Week in Review #20

This week I reviewed five books.

 48. Death in the Jungle. Candace Fleming. 2025. 346 pages. [Source: Library] [YA nonfiction, nonfiction, true crime, 5 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy true crime
• You enjoy biographies about cult leaders
• You are interested in learning more about Jim Jones, The People's Temple, and Jonestown

48. Echo. Adam Rex. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book, friendship]

• Read this if...
• You enjoy picture books
• You enjoy picture books about learning to get along with others

41. A Matter of Honor. Laura Frantz. (Audio narration by Amy Scanlon). 2024/2025. 206 pages. [Source: Library] [adult historical fiction, adult historical romance, Christian romance, novella, 4 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy books set in Scotland
• You enjoy historical romances
• You enjoy Christian fiction
• You enjoy romances where couples get second chances

42. What to Do With Your Whirly Swirly Thoughts. Jennie Allen. Illustrated by Nadia Gunawan. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, feelings and emotions, mental health, 4 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy picture books about coping with big feelings and emotions
• You enjoy a little religion but not a lot of religion

43. 1-3 John: Fellowship in God's Family (Preaching the Word). David L. Allen. 2013. 435 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, bible commentary]

Read this if...

• You are looking for a commentary on the books of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John
• You enjoy the Preaching the Word commentary series by Crossway Publishers

Century of Viewing, Week 20

1910s

• 1919 Moonshine. I wasn't particularly planning on rewatching this Buster Keaton short, but I ended up watching it with Mom this week. I do enjoy this fourth-wall-breaking surreal short. I enjoy Roscoe Arbuckle and Buster Keaton together. And this is a delightful one. Not the best perhaps. But far, far, far from the worst. (I also saw a few minutes of Backstage which Mom was watching on her own. But I didn't see it from beginning to end so I'm not counting it.)

1920s

• 1926 The General. This time I watched the version with the Carl Davis soundtrack. There are pros and cons to both. I do love The General. This Buster Keaton movie is fabulous.
• 1927 College. Buster Keaton's character is graduating high school...and is following the girl he loves to college though he'll be working his way through. He is a scholar, not an athlete, and she loves only athletes...can he win her heart??? This one is wonderful. It's great to see Buster "failing" as an athlete and then showing off. The rowing scene is fabulously funny.
• 1928 Steamboat Bill Jr. Buster Keaton plays the son of a steamboat captain down on his luck. There's a rival boat company sailing on the river that is getting more business. The rival, of course, has a daughter. And Buster's character falls in love with her...it's mutual. A big storm changes everything. I love many things about this one. But I don't love, love, love, love, love it as much as some of his other movies. I do really enjoy it and definitely recommend it.

1990s

• 1999 The Scarlet Pimpernel. I have such conflicting feelings about this one. I love some of the soundtrack. Very catchy. Richard E. Grant does make a nice Scarlet Pimpernel. Yet he just doesn't quite measure up to previous actors. (Leslie Howard and Anthony Andrews).

2000s

• The Dark Knight. The second in the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale. I definitely love the trilogy. I do. It's dark and you have to be in the right mood for it. But the soundtrack is fabulous and I do care about these characters.

2020s

• 2021 Charlotte. This is an animated film set during the World War II. I wasn't expecting a children's movie--I wasn't. YET I definitely was not expecting adult-adult-adult content. So definitely despite its "not rated" status do expect somewhat adult content. Anyway, a young Jewish woman--an aspiring artist--struggles during the Nazi regime...her goal is to finish her life's work BEFORE the Nazis can get to her essentially. These are biographical paintings. I can't remember offhand what the name for these collective paintings are....but the cartoon is based on a true story.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

48. Death in the Jungle

48. Death in the Jungle. Candace Fleming. 2025. 346 pages. [Source: Library] [YA nonfiction, nonfiction, true crime, 5 stars]

First sentence from prologue: On Friday evening, November 24, 1978, CBS broadcast a special hour-long report: "The Horrors of Jonestown." 

First sentence from chapter one: The first time Jim Jones asked followers to play dead was on an autumn night in 1941.

 Premise/plot: The story of Jonestown and Jim Jones written for a slightly younger audience--young adult instead of adult. It is a heartbreaking, tragic, fascinating story--a story of how one man used charisma, manipulation, and fear tactics to build and lead People's Temple. This didn't happen overnight. He didn't step up to speak one day, one time and get a mass following willing to do anything and everything he commanded. It was a slow process, a long con if you will, that took decades. He started in a "Christian environment," using Christianese--using the traditions and vocabulary of the Christian faith--to gain his first followers. Influenced by the "faith-healers" and the more flamboyant Pentecostal style, he figured out what his audience wanted to hear, and played it up. He used tactics that allegedly some mediums and psychics use--from what I can tell--to "prophesy" messages to specific individuals. He was a showman. Everything was crafted for a certain purpose--to gain more and more power and prestige and acclaim. 

He may have started with a "Christian" message, a "Christian" prophecy, a "Christian" God, but it was a sham through and through. He began shedding the 'Christian' skin little by little by little by little--slowly but surely getting his audience used to his message. If he'd out and out stated clearly and precisely his views--especially at the start--his following would likely have left him recognizing him as dangerous. Within a decade--maybe a little more--he had abandoned the pretense. There was no God in the sky, only a GOD on earth, Jim Jones himself was GOD. He staged fake assassination attempts. Pretend to be shot. Pretend to be dead. And then have a pretend resurrection and come back to life. This lines up with his pretend miracles and signs. 

Another tactic was creating fear, building it up,  and hyping up this chaotic doomsday prophecy or forecast. Distrust everybody. Trust only him. 

The story is told through many perspectives--many of which were his followers [or former followers]. 

The tension builds throughout as the story nears its end.

My thoughts: This one was fascinating and horrifying. It is, of course, dark and horrifying. It isn't light reading material. But I do think it is an important story to revisit. 

Will today's YA audience be familiar with the story? That's a good question. Honestly I don't know the answer. But the story itself is fascinating and compelling. One thing that stood out to me--and I have no comparison to other books about it, since I never finished any (though there's a great one that I put down and never got back to)--is her emphasis that there was murder. There were signs that the tragic ending for some/many was NOT voluntary.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in review #19

I reviewed nine books this week.

45. The Inheritance Games. Jennifer Lynn Barnes. 2020. 386 pages. [Source: Library] [YA Fiction, YA Romance, YA Mystery]

Read this if....

• You enjoy YA fiction; the more you enjoy YA, the more likely you'll find it appealing
• You enjoy YA romance with love triangles; this is a sub-sub-sub-genre of a love triangle involving brothers
• You enjoy YA mystery with puzzles and riddles and the like

46. The Tides of Time. Sarah M. Eden. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, time travel, adult romance, historical fiction]
Read this if...

• You enjoy time travel novels
• You enjoy clean adult romance novels
• You enjoy historical fiction with a twist--a time travel twist; this one is set in 1793/1873.

47. The Trouble with Heroes. Kate Messner. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, j fiction, coming of age, verse novel, mg fiction, poetry]

Read this if...

• You enjoy verse novels
• You enjoy middle grade fiction
• You enjoy coming of age 'problem' novels (this one involves grief)
• You enjoy novels about mountain climbing

 44. Orris and Timble: Lost and Found (Orris and Timble #2) Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Carmen Mok. 2025. 80 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, early chapter book, animal fantasy, j fiction]

Read this if....

• You enjoy early chapter books
• You enjoy animal fantasy
• You enjoy series fiction
• You enjoy books about friendship
• You enjoy books about stories

45. Anything. Rebecca Stead. Illustrated by Gracey Zhang. 2025. 56 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy longer picture books
• You enjoy picture books that explore emotions and feelings
• You enjoy reading books about change, about moving

46. Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend. Bob Shea. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy picture books
• You enjoy turtles
• You enjoy humor

47. Cats in Construction Hats. Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. Illustrated by Leeza Hernandez. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, construction, cats, picture book, rhyming books]

Read this if....

• You enjoy rhyming picture books
• You enjoy construction stories

4. Giant Print Handy Size Reprint NASB 1977 Edition. 2011. AMG Publishers. 2304 pages.

Read this if....

• You love the Bible
• You love the thees and thous of the KJV, but are looking for an easier, smoother, more updated feel
• You love word-for-word translations

40. The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House. Joanna Davidson Politano. 2025. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, christian fiction, christian romance, historical romance]

Read this if...

• You enjoy christian fiction
• You enjoy mysteries that involve 'competing' for an inheritance
• You enjoy pirate butlers
• You enjoy historical romance

Century of Viewing, week 19

1920s

• 1925 Seven Chances. Buster Keaton romantic feature film. He plays a character, Jimmie Shannon, who *must* marry before 7PM on his birthday--the day he finds out the condition of his inheritance. The problem? HIS girl, the one he truly deeply loves misunderstood his proposal--poor choice of words--and now he's got to find *some* girl to marry. Or will his true love have a change of heart? This one features an extended chase scene that is epic. I absolutely love and adore this one. And his character really is sweet.
• 1925 Go West. Buster Keaton is Friendless. Literally. Down and out, Friendless is catching trains and trying to find a way to make a living. He ends up working as a ranch hand....and making his very first friend....a cow named BROWN EYES....who saves him from a rampaging bull. But what will happen when it comes time to sell the herd????? How far will he go to save the cow he loves? This one is so absolutely delightful and wonderful.
• 1926 Battling Butler. Buster Keaton. Alfred Butler is a spoiled rich man who can't fend for himself. He falls in love with 'Mountain Girl' and the proposal goes well...mostly. But her family thinks him a weakling....a coincidence in a newspaper and a wily valet lead to quite a misunderstanding. Alfred Butler (Buster Keaton) vs. Alfred BATTLING BUTLER a lightweight boxer. These two get drawn up into a terrible misunderstanding....will his love stand by his side even if he isn't a fighter? This one was so good. I have no interest in boxing. But Buster Keaton boxing???? Apparently I am! I love the romance in this one. The proposal scene was WONDERFUL.

1980s

• 1986 The Great Mouse Detective Animated Disney movie. Would I have liked it as a kid? Probably NOT. The mouse-father getting kidnapped by a BAT would have been THE END for me. And that happens in the first five minutes. The villain would have been scary, scary, super scary to me as a kid. As an adult, this one has some charm. I liked the 'influence' of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. I am glad I watched it.

2020s

• 2024 A Complete Unknown. A bio pic of Bob Dylan. Do I like Bob Dylan? No. Not really. Did this movie change my mind? No. Not really. I don't regret my time--not really. But it didn't make me want to seek out Bob Dylan albums to see if I liked his music more than I thought I did. Fame does not equal super nice in real life.
• 2025 Dog Man. Animated Dreamworks movie. I had super super super low expectations. So I liked it more than I thought I would. I have not read any of the books in the series. I'm not sure if it was an adaptation of one particular book or several or just vaguely inspired by. The character arc of the villain, Petey Cat, was GREAT. So I definitely enjoyed elements of this one. It was silly and ridiculous in places, but the character arc saved it. 
• 2025 Karen Read -- Week Whatever. Was this week three??? Maybe. I have given the case too much time--in the first trial and this one--so I'm not giving up. And the change in prosecutors for the commonwealth is making it a VERY different trial. Still. 
  

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

47. The Trouble with Heroes

 

47. The Trouble with Heroes. Kate Messner. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, j fiction, coming of age, verse novel, mg fiction, poetry]

First sentence: If I were a better kid, this story would begin with my seventh-grade diploma. Instead it starts with this.

Premise/plot: Finn Connelly is in trouble. Over one summer he has the opportunity to set things right, mostly. He'll be making reparations for knocking over a gravestone in the cemetery. (An arrangement with the daughter of the woman's whose gravestone was knocked over, and I believe agreed upon by the court?). He'll be making up missed hours for PE. He'll be making up a poetry assignment--twenty poems on the subject of HEROES. Mission: climb all forty-six mountains in the Adirondack High Peaks. He'll have 'guides' for most of the climbs--men and women who have volunteered to help him out, men and women who love climbing mountains and/or have an interest in helping the kid out. (I could not tell if the coach was particularly interested in hiking so much as that he wanted to help Finn out.) 

Finn is going to hike and climb....write....and grieve. His firefighter father has recently died and his father had PTSD from serving on 9/11.

My thoughts: It made sense for this to be a verse novel. Not all verse novels pass this 'makes sense' test. He is being forced to 'write poetry' and he discovers that it isn't the worst thing in the world. That the process of writing--of writing poems--can be personally helpful. It is very much a coming of age novel. It was good to watch him grow/change throughout the story. This one does offer a few twists and turns on the way. Perhaps I should have seen one of them coming....but I didn't. 

This 'problem novel' is heavy at times but it also contains lighter moments. Finn loves baking for instance.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

46. The Tides of Time

46. The Tides of Time. Sarah M. Eden. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, time travel, adult romance, historical fiction]

First sentence: Lili Minet had a price on her head. She stood in the shadows inside Saint Catherine's Church alongside a family she'd known for only a few days, hopeful that the reward for her capture would increase before the day's end. As far as she knew, no one had facilitated the escape of more people from the clutches of the Tribunal revolutionnaire than she. Four more individuals would, that evening, be added to the seventy-two already rightly credited to her.

Premise/plot: The Tides of Time is a TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE. Those three words may be enough of a hook for some readers. (It was for me). Lili Minet, our heroine, is on the run for her life in 1793 during the French Revolution. She's been helping people escape, but, her luck may have just run out. One of those searching desperately for her--for her harm--is her brother who is in full support of the revolution and the guillotine. When stormy seas lead to her being tossed overboard, she finds herself rescued by a lightkeeper, Armitage Pierce, off the coast of Loftstone Island....in 1873. As the weeks go by she adjusts to the strangeness of her situation. She loves Armitage and his grandfather. She loves the community on the island. She loves her new found-family. She can't quite forget her own brother--for good reason--nor the France she left behind. The Tides of Time can be cruel or kind--or both. 

My thoughts: I LOVE this one. I do. Time travel is going to always have great potential for me. This publisher is known for clean romance, another win for me.

There are TWO things that might be off-putting to potential readers. (They weren't at all for me.) One, Lili speaks a mixture of English and French. There is a strong sprinkling of French phrases and sentences. It makes sense for the story. She is a French woman--obviously French is going to be her primary language, her first language, the language that she would speak especially when stressed or out of sorts. Two, the DIALECT of the island could be offputting. "She/her" "He/Him" "We/Us" essentially all the pronouns have vastly different usage.  For example, "Her isn't hostile to me." "A calculated decision, that. I watched she make it." 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

45. The Inheritance Games

 

45. The Inheritance Games. Jennifer Lynn Barnes. 2020. 386 pages. [Source: Library] [YA Fiction, YA Romance, YA Mystery]

First sentence: When I was a kid, my mom constantly invented games. The Quiet Game. The Who Can Make Their Cookie Last Longer? Game. A perennial favorite, The Marshmallow Game involved eating marshmallows while wearing puffy Goodwill Jackets indoors, to avoid turning on the heat. 

Premise/plot: Avery Grambs comes into....an inheritance in Jennifer Lynn Barnes' The Inheritance Games. She has inherited an extremely large estate seemingly from a total stranger. His family was not entirely neglected, each one receives a nominal amount--at least relatively speaking. But one of the conditions is that she is to live on the estate a full year before collecting on the inheritance so to speak...and she'll be living WITH those she's 'disinherited.' There are four Hawthorne brothers....and each one will have his own way for 'handling' Avery. Some more 'hands on' than others....since two have a flirty situation-ship going on. There's puzzles, games, and riddles, etc. And Avery's life is in danger several times at least.... Who can she trust with her life? Who can she trust with her heart?

My thoughts: I kept turning pages because I--for better or worse--got caught up in the love triangle. Grayson and Jameson are the two brothers involved. It also greatly helped that the chapters are so short. Each one is just three to four pages. The pacing is excellent. It always feels right to read "just one more chapter." 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #18

 

This week I read four books. (I will probably finish a LOT of books for next week. But it is what it is).

Mickey7. Edward Ashton. 2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, science fiction, adult fiction]

Read this if...

• You enjoy [adult] science fiction
• You enjoy science fiction about colonizing other planets
• You enjoy alien drama
• You enjoy reading books that have been adapted into films

42. It's Hard To Be a Baby. Cheryl B. Klein. Illustrated by Juana Medina. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book, babies]

Read this if...

• You enjoy picture books about babies
• You are looking for a baby shower gift
• You are looking for a gift for a child that is about to be a big brother or big sister

43. You're a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems. Sean Taylor. Illustrated by Sam Usher. 2025. [March] 72 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction, poetry, 5 stars]

Read this if...

• You are a teacher who teaches a poetry unit
• You are looking for a book that combines fiction and nonfiction

39. [Expository Thoughts on the] Gospel of John. J.C. Ryle. 1879. 353 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, Christian nonfiction, commentaries]

Read this if...

• You are looking for a commentary on the Gospel of John
• You enjoy J.C. Ryle

Century of Viewing, week 18


1920s

• 1924 Sherlock Jr. Is Sherlock Jr. perfectly perfect? Yes. I absolutely love and adore this Buster Keaton feature silent film. Like some of his previous works, this one continues the theme of dreaming. He plays two roles, a shy movie projectionist who longs to be a detective AND a dream-self that IS Sherlock Jr the world's greatest detective. The two are opposites in many ways. Both plots have him trying to solve a crime. This one is action-packed in terms of stunts, gags, and physical action. This one is definitely a romantic comedy. I watched this one twice this week.
• 1924 The Navigator. Buster Keaton feature film starring Kathryn McGuire (also his leading lady from Sherlock Jr.). He proposes to the girl next door--technically across the street--she rejects him. He goes on his 'honeymoon' alone, or does he? A mistake leads these two to be stranded together on board an abandoned ship...neither one being self-sufficient...at the start. But enough weeks on board...and these two are making a GREAT pair that work together well....but plenty of obstacles still remain. Buster Keaton goes deep sea diving in this one.... I definitely love it. So many great scenes and scenarios.
• 1926 The General. I am thinking of slowing down my watching of The General, once a week might be a little too much. Maybe. I still love, love, love it. But I want to still love it forever and ever. Anyway, Johnnie Gray loves his engine, The General, and his girl, Annabelle. When both are taken by the enemy during the war, he will stop at nothing to get them back.

1930s

• 1933 Footlight Parade is a black and white musical. It is a musical about musicals. James Cagney plays a business man, I believe, who is putting on musical shows or numbers BEFORE movie theatre audiences. These 'prologues' are a way to entertain the audiences before the talkie films begin. It's also a way to keep 'broadway' creativity alive. I really enjoyed it UP until the musical numbers began--which for the most part was the last third of the film. I am an overthinker. I am. I just did not have it in me to suspend my disbelief that much. That a) these musical numbers were performed live in a theatre that will be showing films so a stage of some sort, perhaps, but a standard stage b) these numbers were all written, rehearsed within a period of days, and that changes to the scripts were done up until the last hour c) that the point of view of the MOVIE audience was the same point of view of the person in the theatre. Namely the ELABORATE nature of the prologues was absurd. There was a HUGE sequence with underwater synchronized swimming. The camera point of view shots were all underwater, some shots were crotch shots zooming through the legs of dozens and dozens of bathing beauties. Water, water, water everywhere. This prologue could not be staged just in any old theatre--if at all. Yet we're expected to believe that they show up via bus a half hour before a trial run performance, and boom, all the water sets there. The film, I believe, is pre-code and trying (and probably succeeding) in pushing boundaries in terms of being alluring and provocative.

1940s

• 1941 Remember the Day. This is a gem of a movie. Sad and bittersweet but beautiful all the same. A teacher [played by Claudette Colbert] reflects back on her life as she waits to see one of her former students accept a presidential nomination. Part of her reflection includes a memorable year 1916/1917. The year she fell madly in love with another teacher, was secretly wed, and watched him go off to war.... John Payne plays the love interest. This one was GREAT. Again, sad and bittersweet, but also wonderful.

1980s

• 1983 The Big Chill. The soundtrack is definitely better than the film--in my opinion. I am so conflicted. I can't say that the acting was bad--it wasn't. I can't say that the dialogue was bad--again it wasn't. It was just NOT for me. Namely the bed-hopping. So long story short, a group of college friends come together--at a funeral--one of their friends has un-alived himself. One friend is desperate to get pregnant and is determined that one of her college friends will be the one to get her pregnant--with or without consent. The whole story is weird and gross and offputting. But it is the *who* and the *how* that really disgust me. The wife pimping out her husband for her friend just EWWWWWWWW.

1990s

• 1994 Bullets Over Broadway. I wanted to like this one, but I just didn't. I thought the 1928 setting would draw me in--since I am living the 20s at the moment. But it was violent and stupid. Of course, the plot description is super up front about that. Again, it wasn't that the acting was bad....it just wasn't for me. The content is definitely ADULT, particularly with the dialogue. This one like Footlight Parade is a behind-the-scenes look at putting on a show.
• 1995 Apollo 13 is a great film based, of course, on a true story. I've seen it several times. It never fails to draw me in. It often makes me want to get out my copy of From the Earth to the Moon.
• 1999 Notting Hill I love, love, love, love, love this Hugh Grant film. Is it my favorite Hugh Grant? I don't know. There are three that I do love and adore so much. (Two of which I've watched this week). So Hugh Grant's character owns a travel bookshop. A movie star--Julia Roberts' character--stumbles in...the two fall for each other....but obstacles. It takes place over a year--perhaps a little more or less. The soundtrack is wonderful.

2000s

• 2005 Batman Begins Is it my favorite of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy? No. Do I love the trilogy? YES. This was my introduction to Batman. I've seen this trilogy several times...and definitely plan on rewatching this year.
• 2007 Music and Lyrics. Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. He plays an 80s pop star...a has been...he has a chance to make a comeback via writing a new song for a less than talented pop star. Writing lyrics doesn't come easily to him, and it is his substitute plant waterer that ends up being his best partner ever. This romantic comedy is WONDERFUL.
• 2007 Enchanted. I absolutely loved this movie when it came out.Definitely an again, again, again. I read the novelization. I listened to the soundtrack on repeat as well. Super fun and adorable. It's been a while since I watched it. Still great fun.

2020s

• 2025 Karen Read Trial, week 2? Takes up so much time, but plenty of spicy moments. Watching on Emily D. Baker's YT channel.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

44. Mickey7

 

Mickey7. Edward Ashton. 2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, science fiction, adult fiction]

First sentence: This is going to be my stupidest death ever.

Premise/plot: Mickey Barnes is an expendable. The Mickey readers first meet is Mickey7. Every time his body dies--he's deployed on the most dangerous, ultra-impossible missions--a new body is 'born' and his mind uploaded. Multiple copies of the same expendable are not only frowned upon but illegal. There are valid reasons for concern after past experiences on other planets. So when Mickey's death is reported prematurely, well, there's a problem--a big one. Mickey7 and Mickey8 both exist....and have to share an identity or risk being destroyed forever. 

Mickey7 is adult science fiction with some adult themes. It is set on a planet hostile to the human settlers, and a colony facing increasingly difficult problems--lack of resources being one, a limited population being another. 

My thoughts: I liked this one okay. It was fine. There was one scene that was offputting let's say. I'm trying to decide if it's fair to judge a book based on a scene that is decidedly not for you...or not. I think if you enjoy science fiction about colonizing other planets....and alien drama/conflict, then this one might be for you. This one was recently released as a film, Mickey17. I don't know that I will seek out the film--my library hasn't ordered it yet--but I did know that *if* I was going to watch the film,  thenI wanted to have read the book first. There is a sequel as well. Not sure if I'll seek out that either...but maybe.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Century of Viewing, Month Four

In April, I watched eighty-three things (some were repeats). Twenty-five were five-stars.

I started a Chronological Watch of Buster Keaton--many rewatches, some not. Hayseed Romance was something I watched and absolutely loved, loved, loved...but it was watched before I began the chronological approach! It is a talkie short.

I finished THREE decades this month: 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s.

The Karen Read trial has begun. I have been watching hours of court when it's in session. (Some days are half days, most are full days. Of course, Monday through Friday only).

April's 5 Star Movies

• Adventures of Robin Hood
• Aristocats
• April in Paris (Doris Day)
• Babe
• Bachelor Mother (Ginger Rogers)
• The Blacksmith (Buster Keaton)
• The Boat (Buster Keaton)
• Cyrano de Bergerac
• The Electric House (Buster Keaton)
• The General (Buster Keaton)
• The Goat (Buster Keaton)
• The Gospel of John
• The Haunted House (Buster Keaton)
• Hayseed Romance (Buster Keaton)
• High Sign (Buster Keaton)
• Les Miserables
• Men in Black
• Murder in Coweta County
• My Wife's Relations (Buster Keaton)
• One Week (Buster Keaton)
• The Rainmaker
• The Saphead (Buster Keaton)
• The Scarecrow (Buster Keaton)
• Schindler's List

Aprils 4 1/2 and 4 Star Movies

• Notorious Lady (Jack Lemmon)
• My Sister Eileen (Jack Lemmon)
• Out West (Buster Keaton)
• The Cook (Buster Keaton)
• Backstage (Buster Keaton)
• The Garage (Buster Keaton)
• Doctor, You've Got To Be Kidding (Sandra Dee)
• Coney Island (Buster Keaton)
• The Bellboy (Buster Keaton)
• Hollywood (1980) 13 part documentary
• Cinderella's Castle
• Convict 13 (Buster Keaton)
• Empire Records
• Alien Intervention
• Easy Street (Charlie Chaplin)
• You're Darn Tootin' (Laurel & Hardy)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
• The Paleface (Buster Keaton)
• Cops (Buster Keaton)
• Three Ages (Buster Keaton)

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

April Reflections

In April, I read thirty-four books. Thirteen of the thirty-four were five star reads! This was also the month that I discovered how much I enjoy listening to audio books. (Though I think technically it was the last week of March I 'discovered' audio books).

Books reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

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

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

36. All Creatures Great and Small. James Herriot. 1972. 437 pages. [Source: Library] [semi-autobiographical, adult fiction, animals; 5 stars]

37. The Worthing Saga. Orson Scott Card. 1990. Tor. 465 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, adult science fiction, short stories, framework stories]

38. Wonderland. Barbara O'Connor. 2018. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, mg fiction, mg realistic fiction]

39. Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On A Dead Man). Jesse Q. Sutanto. 2025. 325 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, adult mystery]

40. Once for Yes. Allie Millington. 2025. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [magic realism, mg fiction, 3 stars]

41. Rebellion 1776. Laurie Halse Anderson. 2025. 405 pages. [Source: Library] [YA historical; MG historical, 4 stars]

42. Inkheart. Cornelia Funke. 2003. 563 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, MG fantasy, Mg Fiction]

43. The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien. 1937.  320 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, MG Fantasy, fantasy, classic]

Books reviewed at Young Readers

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

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

33. Board book: Runaway Blanket. Nancy Deas. 2025. 22 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, board book, bedtime book]

34. Board book: This Dog. That Dog. Jade Orlando. 2025. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [dogs, pets, board book, 5 stars]

35. Touch and Feel: Baby Animals with tactiles for toddlers to explore. (Board book) DK. 2025. 12 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [interactive, touch and feel]

36. Board book: Richard Scarry's Bunnies. Richard Scarry. 1976/2025. 26 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, bunnies, board book]

37. Little Freddie Two Pants. Drew Daywalt. Illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book, humor]

38. Snarky Sharky. Bethan Clarke. Illustrated by Nikolas Ilic. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, humor, animal fantasy]

39. Umbrella. Taro Yashima. 1958/1977. 40 pages. [Source: Bought]

40. The Saggy Baggy Elephant. Kathryn and Byron Jackson. Illustrated by Gustav Tenggren. 1947. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book, golden book, children's classic]

41. The Kitten Who Thought He Was A Mouse. Miriam Norton. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1951. 22 pages. [Source: Bought [4 stars, Little Golden Book]

42. It's Hard To Be a Baby. Cheryl B. Klein. Illustrated by Juana Medina. 2024. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book, babies]

43. You're a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems. Sean Taylor. Illustrated by Sam Usher. 2025. [March] 72 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction, poetry, 5 stars]

Books reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

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

31. Faith (Brides of the West #1) Lori Copeland. 1998/2020. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book, christian fiction, historical romance, two stars]

32. And the Beagles and the Bunnies Shall Lie Down Together. Charles M. Schulz. 1984. 100ish pages. [Source: Gift] [4 stars, comic strips, theology]

33. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple. Joanna Davidson Politano. 2024. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical fiction, historical romance, Christian fiction]

34. Cries from the Cross. Erwin Lutzer. 2002. Moody. 170 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, christian nonfiction]

35. Short-Straw Bride. Karen Witemeyer. 2012. Bethany House. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

36. God's Masterpiece: An Adventure in Discovering Your Worth. Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Illustrated by Julia Seal. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars; picture book]

37. When I Talk To God, I Talk About You. Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins. Illustrated by Lisa Fields. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [picture book]

38. When I Talk To God, I Talk About Feelings. Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins. Illustrated by Lisa Fields. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [picture book]

39. [Expository Thoughts on the] Gospel of John. J.C. Ryle. 1879. 353 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, Christian nonfiction, commentaries]

Bibles reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

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

2025 Totals

2025 Totals
Books read in 2025	128
Pages read in 2025	28690
January 2025
Books read in January	30
Pages read in January	7020
February 2025
Books read in February	30
Pages read in February	4782
March 2025
Books read in March	34
Pages read in March	8595
April 2025
Books read in April	34
Pages read in April	8293

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #17

This week I read nine books.

41. Rebellion 1776. Laurie Halse Anderson. 2025. 405 pages. [Source: Library] [YA historical; MG historical, 4 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy historical coming of age novels
• You enjoy historical fiction set during the American Revolution
• You enjoy reading books with epidemics--small pox in this instance

42. Inkheart. Cornelia Funke. 2003. 563 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, MG fantasy, Mg Fiction]

Read this if...

• You enjoy books about books
• You enjoy fantasy novels
• You enjoy coming of age fantasy novels

43. The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien. 1937.  320 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, MG Fantasy, fantasy, classic]
Read this if...

• You enjoy classics
• You enjoy children's classics
• You enjoy fantasy novels with quests

 39. Umbrella. Taro Yashima. 1958/1977. 40 pages. [Source: Bought]

Read this if...

• You enjoy classic picture books
• You enjoy picture books celebrating independence
• You enjoy rhythmic picture books
• You LOVE Taro Yashima's incredible art

40. The Saggy Baggy Elephant. Kathryn and Byron Jackson. Illustrated by Gustav Tenggren. 1947. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book, golden book, children's classic]

Read this if...

• You enjoy classic Little Golden Books
• You love elephants

41. The Kitten Who Thought He Was A Mouse. Miriam Norton. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1951. 22 pages. [Source: Bought [4 stars, Little Golden Book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy classic Little Golden Books
• You love CATS
• You love fictional mice
• You enjoy nature versus nurture stories

36. God's Masterpiece: An Adventure in Discovering Your Worth. Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Illustrated by Julia Seal. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars; picture book]

Read this if...

• You love books with mirrors
• You enjoy books that are all about building self-esteem

37. When I Talk To God, I Talk About You. Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins. Illustrated by Lisa Fields. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [picture book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy books celebrating parenthood
• You enjoy those sentimental sweet books [think LOVE YOU FOREVER or GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU)

38. When I Talk To God, I Talk About Feelings. Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins. Illustrated by Lisa Fields. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars] [picture book]

Read this if....

• You are looking for a concept book about feelings and emotions
• You are looking for a theologically light introduction to prayer

Century of Viewing, week 17

1920s

• 1922 My Wife's Relations. Buster Keaton. A man finds himself accidentally married and living with some unbearable relations. I absolutely LOVE this one. It's a great short.
• 1922 The Blacksmith. Buster Keaton. I LOVE this one so much now that I've discovered the Buster Keaton approved cut of the film. Definitely recommended.
• 1922 Frozen North. Buster Keaton. Life is but a dream. A man falls asleep at the movie theater...and dreams he's a villain in a film.
• 1922 The Electric House. LOVED this one. Buster Keaton. A mix-up of diplomas leads a botanist to take a job as an electrical engineer.
• 1922 Day Dreams. LIFE is NOT a dream. Buster Keaton. Run far, far, far away from that woman and her horrid father, Buster!!!! A man makes a deplorable deal in an attempt to win approval for a marriage.
• 1923 The Balloonatic. Buster Keaton. Misadventure abounds after Buster finds himself accidentally afloat in a hot air balloon....
• 1923 Love Nest. Buster Keaton. Life is but a dream. Yet another short where it's all a dream. In this one, a broken-hearted man vows to sail the seas in an attempt to forget his lost love....
• 1923 Three Ages. Buster Keaton. This is a parody--of sorts--to Intolerance (1916). Intolerance was NOT a comedy--not intentionally at least. Though there was much room to poke fun perhaps. This was Buster Keaton's first feature film to STAR and DIRECT. (The Saphead was his first feature film, it was for a different studio). Three different time periods, the same love story plays out: Prehistoric, Roman, and Modern. (Intolerance had four time periods: Babylon, First Century Judea, French Middle Ages, and Modern). Buster Keaton was "stuck" with his leading lady. She won a beauty contest in the UK, I believe, and was promised a leading role in a Hollywood film. The original movie that she was to have a role in....rejected her as talent-less...and sent her off to do a comedy because 'acting skills don't matter in a comedy.' Buster was not happy either. She didn't take to acting intuitively and wasn't the best with direction coaching either. But it is what it is. (I am curious how the movie would have done if it had had a better actress--one more Buster Keaton's match.) Buster, I believe, did a lot of improv and changing scenes in the moment. 
• 1923 Our Hospitality. Buster Keaton stars with his wife, Natalie Talmadge, in this period drama. It actually features THREE generations of Keatons. His father, Joe, plays a train engineer. Buster himself, obviously in the lead. And his firstborn son plays a small role as well in the opening framework. Buster and Natalie found out they were expecting during the filming, so, that effected how they filmed her....which led to some convenient blanket scenes. Joe Roberts who had long appeared in Keaton's shorts stars for the last time. He died before the premiere of the movie. So filming also had to work around his health. Essentially, feuding families....a son and daughter from both sides...ultimately fall in love....and after many misadventures--and dashing rescues--true love wins the day. The first version I saw was good, but, the second I came upon was LONGER and was a much better cut of the film. Again just showing that you have to be willing to search around and see what cuts are available and be willing to rewatch to see if you're missing out on anything.
  
• 1926 The General. Carl Davis soundtrack. Buster Keaton stars as Johnnie Gray, a train engineer that loves his engine, The General, and his girl, Annabelle. He will be put to the ultimate test when both are kidnapped by the enemy. Love this one. Obviously. Which is why it keeps appearing weekly.
  

1970s

• 1970 The Aristocats. Disney animated musical starring Parisian cats! One of my absolute favorite Disney movies.
• 1978 Les Miserables. A GREAT adaptation of Les Miserables. It is ABRIDGED and quite severely cut down--as far as characters and extra side stories--but what it covers, it covers WELL.

1980s

• 1983 Murder in Coweta County. Andy Griffith plays a HORRID villain and it's Johnny Cash as sheriff who might just bring about justice.

1990s

• 1993 Schindler's List. I don't watch this Holocaust film often....but it is SO GOOD.
• 1997 The Rainmaker. Legal drama. It was SO good as well. Definitely glad I watched it. Essentially fresh out of law school lawyer takes on his first case--one of corruption involving an insurance company. Will he win?

2020s

• 2025 Not really 'completed' yet, but I am watching the Karen Read Retrial. Four days of trial this week. Some days are just about four or five hours of coverage, others are closer to nine. So expect that to have *some effect* on what I can watch heading into May.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

43. The Hobbit

 

 

43. The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien. 1937.  320 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, MG Fantasy, fantasy, classic] 

First sentence:  In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.  

ETA: I listened to the audio book narrated by Andy Serkis. It is a little over ten hours, I believe. IT WAS WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC, A JOY AND DELIGHT. He is a talented voice actor. I loved all his voices, except perhaps for some birds? But I recommend the audio a hundred million percent. I would say the audio book is perhaps better than the book. Perhaps. It definitely HELPS the singing portions! I usually skip the poems/songs when I read. But Serkis actually makes them enjoyable!!!!

Premise/plot: Bilbo Baggins has an unexpected adventure in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. When this children's classic opens, Bilbo is decidedly not a burglar. But by the end of it, well, you may have to decide for yourself if he is or isn't... Regardless, Bilbo sets off with THIRTEEN dwarves on a get-rich-or-die-trying quest. They're off to face down a DRAGON, but the dragon won't be the only challenge they face. Will Bilbo return to his beloved shire wiser?!

My thoughts: I love, love, love, love, love, love, love this one. I do. I may even love it a tiny bit more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Maybe. It's a tricky thing really because in truth, I just LOVE hobbits. I love spending time with hobbits. I love Tolkien's insights about hobbits. One of the things I love about Tolkien is how quotable he is.

Quotes:

“Good Morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat. “What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” “All of them at once,” said Bilbo.

“What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!” said Gandalf. “Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won’t be good till I move off.”

He liked visitors, but he liked to know them before they arrived, and he preferred to ask them himself. He had a horrible thought that the cakes might run short, and then he—as the host: he knew his duty and stuck to it however painful—he might have to go without.

“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!”

He was altogether alone. Soon he thought it was beginning to feel warm. “Is that a kind of a glow I seem to see coming right ahead down there?” he thought. It was. As he went forward it grew and grew, till there was no doubt about it. It was a red light steadily getting redder and redder. Also it was now undoubtedly hot in the tunnel. Wisps of vapour floated up and past him and he began to sweat. A sound, too, began to throb in his ears, a sort of bubbling like the noise of a large pot galloping on the fire, mixed with a rumble as of a gigantic tom-cat purring. This grew to the unmistakable gurgling noise of some vast animal snoring in its sleep down there in the red glow in front of him. It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait.

“You have nice manners for a thief and a liar,” said the dragon. “You seem familiar with my name, but I don’t seem to remember smelling you before. Who are you and where do you come from, may I ask?” “You may indeed! I come from under the hill, and under the hills and over the hills my paths led. And through the air. I am he that walks unseen.” “So I can well believe,” said Smaug, “but that is hardly your usual name.” “I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I was chosen for the lucky number.” “Lovely titles!” sneered the dragon. “But lucky numbers don’t always come off.” “I am he that buries his friends alive and drowns them and draws them alive again from the water. I came from the end of a bag, but no bag went over me.” “These don’t sound so creditable,” scoffed Smaug. “I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer; and I am Barrel-rider,” went on Bilbo beginning to be pleased with his riddling. “That’s better!” said Smaug. “But don’t let your imagination run away with you!”

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

42. Inkheart

 Inkheart. Cornelia Funke. 2003. 563 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, MG fantasy, Mg Fiction]

First sentence: Rain felt that night, a fine, whispering rain. Many years later, Meggie had only to close her eyes and she could still hear it, like tiny fingers tapping on the window pane. 

Premise/plot: Meggie has been raised solely by her father, Mo--whom some call Silvertongue--since her mother's death. The two are incredibly close. Both love, love, love BOOKS. Though for some 'odd' reason, Mo won't read aloud to Meggie. Still until the mysterious appearance of Dustfinger--one rainy night--the two are happy and content. After mystery and adventure are sprung on them--as most adventures are in fantasy novels--well, these two will have quite the time trying to hold onto what they have: each other.

My thoughts: I first read this one in 2007. I never got around to the sequels. I hope to this time around. I was conflicted last time, and I still am in some ways. I think the book suffers from uneven pacing. The first third--the pacing was excellent. The last third--the pacing was fantastic. The middle third, well, this book is LONG and it isn't always as tightly paced as it could be. I think the story itself is intriguing and compelling. It could just use a little trimming here and there to keep readers at the actual edge of their seats. 

I am going to try to watch the movie as well.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

41. Rebellion 1776

41. Rebellion 1776. Laurie Halse Anderson. 2025. 405 pages. [Source: Library] [YA historical; MG historical, 4 stars]

First sentence:  "Take away this puke bucket, girl, and bring me a clean one!"

Premise/plot: Laurie Halse Anderson's newest book is historical fiction--set during the American Revolution--in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Elsbeth Culpepper, our heroine, is a maid. Her mother is dead; her father is otherwise occupied and it is not a bit unusual, I believe, for young adults to be either hired out or apprenticed out. Her current employer--a Loyalist--flees the city leaving Elsbeth scrambling to find a new job or perhaps a new employer in the same home. She finds work--again as a maid, but essentially all-servants-in-one maid--this time for the Pike family. But there's not much time for relaxation when there's a small pox epidemic in town....and your employer has seven children! 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I did. This isn't my first book to read on a) small pox and b) the Revolution war c) inoculations controversy. Though it has been a while since I've read up on this particular sub-sub-sub genre. It was a good read. It is the kind of historical fiction I like. The type that immerses you in the time and doesn't try to manipulate the past into an indoctrinating sermon for today. Those tend to be both a) obnoxious and b) dated.

I am torn between four and five stars. I am. I found it a compelling read. I enjoyed the depth of the characters. I thought it did really well in world-building for this historical time period. There were some great relationships explored. I'm just not absolutely convinced that it is one I would want to read again and again. (Which is almost how I determine five star reads.) Still I would definitely recommend this one. And I might revisit the rating at some point.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #16

This week I read eight books.

38. Wonderland. Barbara O'Connor. 2018. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, mg fiction, mg realistic fiction]

Read this one if...

• You like spunky heroines who enjoy independence and rule-breaking
• You like dual narration (alternating narrators)
• You enjoy inter-generational friendships

39. Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (On A Dead Man). Jesse Q. Sutanto. 2025. 325 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, adult mystery]

Read this one if...

• You enjoy unique/memorable narrators
• You enjoy mysteries
• You enjoy found family stories
• You enjoy series

40. Once for Yes. Allie Millington. 2025. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [magic realism, mg fiction, 3 stars]

Read this one if...

• You enjoy magic realism
• You enjoy stories about grieving
• You enjoy coming of age stories

37. Little Freddie Two Pants. Drew Daywalt. Illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, picture book, humor]

Read this one if...

• You enjoy picture books with underwear
• You enjoy humorous stories

38. Snarky Sharky. Bethan Clarke. Illustrated by Nikolas Ilic. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, humor, animal fantasy]

Read this one if...

• You enjoy word play, puns
• You enjoy animal fantasy

33. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple. Joanna Davidson Politano. 2024. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical fiction, historical romance, Christian fiction]

Read this one if...

• You enjoy historical fiction; this one is set in the early 1900s [in England] and stars a [fictional] silent film star
• You enjoy historical mysteries
• You enjoy historical romance
• You enjoy Christian fiction

34. Cries from the Cross. Erwin Lutzer. 2002. Moody. 170 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, christian nonfiction]

Read this one if...

• You enjoy christian living
• You enjoy christian nonfiction
• You enjoy seasonal devotional readings for Holy Week

35. Short-Straw Bride. Karen Witemeyer. 2012. Bethany House. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

Read this one if...

• You enjoy historical fiction [this one is set in Texas in the 1880s I believe]
• You enjoy historical romance [this is a marriage of convenience story]
• You enjoy Christian fiction

Century of Viewing Week #16

1900s

• 1900 Grandma's Reading Glasses. George Albert Smith directed this short--it's under two minutes. It blends medium shorts and close-up perspective shots. In this instance, a boy playing with his grandma's magnifying glass. One of the things he magnifies is a cat. It's fairly boring. But everything has to start somehow.
• 1907 The Village Fire Brigade. This one is directed by James Williamson. This one is six or seven minutes. It proves there have always been 'Naughty Normans' I suppose? (Fireman Sam reference for those not in the know). I couldn't decide if it was trying to be dramatic and realistic OR a comedy sketch OR both. There's about three minutes where I'm sure it's trying to be comedy. I could only imagine what a comedy Buster Keaton could have made if he'd had a "fire brigade" machine/rig like the one used in this British film.

1910s

• 1917 Easy Street is a Charlie Chaplin short. He plays a character who reforms and becomes a cop....but the street he's assigned is ROUGH and TOUGH and will require a lot of stamina and wit. He has a big heart...which is good...but is he tough when he needs to be. I enjoyed this one a good deal.

1920s

• 1921 Never Weaken is a Harold Lloyd film. I did not care for it. He plays a character who 'helps' out his fiancee by bringing in 'patients' to the doctor's office where she works. His help involves injuring people and then handing them a card with the doctor's address. The middle is him trying to unalive himself since he sees 'his girl' hugging another guy and talking about getting married. The end is him realizing that it is the minister who happens to be her brother. Meanwhile, a lot of physical mishaps are occurring in a construction zone.
• 1921 The Goat is a Buster Keaton short. He plays a character who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's a GREAT action-packed short. Plenty of chases. A few trains. Some acrobatics. I adore this one.
• 1921 The Playhouse is a Buster Keaton short. This one isn't entirely politically correct, but, it's enjoyable all the same. Buster Keaton plays a stagehand. The first SIX minutes is Buster Keaton in ALL the roles on stage and off. Including ALL the audience, all the orchestra, all the acts. It was a dream. The rest is Buster Keaton hard at work...helping the show move smoothly....and filling in where necessary. It's silly. It's fun.
• 1921 The Boat is a Buster Keaton short. I like to think of it as a sequel to One Week. He plays a husband, a father, and a boatbuilder. He's taking his family to sea...in a boat...named Damfino. Where will they end up? Damfino.
• 1922 The Paleface is a Buster Keaton short. Is it politically correct? No. Is it funny? Yes. Could it be worse? OH yes. So he plays a butterfly/bug collector/enthusiast who stumbles onto a tribe's land....the day they find out they will be forced to move by an oil company who just stole their lease. If he survives...and this is Buster Keaton...so of course he will...his cleverness may just save the land. I LOVE the ending of this one. He finds a way to thwart the three-second kissing rule by having an intertitle card that reads TWO YEARS LATER during the kiss scene. It's adorable and fun.
• 1922 Cops is a Buster Keaton short. Is it his most famous? Maybe. Probably. Perhaps. It is epic in the stunts and gags. The story isn't my favorite or best. So he gets into trouble with the cops after making a few poor decisions. 
• 1926 The General. Buster Keaton stars as Johnnie Gray a man who loves two things: his train (The General) and his girl (Annabelle). Having lost one--due to miscommunication--he refuses to let the other go. When his General is kidnapped by the enemy, after he must go! He'll end up being a 'hero of the day' mostly. In a way that only Buster can be.
  
• 1928 You're Darn Tootin' is a Laurel and Hardy short. It is *so* much better than Big Business (which I think I watched back in January). It was definitely tolerable. The two play musicians that are bringing the orchestra down....and they end up fired. But trying to earn money on the street has its own misadventures.

1960s

• 1968 Yellow Submarine. The good news? Beatles songs. The bad news? Well. Psychedelic animated Beatles in a ridiculous plot. If you're in the right mood, it is fun enough. If you're not in the right mood, well, let's just say that the gag that a minute is a long time [found in the animated When I'm 64] is true indeed. This is ninety minutes with only enough entertainment value for thirty. 
  
• 1969 Battle of Britain is a World War II action-drama. Don't expect characterization. It's all action--flying, landing, bombs, explosions, etc. I would like a little less action and a lot more characterization. There are moments where they try to add personal stories...but it's too little too late. In my opinion. I think some might still enjoy this one. It just didn't live up to my expectations.

1970s

• 1973 Soylent Green. Did I love it? Did I not? I am glad I watched it....once. Knew ahead of time it was dystopia and dark....let's say. The ending was ambiguous, I thought, which I guess is how it should be? I don't have a lot of confidence in a brighter tomorrow for that society, let's say. 
  
• 1974 Huckleberry Finn (the musical) Do I want my time back? Hard to answer fairly. I was disappointed that the Sherman brothers didn't deliver a better movie. I am not sure how faithful it is to the book because it's been at least five to ten years since I read it. The musical numbers weren't quite to my liking.
• 1979 Star Trek the Motion Picture Do I think this movie needs to be edited back down for most viewers? Yes. Not everyone mind you. But this one drags SO much focusing primarily on the special effects. It might not have felt so slow and draggy when it came out. The story isn't my favorite or best. But I do love the characters in general.

1980s

• 1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Not a kids movie. But a parody of film noir with every animated character you can imagine. What I loved? ALL THE CAMEOS. What I didn't love? Roger Rabbit was annoying. It had to be intentional, obviously. I liked most of the characters and the story. It was fun/zany. I enjoyed it SO MUCH MORE than I thought I would. I am so glad I watched it.

1990s

• 1990 Cyrano de Bergerac. I love, love, love this movie. It's a French film with English subtitles. I love the play. I love this movie. I love the musical score. Cyrano de Bergerac is in love with Roxane, his cousin, but his nose keeps him from being bold enough to speak to her earnestly. She falls in love with Christian a young man who is tongue-tied and awkward though extremely handsome supposedly. With a little help from Cyrano, Roxane will get the man of her dreams...but who does she love?
• 1997 Men in Black. This is a fun movie to revisit. I enjoy this alien film. I love Tommy Lee Jones. It's just fun.

2000s

• 2003 Gospel of John is one of my favorite movies to watch. It is narrated by Christopher Plummer. It is literally just the Gospel of John. I would say nothing added or subtracted. However, the online version I saw on Tubi had about four minutes of someone--not Christopher Plummer--essentially giving an altar call and explaining how to respond to the movie you just saw. I am fairly sure that this is NOT in the original movie release. It feels tacked on. It doesn't take away from the overall experience....however, I do wish it hadn't been added.
• 2006 Paul Merton's Silent Clowns. Four episodes. About an hour each. Each one includes about twenty to twenty-five minutes of an actual silent film newly scored [musically]. Episode one was Buster Keaton. Episode two was Charlie Chaplin. Episode three, I believe, was Laurel and Hardy. Episode four was Harold Lloyd. Each one seems to include Paul Merton giving a little lecture to an audience before screening a film. Also some interviews with people who enjoy the silent comic. I enjoyed some aspects of it. I am thankful for it introducing me to You're Darn Tootin' and Easy Street. (Buster Keaton's short was THE GOAT). I did NOT like the Harold Lloyd episode at all.
  

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews