Week in Review #24

This week I read five books.

56. Home of the Brave. Katherine Applegate. 2007. 256 pages. [Source: Library] [mg fiction, mg realistic fiction, mg verse novel, 4 stars]

• Read this if...
• You enjoy verse novels
• You enjoy immigrant stories
• You enjoy happy endings

59. Rosemary Long Ears. Susie Ghahremani. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, dogs, 4 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy dog stories
• You enjoy picture books

60. A Thousand Years. Christina Perri. Illustrated by Joy Hwang Ruiz. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [picture books, 3 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy picture books
• You enjoy sentimental, sweet, precious books about parenthood
• You are curious how the love song was adapted to be a song about parental love instead of romantic love

61. Squid In Pants. Kaz Windness. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [early reader, ready to read, leveled reader, easy reader, 4 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy early readers
• You enjoy animals in clothes, especially UNDERWEAR
• You enjoy stories written in rhyme

48. Sharing Christ In Joy and Sorrow: A Theology of Philippians. Chris Bruno. 2025. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy] [4 stars, christian theology] 

Read this if...

• You enjoy scholarly works on books of the Bible
• You don't mind putting in a lot of effort and time to digest theology

Century of Viewing, Week 24

1920s

• 1926 The General. "Anonymous L" has requested NO MORE SUMMARIES. So this Buster Keaton film will remain a mystery. It might be set during the Civil War. It might be a love story. It might be equal parts drama and comedy and action.

1930s

• 1931 Sidewalks of New York. Buster Keaton may have had low opinions of this one. I found it delightful for the most part. He plays a rich landlord who is having trouble with some of his tenements--unruly youth. While investigating, he falls madly and deeply in love with a young woman--a woman raising her extremely unruly younger brother. He'll stop at nothing to save him and the other kids so he can win her heart. This one stars Cliff Edwards (with whom he starred in Doughboys) and Anita Page (with whom he starred in Free and Easy). It has some great comedic moments and a fun romance.

2010s

• 2019 DefunctTV: Jim Henson Playlist. Defunctland (YT channel) made SIX documentary episodes on Jim Henson and his life's work. Each episode focuses on a different stage or period in Jim's life. The episodes are fascinating and the clips are great fun--for the most part.

2020s

• 2025 Phineas & Ferb, Season 5. 10 new episodes just released....the first in many years. Some episodes were FABULOUS. Some were more in the 'mildly' entertaining. Still this cartoon series will always be one of my favorites. I loved the return of MEAP, for example.
• 2025 Titan: The Oceangate Disaster. Netflix documentary on the Titan Submersible. It isn't chronological, it flashes back and forth in time. Contains many, many interviews with those who worked at Oceangate at one point or another. 
• 2025 Karen Read Re-trial. Closing arguments were Friday and the case is in the hands of the jury now. I'm going to say that the trial is 'over.' Curious to see if the jury comes back with a verdict...and if so how quickly. 
  

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews