Becky's Book Reviews: Week in Review #13

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

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]

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.