Week in Review #34

 

This week I read seven books!

93.  Station Eleven. Emily St. John Mandel. 2014. Knopf Doubleday. 352 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, speculative fiction, adult science fiction, apocalyptic]

Read this if...

• You enjoy apocalyptic fiction
• You enjoy novels with multiple points of view
• You enjoy novels that flip back and forth in time
• You enjoy speculative fiction

94. Old School. Gordon Korman. 2025. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, mg fiction, mg realistic fiction, multiple narrators, school, inter-generational friendships]

Read this if....

• You enjoy middle grade realistic fiction
• You enjoy intergenerational friendships
• You enjoy novels with multiple points of view
• You enjoy novels with a school setting

95. Stitch: Reimagining Frankenstein. Padraig Kenny. 2025. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, mg speculative fiction, mg fantasy]

Read this if....

• You enjoy middle grade speculative fiction
• You enjoy Frankenstein retellings
• You enjoy speculative fiction

88. Kitty vs. Kindergarten. Martha Freeman. Illustrated by Eda Kaban. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, pets, school]

Read this if....

• You enjoy cats, pets
• You enjoy picture books about school

89. Do You See the Tiger? Philip Ardagh. Illustrated by David Melling. 2025. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy picture books
• You enjoy picture books that celebrate the imagination

90. Norman and the Smell of Adventure. Ryan T. Higgins. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy Ryan T. Higgins
• You enjoyed the first Norman book (I haven't read it)
• You enjoy books where characters befriend trees

59. The River of Grace: A Story of John Calvin. Joyce McPherson. 1998. 180 pages. [Source: Bought] [biography, children's book, 5 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy children's biographies
• You want an accessible biography of John Calvin
• You enjoy narrative nonfiction

Century of Viewing, Week #34


1980s

• 1985 Back to the Future. Does anyone need the premise of Back to the Future? Time travel. High school drama. Personal conflicts. Marty travels back in time to the 1950s where he inadvertently meets his mom and dad before they fell in love. Now he must make sure they fall in love--at the right time--to make sure that he continues to exist. 

2000s

• 2002 Star Trek Nemesis. Is this my least favorite Star Trek movie? Maybe. Maybe not. It probably has more redemptive scenes than Star Trek V, but that's not saying much. What is it about? Eliminating a villain that is a clone of Picard and finding another android, B4. The highlight, for better or worse, is the wedding of Riker and Troi.
• 2007 Primeval Series 1. British sci-fi. Anomalies are allowing prehistoric dinosaurs to roam free causing death, destruction, mayhem, etc. A team works to restore order and send the prehistoric (and futuristic) species back through the anomaly...they also do battle with the ultimate evil (not really, just joking, mostly, somewhat) Helen. It's a GREAT little show. The first season, I think, had six episodes? By the third episode I was HOOKED. (The bug episodes are a little much, but, for the most part definitely enjoyable).
• 2008 Primeval Series 2. British sci-fi. Same as above except season 2! Series 1 threw a huge-at-that-moment twist into the story. The second season is even more action-packed and compelling. It seemed that there were MORE cliffhangers than in the first season. Plenty of twists and turns in this season as well! Definitely loving the series.

2010s

• 2015 Home. I love, love, love this animated movie. How to describe it? An alien species who are best at running away conquer earth and relocate the humans--to one big area. Tip, the heroine, is separated from her mom because of a purring kitty resting on her head. She goes in search of her mom, and reluctantly befriends an alien, Oh, who is an outcast from the other aliens. Work together they must! Can Oh save the day and be a hero to both humans and aliens?!

2020s

• 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships Men I'm glad I watched these. I love men's gymnastics. I love most of the six events, except perhaps floor exercise. I recognized many athletes from previous years. It was good. This was a "day 1" and "day 2" competition.
  
• 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships Women. I recognized fewer athletes. Which is a good thing. I was ready for some of them to retire. I watched the men's competition first. By the time I got through the women's I was a bit tired of sports. That's not to say the women didn't do a good job, just, that there's only so many hours in one day that one can watch sports. I love the balance beam and uneven bars best. This was a "day 1" and "day 2" competition.

Alphabet Viewing Challenge, Week #4

A Admirable Crichton
B Big Fish
C
D
E
F First Contact
G
H Home. I love, love, love this animated movie. How to describe it? An alien species who are best at running away conquer earth and relocate the humans--to one big area. Tip, the heroine, is separated from her mom because of a purring kitty resting on her head. She goes in search of her mom, and reluctantly befriends an alien, Oh, who is an outcast from the other aliens. Work together they must! Can Oh save the day and be a hero to both humans and aliens?!
I Insurrection (Star Trek)
J -- Johnny Mnemonic.
K
L
M Murder by Death
N Nemesis. Is this my least favorite Star Trek movie? Maybe. Maybe not. It probably has more redemptive scenes than Star Trek V, but that's not saying much. What is it about? Eliminating a villain that is a clone of Picard and finding another android, B4. The highlight, for better or worse, is the wedding of Riker and Troi.
O
P Primeval Series 1. British sci-fi. Anomalies are allowing prehistoric dinosaurs to roam free causing death, destruction, mayhem, etc. A team works to restore order and send the prehistoric (and futuristic) species back through the anomaly...they also do battle with the ultimate evil (not really, just joking, mostly, somewhat) Helen. It's a GREAT little show. The first season, I think, had six episodes? By the third episode I was HOOKED. (The bug episodes are a little much, but, for the most part definitely enjoyable).
Q
R
S Slipper and the Rose
T
U
V Valley of Vision
W
X
Y You Can't Run Away From It.
Z

 

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