gasoline at the lonely station.

There is something haunting and fantastical about this short story of a human and Martian meeting and not exactly seeing the same reality.

"The Fire Balloons"

Fire exploded over summer night lawns.

I first read "The Fire Balloons" in another collection of Ray Bradbury stories. I didn't, at the time, see it as being part of The Martian Chronicles. (And, in fact, it wasn't part of the edition I first read.) But now it is one of my favorite stories! In it two priests go to Mars as missionaries. One at least was expecting, was hoping, to meet Martians, to actually BE a missionary TO Martians, to an alien species. So when given the opportunity of going out into the hills and trying to communicate with blue balloon-like hovering creatures OR ministering to humans who have migrated to Mars, the answer is clear to Father Peregrine. But do the Martians need his church? This story has one of my favorite quotes:

"Father Peregrine, won't you ever be serious?"
"Not until the good Lord is. Oh, don't look so terribly shocked, please. The Lord is not serious. In fact, it is a little hard to know just what else He is except loving. And love has to do with humor, doesn't it? For you cannot love someone unless you put up with him, can you? And you cannot put up with someone constantly unless you can laugh at him. Isn't that true? And certainly we are ridiculous little animals wallowing in the fudge bowl, and God must love us all the more because we appeal to His humor."

"The Wilderness"

Oh, the Good Time has come at last--
It was twilight and Janice and Leonora packed steadily in their summer house, singing songs, eating little, and holding to each other when necessary. But they never glanced at the window where the night gathered deep and the stars came out bright and cold.

This is another story that I ended up loving. And it was new-to-me too, it not being part of the original. But in this story we meet two women who are about to travel to Mars to get married and settle down. (The men having gone first.) The story likens exploring and settling Mars to exploring and settling the Old West (places like Wyoming, California, Oregon, etc.) It is about how the two handle their last night on Earth.

Is this how it was over a century ago, she wondered, when the women, the night before, lay ready for sleep, or not ready, in the small towns of the East, and heard the sound of horses in the night and the creak of the Conestoga wagons ready to go, and the brooding of oxen under the trees, and the cry of children already lonely before their time?...Is this then how it was so long ago? On the rim of the precipice, on the edge of the cliff of stars. In their time the smell of buffalo, and in our time the smell of the Rocket. Is then then how it was? And she decided, as sleep assumed the dreaming for her, that yes, yes indeed, very much so, irrevocably, this was as it had always been and would forever continue to be.

"Way In the Middle of the Air"

"Did you hear about it?"
"About what?"

For better or worse this story exists. It does. I can see why some editions sweep it under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist. Is that the right call? Maybe. Maybe not. It concerns a racist family airing very vocally their views about 'a certain race' [the n-word is used throughout] joining the space race and going to Mars. It is a violent story. It is an ugly story. I didn't feel it enhanced the collection as a whole. However, it is what it is. And when the story was written racism WAS in play. It would have been written before the Civil Rights movement and perhaps gives one vignette of the times.

"Usher II" (aka Carnival of Madness)

"During the whole of a dull, dark and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher..." Mr. William Stendahl paused in his quotation. There, upon a low black hill, stood the house, its cornerstone bearing the inscription: 2036 A.D.

I remembered this as being one of the stories in A PLEASURE TO BURN, a Ray Bradbury collection celebrating the creative stories leading up to the writing/publishing of Fahrenheit 451. And it was first published as "Carnival of Madness." But it was also part of Ray Bradbury's book, The Martian Chronicles. And it is perhaps one of the most memorable of the collection. It is a true must read for anyone who loves Fahrenheit 451, for it continues on some of the same themes. I don't want to say too much about it really, because it shouldn't be spoiled at all if you want to get the full enjoyment of it!

"The Martian"

The blue mountains lifted into the rain and the rain fell down into the long canals and old LaFarge and his wife came out of their house to watch.

An elderly couple have come to Mars and one night they are surprised by the appearance of their "son" (who died and was buried back on Earth). Their "son" doesn't want to leave the house, and is enjoying his family too much to risk getting "trapped" by going into the city and interacting with others. This story is creepy.

"The Luggage Store," "The Off Season," "The Watchers," "The Silent Towns," "The Long Years," "There Will Come Soft Rains," and "The Million Year Picnic."

These stories, I feel, work best as a sequence showing what happens both on Earth and Mars when the worst happens--atomic war on Earth. In "The Luggage Store," one speculates that his business will improve greatly if the war happens, if the worst happens. He feels that everyone will want to go back home to Earth to be with their loved ones, to find out if their loved ones are okay, to try to piece their society and civilization back together. In "The Off Season" readers learn that the war has started and the destruction has begun. There is nothing truly comical about it, but, it does happen to be told from the point of view of a man who has just opened a hot dog stand. "The Watchers" shows the people leaving Mars to return to Earth--for better or worse. "The Silent Towns" and "The Long Years" are two stories set on Mars. The first, "The Silent Towns" is told from the point of view of a man who chose to stay behind. He's lonely, but not THAT lonely it turns out. He does meet one woman who stayed behind, but, he decides that his own company is enough after all. "The Long Years" sees the return of Captain Wilder, I believe, who discovers a man and his family. There is a twist, however, which prevents this one from being a happy story. "There Will Come Soft Rains" is a very, very, very lonely story where we get a glimpse--just a small glimpse perhaps--of the desolation and destruction of life as we know it in at least one human city. We see the ending of an era, perhaps. There are no human characters in this one. "The Million Year Picnic" resonates even more when seen back-to-back with "There Will Come Soft Rains." In this story, readers meet a family: parents and sons who have come to Mars on their own private Rocket--a rocket that has been hidden away for many years, a rocket that has been saved for a true emergency. We meet a father who has prepared for THE END in a big, big way.

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Week in Review #12

This week I read nine books!

26. To Say Nothing of the Dog. (Oxford Time Travel #2) Connie Willis. 1998. 512 pages. [Source: Bought]

Read this if...

You enjoy TIME TRAVEL
You enjoy VICTORIAN ENGLAND
You enjoy mysteries/detective fiction especially that of Dorothy Sayers
You enjoy romance with banter

27. One Wrong Step. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2025. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, mg historical, mg action, mg survival, mg fiction]

Read this if...

You enjoy coming of age stories AND survival/peril stories
You enjoy historical fiction set in the 1930s
You enjoy adventure/survival stories, especially mountain climbing stories

28. Famous Last Words. Gillian McAllister. 2025. 336 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

Read this if...

You don't require thrills in your thriller
You like predictable twists and turns
You enjoy dull characters

26. I Have Three Cats. Michelle Sumovich. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, cats, pets, 3 stars]

Read this if...

You enjoy cats
You enjoy slow-thaw stories (the main character is grumpy towards the cat at first)

27. How To Make a Bedtime. Meg McKinlay. Illustrated by Karen Blair. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, bedtime books]

Read this if...
You enjoy bedtime stories
You don't mind mixed families--BEARS AND HUMANS

28. The Baby Who Stayed Away Forever. Sandra Salsbury. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, bedtime book, humor, family, 5 stars]

Read this if...

You enjoy humorous stories about situations that are far from funny *if* you are still in the midst of them
You enjoy BABIES with lots of personality and spunk

25. Sing!: How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church. Keith and Kristyn Getty. 2017. B&H Books. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Read this if...

You love hymns and worship songs
You don't love hymns and worship songs
You want ideas on how to incorporate singing into your home life

26. 8 Bible Stories for Early Readers (Adventure Bible) Illustrations by David Miles. 2025. Zondervan. 248 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

Read this if...

You don't mind MOSES' story being presented before Joseph's story
You are looking for an early reader Bible story book
You don't mind super-super-super stripped down and simplified Bible stories

2. The Holy Bible, 1611 Edition, King James Version, 400th Anniversary, Hendrickson Publishers. 1611/2003. God. 1536 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars]

Read this if...

You find the original spelling from 1611 charming, delightful, enjoyable to decode
You enjoy collecting early Bible translations

Century of Viewing Week 12

1910s

1916 Intolerance I am SO conflicted. On the one hand, there are several versions of this one to pick from. The one I watched was two hours and forty-seven minutes. So perhaps there were scenes missing that would have influenced my overall impressions? On the other hand, I can only speak to the scenes I did see. There are FOUR stories. The screen-time of each varied greatly. The significance of each time varied greatly. One of the four is during the life of Christ. Viewers see several scenes from his life--including the wedding at Cana, the adulterous woman (John 8), the Crucifixion, and perhaps one more? two more? These scenes might be weighted in significance. Perhaps. Perhaps not. But they make up a tiny-tiny-tiny fraction of screen time. The medieval France story also gets very little overall screen time. The 'big picture' of that story is Catholics vs. Huguenots. I am NOT to judge the movie that could have been or should have been. But part of me can't help *wanting* that one to be more fully fleshed. The Ancient Babylon story gets a LOT of screen time. They also got elaborate sets and costumes. And, I'll be fair when I can, the actress playing MOUNTAIN GIRL was great--absolutely fantastic in the role. If there's a single stand-out performance in the whole movie, it goes to HER. No doubt in my mind. This story line features a lot idolatry, idol worship, sacrifices to idols, pleasure-oriented 'exotic' lavishness. I could have sworn I saw some nudity. HOWEVER I have not been able to verify that. So perhaps the clothes were just on the side of sheer and immodest. The modern story also gets a LOT of screen time. For better or worse. Without the modern story, I'm not sure there is a film to be seen. For better or worse, however while the story is certainly something worth telling, I found the acting to be terrible. Dear One and The Boy are tolerable--but just just. There is nothing compelling about their performances. Just distracting over-the-top. You don't have to be *so, so, so, so, so, so* over the top to convey EMOTIONS and tell a story. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes a lot LESS is fantastic. The theme is conflicting as well. Because there's a thin line at times. Because it is 'good' to be intolerant of evil, of injustice, of wrongs. To tolerate immorality is intolerant. That being said, the story they "chose" to represent the modern times, of course, set the Reformers up to be evil (boo, hiss) and the good characters to be unjustly treated by the Reformers. And that's the story that plays out. I don't necessarily believe in legislating morality (this film was BEFORE Prohibition), but I don't believe in legislating immorality either.

1920s

1922 The Blacksmith What a difference watching a different, longer version makes! Apparently, the "Blacksmith" that is most commonly seen as being "The Blacksmith" was a pre-release copy and not its final edited form. (You work with what you got. And I'm just super thankful for what silent films *do* exist and have been saved. Especially Buster Keaton films. But this version was a more recently discovered, recovered "final" version found in Europe. So there are quite a few changes to the film. I like both versions. I do. But I *love* some of the scenes in this one. It works for me better.
1926 The General. This time I compelled my mom to watch with me. (Dad I compelled a few weeks ago). I won't stop until the whole world joins in. Joking. Not joking. I love this movie so much. Johnny Gray, train engineer, risks all to save his two loves--his engine (The General) and his girl (Annabelle).

1930s

1935 Palooka from Paducah is a Buster Keaton short film for Educational Pictures. Whatever you do, don't let this be your first Buster Keaton. Was it the worst thing I've ever watched? No. Was it entertaining? Not really. Could it have been better? Definitely. Could it have been worse? For sure. Let's start with the positive: Buster Keaton stars with almost his entire family--father, mother, and sister. (Remember this was in the midst of the Great Depression. Buster Keaton had fallen from his 'movie star' salary. (His wife literally took everything--everything, everything--in the divorce.) There was never not a time in his life--from age four on up--where he wasn't supporting the family. Joe Keaton has starred with his son in plenty of silent movies. No matter how horrible times were, Buster Keaton found a way. This script certainly was 'a way.' There were a few funny bits: namely the family playing horse shoes, passing food around the table, Buster getting clunked on the head by his brother's boots, all the snoring, dog howling. Tame stuff to be sure. Not outstanding humor. Moving onto the less positive: it was sports themed. And not in a good way like Battling Butler. This one had Buster getting knocked around (as a referee to a wrestling match) but no big victory for Buster. It was his "brother" in the wrestling ring who triumphed. The film-making could have been better. Most of the time dear Buster's face was completely blocked by the ropes of the ring. So there weren't even any possibilities for screen shots. Battling Butlers was all kinds of awesome. There was all this build-up and a fantastic boxing match. This was just....so far from entertaining.One *small* thing that could have improved this movie a tiny bit was to not have all the men wear those horrid fake beards to mark them as 'hillbillies.'

1950s

1953 Calamity Jane is a musical set in the Black Hills of Dakota. I adored this film as a young child. (Doris Day, Howard Keel). I still adore this film. I love the songs--most of them anyway. I love everything about this one.
1956 Trapeze. Do I like circus movies? Not particularly. This one stars Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster. I liked those two just fine. However, I didn't really care for the female character. The character is why the book of Proverbs exists. Seriously. Run far, run fast, avoid at all costs. I hated this character so much. And I can't say that the ending saved it. Yet what I enjoyed I did enjoy.

1960s

1962 Billy Rose's Jumbo Again do I like circus movies? NO. Not really. It was just chance that had me viewing two in one week--mere days apart. This one stars Doris Day and Stephen Boyd. And JUMBO of course (the elephant). A little amount of Jimmy Durante goes a *long, long, long, long* way. I enjoyed some of the songs of this musical. However, the film's main problem is that it is about ten to fifteen minutes too long. The last ten minutes or so of film are pure torture.

1970s

1972 Man of La Mancha is a musical. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE two of the songs. "Impossible Dream" and "Dulcinea" are among my favorites. Truly. Especially "Impossible Dream." The musical itself is rough around the edges. There's some BRUTALITY that is just tough to get through. Just raw, rough stuff. The musical is in a framework. I liked it overall, but some songs I loved.

1980s

1980 Coal Miner's Daughter. It has been a while since I saw this bio-drama of Loretta Lynn. I *probably* saw a somewhat edited for TV version growing up. Though I can't say for certain that it was. There are some brutal things about this one--though realistic, I suppose, if you are going to be true to life and not sugar-coat everything.
1985 Ladyhawke is something. I have categories by which I'm sorting/classifying movies. It doesn't quite fit in period drama, romantic drama, or speculative fiction. Or it fits slightly in all three. Regardless, MAGIC CURSES with fantastical elements in otherwise a romantic period drama. He is cursed to be a wolf (at night). She is cursed to be a hawk (by day). Their love is everlasting...but can the curse be broken. Enter baby Matthew Broderick. Not really. It's just I don't think I've seen him younger than this. (But what do I know???) I enjoyed this one. The soundtrack is "special" to say the least. Though it did tame way down by the end. It almost sounded like the composer was watching the actual movie instead of an aerobics class.

2000s

2008 Iron Man. LOVE the ending. LOVE the character--though it takes many films for him to become the man I love. I did notice--though this isn't surprising--is that silent movies *are* good for me. In that, silent movies *make* me pay attention to the screen. I can't rely 100% on my ears, on listening, on following the story based on one sense alone. I fall into a lazy pattern of doing mostly listening. Silent movies engage me in a way that require more work and are thus more rewarding. That being said, could I try to be more vigilant about talkies. YES. But I am all about the characters and very little concerned with all the action-y fighty bits. I don't see that changing.

2020s

2025 The Electric State. I don't know how many 2025 movies I'll get to. This one was okay. I've heard reviews that talk about it as being the worst movie ever. I wouldn't go that far. I've not heard anyone praise it as being awesome and fantastic. I don't think I will. It was okay for what it was. I liked the premise of the alternate reality 90s after a robot uprising. I thought it had potential. Not sure it lived up to the potential. But it wasn't painful.