Week in Review #28

  

This week I read ten books!

  69. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance. Jennifer Armstrong. 1998. Random House. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, history, biography, adventure, South Pole, survival, AUDIOBOOK]

Read this if...

• You enjoy nonfiction
• You enjoy survival stories
• You are trying to stay cool in the summer

 70. The Giver. Lois Lowry. 1993. Houghton Mifflin. 180 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, Children's Fiction; Dystopia; MG Fiction; Newbery Medal]

Read this if...

• You enjoy dystopias
• You enjoy reading Newbery medal winners
• You enjoy reading BOOKS turned into movies

71. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. Jonathan Auxier. 2011. Abrams. 397 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, j fantasy, mg fantasy, coming of age, quest]

Read this if...

• You enjoy middle grade fantasy
• You enjoy quest stories
• You enjoy series books

72. The Wild Robot. Peter Brown. 2016. 282 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, j fantasy, j fiction]

Read this if...

• You enjoy books turned into movies
• You enjoy children's speculative fiction
  

73. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. J.K. Rowling. 1997. 345 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, mg fantasy, mg fiction, audio book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy middle grade fantasy novels
• You enjoy books turned into movies
• You enjoy series books

74. The Wild Robot Escapes. Peter Brown. 2018. 279 pages. [Source: Library] [j fiction, 3 stars, speculative fiction]

Read this if....

• You enjoy series books
• You enjoy children's speculative fiction
  

73. This Book is Dangerous! Ben Clanton. 2025. 44 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy 'interactive' meta books written to YOU the reader
• You enjoy Narwhal and Jelly

74. Board book: Let's Giggle. Caroline Jayne Church. 2013/2025. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [2 stars, board book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy cutesy, precious sweet rhyming books
• You enjoy board books

54. The Anxious Generation Goes to Church: What the Research Says About What Younger Generations Need and Want From Your Church. Thom S. Rainer. 2025. [August] 192. [Source: Review copy] [4 stars, nonfiction, christian nonfiction]

Read this if...

• You are into statistics, research, and sociology
• You are not looking for theology

55. From Me To You, Love God. Claire Freedman. Illustrated by Emily Boughton. 2025. 26 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, 3 stars]

Read this if...

• You are looking for christian children's books

Century of Viewing #28

1920s

• 1926 The General. Buster Keaton's best silent movie? Perhaps. Probably. It is a treat to watch it again-again, although definitely not on a once a week schedule. It just can't hold up to that many viewings without burnout. That being said, I do hope to watch it once a month so that I can have it be a five star movie every month of the year. The plot? Johnnie Gray loves two things--his girl and his train. When both are kidnapped by the enemy, he goes on a rescue mission.

1970s

• 1978 Death on the Nile. This is a great mystery movie starring many stars--or former stars. A lot of famous actors/actresses in this one. And it is an Agatha Christie adaptation. Definitely enjoyed it.

1980s

• Short Circuit. I found this one free on YouTube (on their official movie channel) and it was great fun. I have seen it many times, though perhaps not recently. Some of the characters are insufferable. But the main characters and story are great fun! NEED MORE INPUT. Definitely fun to watch right after Wild Robot.

1990s

• 1990 12:01 SHORT not to be confused with the 12:01 film from 1993. This one is a thirty minute 'film' that has a dark, nightmarish aspect to it. Think Twilight Zone except WAY darker. It is a time loop story. A man is cursed to relive ONE hour over and over again without hope for escape.
• 1994 I.Q. How have I never heard of this one?!?! It is set in the 1950s I believe. Meg Ryan plays Albert Einstein's niece, and she's engaged to someone....just not the 'right' someone. Her uncle and his friends scheme to find her a better match...a car mechanic who fell for her at first sight. This one is cute and adorable and fun. Walter Matthau plays Albert Einstein. Tim Robbins plays the love interest...a mechanic turned amateur scientist.

2010s

• 2011 Winnie the Pooh. Not the original Winnie the Pooh, mind you, but a reboot of Winnie the Pooh. The highlight of this one is Craig Ferguson as Owl. I liked it okay. Some scenes are pleasant enough. Not as good as the original.

2020s

• 2025 Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy. Should this movie exist? No. Not really. Why does it exist? Perhaps because of the book's existence. If the author wrote fewer Bridget Jones books would it have been better? Definitely. The movie does have a few decent/good scenes. I do like the song "Mad About the Boy" which I first heard in a Buster Keaton music video....my liking the song has nothing to do with Bridget Jones or her weird relationship with a young boy. Happy endings for Bridget Jones are pointless because no matter what ending you give her, another potential movie will ruin it again.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews