Week in Review #6

This week I read seven books!

I loved, loved, LOVED listening to Christopher Plummer narrate Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It included Through the Looking Glass as well! He did a fantastic job. I loved the first book best, but, the second book has its fun moments as well.

Eureka by Victoria Chang was my first (but probably not last) verse novel. This was historical fiction set in the 1880s in California.

I also finished listening to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein this week. It was a GREAT one to listen to on audio.

I enjoyed reading several of the Geisel honor books and the award winner! Stop That Mop was GREAT fun. I love, love, love Jonathan Fenske.

The Tunneler Tunnels in the Tunnel could be an enjoyable read depending on the energy you bring to it perhaps.

Earl & Worm are great characters. I loved reading "The Big Mess" and Other Stories.

Pizza and Taco Go Viral is another fun edition to that silly, super silly series.

Century of Viewing #6

I also saw about a dozen Twilight Zone episodes. Not sure how to talk about those.

1980s

• 1986 The Mouse and the Motorcycle. An adaptation of Beverly Cleary's children's fantasy novel. This one stars Ralph S. Mouse. Ralph lives at a hotel and befriends a kid guest, Keith, who has a toy motorcycle. When the mouse saves his life, Ralph gets to keep the motorcycle.
• 1988 Runaway Ralph. Ralph is still at the hotel, but, bossy bossy Uncle Lester has Ralph convinced to runaway. Will life at camp with a kid named Garf be any better?

1990s

• 1992 Ralph S. Mouse. I enjoyed this third movie about Ralph. Ryan takes his mouse friend, Ralph, to school. Well, Ralph insists on going to school. Many adventures are had. Each of these Ralph stories are about 40 minutes.
• 1998 You've Got Mail. I LOVE the soundtrack. The story is fun enough. It's been adapted many times. I have to assume that it started out life as a play perhaps? Or a short story? Anyway, Shop Around the Corner was the adaptation that I love most next to this one. (The Judy Garland adaptation is not my favorite or best, though it has been decades since I've seen it. So we'll see if my opinion changes if I watch that one too). Two people who are enemies don't know that they are pen pals.
• 1999 Galaxy Quest. One of my favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite, all time favorite movies. I adore this movie. It is perfectly perfect. So aliens believe a science fiction show from the past is a historical documentary and the actors are in for a shock...at a convention. MUCH fun. Highly recommend.

2000s

• 2005 War of the Worlds. Last year I saw the original 1953 adaptation of H.G. Well's novel. This one wasn't faithful to the book, BUT, it was gory and packed with action. Though I did consider that maybe was following Tom Cruise's character about. He never seemed to be out of danger. The aliens couldn't be everywhere-everywhere-everywhere at once. Would it have been a better strategy to stay put somewhere. Who knows. I don't know.

2020s

• 2026 Finding Her Edge. This miniseries is ridiculously bad for overthinkers who know anything about figure skating. If you're just in it for the love triangle drama, well, you may still be disappointed, but you'll probably be entertained. Few characters are likable. But if you're looking for a soap opera with figure skating as a story element, then this one might work.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews