Becky's Book Reviews: Week in Review #16

Saturday, April 19, 2025

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.