Week in Review #52

This week I read seven books. While I may do another mid-week post to do the final movies of Century of Viewing, I'm guessing that I'll save any book reviews for newly finished books to 2026!

126. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas Adams. Illustrated by Chris Riddell. 1979/2021. 289 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, speculative fiction, humor, science fiction, audio book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy science fiction
• You enjoy humor
• You enjoy audio books

127. Little House on the Prairie. Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1935. 335 pages. [Source: Bought] [children's classic]

Read this if...

• You enjoy historical fiction
• You enjoy children's classics
• You enjoy audio books

128. Westfallen. Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares. 2024. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars] [MG speculative fiction, MG science fiction, MG dystopia, TIME TRAVEL, alternate history]

Read this if...

• You enjoy speculative fiction
• You enjoy magical radios that allow for communication across time
• You enjoy alternate universes

82. Whispers at Painswick Court. Julie Klassen. 2025. 368 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, Regency historical romance, Christian fiction]

Read this if...

• You enjoy Christian fiction
• You enjoy historical mysteries
• You enjoy historical romances

83. Ryle on the Christian Life: Growing in Grace. Andrew Atherstone. 2025. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy, 4 stars, christian biography, theology, christian nonfiction]

Read this if...

• You enjoy Christian theology
• You enjoy Christian biographies

84. A Wondrous Mystery: Daily Advent Devotions. Charles H. Spurgeon. 2024. 144 pages. [Source: GIFT] [4 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy devotional books
• You enjoy Advent books
• You enjoy Charles Spurgeon

16. 435E1B Paragraph Bible, Holy Bible, King James Version. Local Church Publisher. 1950 pages. [Source: Gift] [5 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy the King James
• You enjoy single column Bibles
• You enjoy reader's Bibles

Century of Viewing #52

1940s

• 1947 Miracle on 34th Street. A classic. I love this one so much. A lawyer convinces the world that one man--a Macy's Santa Claus--is THE one and only Santa Claus. Also romance.

1970s

• 1977. It Happened One Christmas. A 70s adaptation of It's A Wonderful Life with gender swapping. It's not horrible. It's not wonderful. It's slightly odd. I don't regret watching it once.
• 1979 American Christmas Carol. Henry Winkler stars in this adaptation of A Christmas Carol. It's just different enough to be interesting YET faithful enough to be good. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I would watch again though probably not this Christmas season.

1990s

• 1990 Die Hard 2. Perhaps not as good as the first. But his wife is in danger once again--along with a lot of other people at the airport--so action-packed drama.
• 1992. Muppet Christmas Carol. THE BEST MOVIE EVER? MAYBE PROBABLY.
• 1999. A Christmas Carol. Patrick Stewart stars in this adaptation of Christmas Carol. I enjoyed it very much.

2010s

• 2010 How To Train Your Dragon (animated). SUCH a good movie. Highly recommend. I do prefer this one to the live-action.
• 2019 A Christmas Movie Christmas. Is this parody enjoyable enough to make it a 'must'? Maybe. Maybe not. BUT it did make it more enjoyable to sit through. It's ridiculing the genre while conforming to the genre in its own twisted way. Would definitely have been improved if I'd been watching it with a friend.

2020s

• 2020 Nashville Christmas Carol. I wanted more Christmas Carol than I got. However, it was mildly pleasant. I wouldn't watch it again perhaps. But I'm not mad at it.
• 2021 Sister Swap: Hometown Christmas. If memory serves--which it doesn't always--real life sisters star in this movie. There are, I believe, two movies--one for each sister. YouTube only had the one! But this one was cute enough in its own way. A woman returns to hometown to 'save' her late uncle's movie theater and falls in love with a former classmate.
• 2025 Call the Midwife Holiday Special. I enjoyed it. Is it my favorite Call the Midwife Holiday Special???? Probably not. But it was GOOD.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #51

This week I read six books.

123. The Blue Castle. L.M. Montgomery. 1926. 218 pages. [Audio book, Library, 5 Stars]

Read this if...

• You love L.M. Montgomery
• You love classic romance
• You love 'spinsters' finding love and romance

124. Little House in the Big Woods. Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1932. 238 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, children's classic, j historical, audio book]

Read this if...

• You love children's classics
• You love Laura Ingalls Wilder
• You love head cheese (iykyk)

125. Peter Pan. J.M. Barrie. 1911/2008. Penguin. 207 pages. [Source: Library book][mg fantasy, j fantasy, children's classic, 4 stars]

Read this if...

• You love children's classics
• You never want to grow up
• You've only ever seen the movie and want to read the book

110. A Christmas Sonata. Gary Paulsen. Illustrated by Leslie Bowman. 1992. 80 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars][Christmas, historical, family drama]

Read this if...

• You are an adult sentimental about Santa
• You enjoy historical fiction

111. The 13th Day of Christmas. Adam Rex. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, Christmas]

Read this if...

• You enjoy humorous Christmas stories
• You enjoy picture books

15. New American Standard Bible (1995 text) Large Print Pew Bible. (Lockman Foundation). 1995/2005. 1267 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, this is really the 95 audio on YouVersion, but I wanted page numbers).

Read this if...

• You love the NASB 1995 (New American Standard Bible)

Century of Viewing #51

1980s

• 1985 Brazil. This dystopian film is set during the Christmas holidays. It is bizarre. It is full of twists and turns. It doesn't answer a fraction of questions that it raises. YET it features a great cast. It is odd and weird BUT it isn't a waste of time. Not really.

2000s

• 2005 Batman vs. Dracula. Is this avoid at all costs? Maybe not that drastic. But the most complimentary thing you can say is 'that is a thing that was on' It does justice neither to Batman OR Dracula. The animation style was not my favorite or best. The animation itself wasn't that fabulous. The voice actors...well...they were voices. Nothing about this one was fabulous. But the company I kept while watching it was.

2020s

• 2023 Miracle in Bethlehem, PA. I discovered this Hallmark movie last year and loved it. A woman adopts a baby but car trouble keeps her in Bethlehem, PA, for the holidays where she finds the family she's never known she's always wanted. IT's so good.
• 2023 Biltmore Christmas. TIME TRAVEL. Old Hollywood. SO many reasons to love this Hallmark Christmas movie. A screen writer wants to remake a Christmas classic...but finds herself magically transported to the original filming where she falls head over heels for one of the stars....
• 2024 Best Christmas Pageant Ever. This is the new adaptation of a children's novel from the 1970s. I loved some things about it for sure. I didn't love every single choice they made. But they definitely connected all the dots and made it more emphatic what Christmas is all about. The book is not subtle, mind you, but it lets readers come to some realizations on their own. Anyway, this one was GOOD.
• 2024 VHS Christmas Carols. I've watched it at least three more times since last week. These songs are beyond living rent free in my head. YET I find the music and story SO good and compelling. Since I know that it's likely to be taken down from the TeamStarkid channel soon after Christmas, I'll watch it while I can. If it was up year round, I might give myself a break.
• 2025 Downtown Abbey: The Grand Finale. I enjoyed this one. I did. In many ways it was like a long episode of the show. Nothing 'huge' or 'amazing' happened. Okay, I guess that is relative. It was a happy enough watch. I don't want my time back. I loved, loved, loved the tribute to the past. 
  

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #50

This week I read three books.

122. Anne of Windy Poplars. L.M. Montgomery. 1936. 288 pages. [Source: Bought] [4 stars, classic]

Read this if...

• You love Anne Shirley
• You love classics
• You love L.M. Montgomery

80. Spirit-Filled Singing. Ryanne J. Molinari. 2025. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy] [4 stars, Christinan nonfiction, worship]

Read this if...

• You are a church musician

81. Christmas in Wisconsin. Linda Byler. 2025. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, Christmas, Christian romance, Christian fiction]

Read this if...

• You enjoy Amish fiction
• You enjoy Amish Christmas stories
• You don't mind all TELL and no SHOW

Century of Viewing #50

1950s

• 1954 White Christmas. I can't imagine anyone not knowing White Christmas, but perhaps there are some out there who do need a summary. Two soldiers-turned-showmen put on a huge Christmas show to honor their former general all the while falling in love with two sisters in show business.

1960s

• 1965 Charlie Brown Christmas. I love, love, love this one! Definitely worth watching every year. LINUS does know the true meaning of Christmas.

1970s

• 1974 Twas the Night Before Christmas. This is a short animated cartoon--musical, of course. I remember it fondly from childhood.
• 1978 Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. Love Big Bird ice skating. SO many great scenes and songs. The main premise is that OSCAR tells Big Bird that Santa can't get down chimneys and so there will be no Christmas. Also Bert and Ernie do The Gift of the Magi, but Mr. Hooper saves the day.

1980s

• 1985 Velveteen Rabbit. I wanted to love this one, but, the animation wasn't for me. But the story is always good.
• 1986 The Christmas Toy. Jim Henson's The Christmas Toy to be exact. This one has toys in a toy room preparing for the new Christmas toy. They know that the child will temporarily at least reject the old and prefer the new. But this one is about the friendship between toys. It's a GOOD movie.
• 1987 Muppet Family Christmas. IF you haven't watched The Muppet Family Christmas do it now, now, now! This one is all kinds of awesome. It brings together the Muppets, the Fraggles, and the Sesame Street gang.
• 1987 Garfield Christmas. One of my favorite, favorite, favorite Christmas specials.
• 1988 Die Hard. A Christmas party goes terribly wrong and it's up to one man and one sympathetic cop to try to save the day.

2010s

• 2012 12 Disasters of Christmas. Don't seek out this bad movie to see how bad it is. Is this the worse movie I've seen this year? NO. But honestly it's not worth your time. So an ancient Mayan prophecy is "coming true" in a small mountain town, but a chosen one is there to put on the five golden rings and save the day. This one has the '12 Days of Christmas' being a song passed down from the Mayans, I believe, as a way to keep the warning alive of the doom ahead. It's weird and also weird. And even without all the end-of-the-world stuff, I have to believe the town is WEIRD and many residents are evil.
• 2014 The Nine Lives of Christmas. A stray cat brings a couple together. Hero-fireman doesn't 'like' cats but a cat has chosen him. Heroine-vet-student loves cats but lives in an apartment with a no-cat rule. As he seeks out her advice on how to care for his cat, they become friendly then friends then roommates when her landlord finds out about the cat. The cats fall in love first. The cats are honestly the best part of this holiday romance.

2020s

• 2024 Team Starkid: VHS Christmas Carols. This is a musical production by Team Starkid. This mashes up three familiar stories into one awesome one: The Gift of the Magi, The Little Match Girl, and Christmas Carol. Everything is 80s themed and all kinds of awesome. HIGHLY recommend.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #49

This week I read three books.

121. Anne's House of Dreams. L.M. Montgomery. 1919. 227 pages. [Source: Library]

Read this if

• you enjoy the Anne series
• you enjoy romance
• you enjoy classics
• you enjoy character driven novels

78. Sea View Christmas (On Devonshire Shores) Julie Klassen. 238 pages. [Source: Review copy] [4 stars, adult romance, christian romance, historical romance, christian fiction]

Read this if

• You enjoy historical romance
• You enjoy series books
• You enjoy Christian fiction

79. Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better. Brant Hansen. 2015. 214 pages. [Source: Library]

Read this if

• You enjoy thought-provoking reads
• You enjoy contemplative books that may or may not challenge your beliefs
• You enjoy the discerning process to weigh each point made in a book

Century of Viewing

1930s

• 1933 Little Women. Katharine Hepburn stars as Jo March. I enjoy this adaptation of Little Women. It is condensed and doesn't seem overly dramatic. I can make it through this adaptation without crying. Which can't be said for some of the other ones.

1940s

• 1946 It's a Wonderful Life. I love this one. I do. I absolutely LOVE IT. I can't watch it without crying. It's impossible. Is it long? Yes. Is it too long? Probably not. But this one has all the feels, all the impact.

1970s

• 1970 Scrooge (The Musical). I love, love, love this musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' The Christmas Carol.
• 1976 At The Earth's Core. I've seen several 'core' movies this year. This one was BAD. Extremely very bad. I wouldn't necessarily recommend UNLESS you want some perspective and relativity. Like this movie makes other bad movies seem not so bad. So this one is set in Victorian times, it's a bit steam-punk. An adventurer is persuaded by a mad-scientist sort to take this super experimental drilling machine capsule and drill to the center of the earth. Why????? Who knows. They do. It doesn't go as planned, and much nonsense results.

1990s

• 1990 Dark Angel (I Come In Peace). If you are looking for holiday action films OR holiday science fiction films. OR just alien invasion horror set during the holidays, then this one might work for you. Long story short, ALIENS come to earth to commit crimes and a Houston police department must try to solve this other-worldly mystery before life as we know it changes forever.
• 1997. Borrowed Hearts. I had MAJOR doubts. But I ended up enjoying this one much more than I thought I would. A man 'hires' a wife and child for the holidays to help him with a business deal. The girl is convinced the business man (the visiting one) is an angel. (He might be, you never can tell.) They become a real family while pretending.

2000s

• 2003. Undercover Christmas. An FBI agent takes home a witness he's protecting for the holidays....and pretends to be a couple in front of his family.....and the family ends up loving HER and so does he.
• 2004 North and South. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel. Is it perfect? NO. Do I love the book even more? YES. But I enjoy this one very much.
• 2004 Surviving Love. This one is dramatic and character-driven....not completely unlike the original Poseidon Adventure. A couple that is in the middle of divorcing is stranded in an RV camper in the mountains DURING A BLIZZARD. Will they be found in time? With little provision for an extended trip and extreme weather situations, will this bring them closer together?
• 2005 The Poseidon Adventure Mini-Series. Two part adaptation of the seventies film. It was....I don't know that horrible or dreadful is the right word. Completely and totally unnecessary does come to mind. It was like take everything great about the original, and replace it with 872 dramatic side stories that add nothing but nonsense to the film. The original works because of the relationships between the characters--the tension and strife, the growing inter-dependence, the developing trust, the trauma-bonding, the dialogue, the sharing and caring. The movie is dramatic, but, the characters make it even more so. This movie was a waste. Because the characters don't matter and the drama is too over the top to keep you hooked.

2010s

• 2017 Holiday Inn (Broadway) I love, love, love this one. More than the original? No. About the same as the original? YES. So a lot of things have been changed, but, some things remain the same. HIGHLY recommend the original 1942 film and the Broadway adaptation.
• 2018 Hope at Christmas. An extremely predictable holiday romance--Hallmark of course--and nothing surprising happens at all. It was enjoyable enough. Enjoyable enough is better than painful or dull.
  
  
  

1920s	Genre(s)
The Mechanical Man	science fiction, robots, crime
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	science fiction, crime, horror
Man From Beyond	paranormal, romance,
1930s	Genre(s)
Frankenstein	science fiction, mad scientist, monster, horror
Bride of Frankenstein	science fiction, mad scientist, monster, horror
Just Imagine	science fiction, musical, romantic comedy, slapstick
The Invisible Man	science fiction, mad scientist, crime, horror,
Dracula	horror, vampires, based on book
Little Women	adapted from book, drama, romance
1940s	Genre(s)
The Bishop's Wife	angels, Christmas, romance, drama
Without Reservations	romantic comedy
Eyes in the Night	mystery, DOG, detective, world war II
Holiday Inn	musical, romantic comedy, Christmas
The Perfect Woman	comedy, science fiction, robots, romance
It's a Wonderful Life	drama, Christmas,
1950s	Genre(s)
The Day the Earth Stood Still	science fiction, aliens, robots,
Belle of New York	musical, romance, period drama
King Dinosaur	science fiction, space travel, exploring planets,
Good Morning, Miss Dove	drama,
The Thing From Another World	science fiction, aliens, horror,
1960s	Genre(s)
The Earth Dies Screaming	science fiction, aliens, robots
Dinosaurus	science fiction, dinosaurs, prehistoric man,
The Time Machine	science fiction, dystopia, futuristic, adapted from book
Angry Red Planet	science fiction, space travel, aliens
1970s	Genre(s)
Logan's Run	science fiction, dystopia, future
Poseidon Adventure	drama, survival, action, natural disasters
Beyond Poseidon Adventure	drama, survival, action, bad guys, plutonium
Monty Python and the Holy Grail	comedy, slapstick, musical
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory	musical, comedy
Land that Time Forgot	fantasy, dinosaurs, drama, prehistoric man
Soylent Green	science fiction, dystopia, future
The Cat From Outer Space	science fiction, aliens, comedy
Scrooge	musical, Christmas
At the Earth's Core	science fiction, dinosaurs
1980s	Genre(s)
Philadelphia Experiment	science fiction, time travel, war
Escape from New York	action, dystopia, thriller
Something Wicked This Way Comes	fantasy, horror, spooky carnivals
Lethal Weapon	action, crime, holiday, drama
Lethal Weapon 2	action, crime, drama
High Spirits	comedy, slapstick, romance
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles	comedy, drama, road trip, Thanksgiving
Claymation Christmas	holiday special
Nightflyers	science fiction, aliens, horror, evil computers
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial	science fiction, drama, aliens
1990s	Genre(s)
Wing Commander	science fiction, space wars, aliens,
Lost World: Jurassic Park	science fiction, mad scientists, dinosaurs, action
Jurassic Park III	science fiction, dinosaurs, action
Fifth Element	science fiction, aliens, romance,
Dark City	science fiction, horror, mystery
Starship Troopers	science fiction, aliens, romance, war
Evita	period drama, musical,
Daylight	drama, survival, action
The Mummy	action, period drama, horror, adventure, romance
Lethal Weapon 3	action, drama, crime, romance
Lethal Weapon 4	action, drama, comedy, crime, romance
Heidi	book to movie adaptation, period drama, drama
Death Becomes Her	dark comedy, fantasy,
I Come In Peace (Dark Angel)	alien, science fiction, horror, mystery, Christmas
Borrowed Hearts	Christmas, romance
Stay Tuned	dark comedy, comedy, fantasy,
2000s	Genre(s)
The Core	science fiction, end-of-the-world, mad scientists, romance, action
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou	dark comedy,
Day After Tomorrow	science fiction, disaster, survival, drama
Men in Black II	science fiction, aliens, comedy
The Mummy Returns	action, period drama, horror, adventure, romance
The Scorpion King	action, period drama, war, romance
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	musical, comedy, book to movie,
Kate & Leopold	time travel, romantic comedy
Undercover Christmas	Christmas, romance, comedy, drama
Surviving Love	disaster, blizzards, romance, drama
Poseidon Adventure (miniseries	drama,
Day the Earth Stood STill	aliens, science fiction
2010s	Genre(s)
The Host	science fiction, aliens, romance,
The Martian	science fiction, space, survival
Men in Black 3	science fiction, aliens, time travel,
Batman Return of the Caped Crusader	animated, super hero
Batman Vs. Two-face	animated, super hero
Free Birds	animated, time travel, animal fantasy
Hope at Christmas	Christmas, romance
Holiday Inn (Broadway)	Christmas, musical
2020s	Genre(s)
The Flash	science fiction, time travel, super heroes
Fantastic Four: First Steps	science fiction, super heroes
Wonka	musical, comedy

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #48

This week I read three books.

119. Anne of the Island. L.M. Montgomery. 1915. 272 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, classics, romance, friendship]

120. A Time Traveler's Masquerade. (McQuivey's Costume Shop Romance). Sian Ann Bessey. 2025. 296 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, historical romance, time travel]

77. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Barbara Robinson. 1972. HarperCollins. 128 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, realistic fiction, children's classic, children's book]

Century of Viewing #48

1940s

• 1949 The Perfect Woman. Comedy with elements of science fiction. An eccentric scientist--absent-minded at that--invents a robot-woman who responds to voice commands. She's not perfect, mind you, but she's a work in progress. He hires TWO guys (down-on their luck) to test-drive his robot in public. Can the robot fool the public? Will she pass as a woman? But the niece annoyed with her uncle AND a bit restless to get out of the house, changes place with the robot with hilarious results....

1950s

• 1951 The Thing From Another World. Didn't know quite what to expect. But I liked it. I did. It was mostly fun, not particularly gory, though that is because a good bit happens off-screen and viewers just discover it a bit later. Alien invasion, of sorts. Plenty of drama and sci-fi action.

1970s

• 1977 Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas. One of my absolute favorite Christmas specials. Jim Henson's adaptation of a picture book. Essentially a spin on a spin of Gift of the Magi.

1980s

• 1982 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Should I admit I never saw this one as a kid? Maybe not. But I am glad I watched it now. IT is good; it is intense in places. All the feels.
• 1988 Scrooged. I don't love, love, love this one. But I do enjoy it. I do. A modern day spin on The Christmas Carol. The President of a television network is visited by several ghosts trying to teach him a lesson.

1990s

• 1995 Mr Willowby's Christmas Tree. Muppets. Kermit the Frog narrates this adaptation of a picture book. It does star some humans--Robert Downey Jr.--and some muppets--woodland creatures. It's a musical. Definitely fun.

2000s

• 2004 Christmas with The Kranks. I enjoy this one. It's never quite love. A family decides to skip Christmas because their grown daughter will be out of the country....but on the day before Christmas Eve...or perhaps on Christmas Eve....she calls to say she's coming home for Christmas. The family rushes to prepare....

2010s

• 2012 Come Dance With Me. Hallmark movie. Definitely one of the better Hallmark movies. A man takes dance lessons....so he can surprise his girlfriend and her family at their big holiday party. Her dance studio is about to be closed....and it is his company that is handling that. AWKWARD if she knew...she doesn't for the longest time. Can these two find a way to be together.
• 2015 Merry Matrimony. Mediocre Hallmark, but not hideous. She works together with an ex-boyfriend....will these two fall in love AND MARRY before Christmas?
• 2019 A Cheerful Christmas. One of the worst Hallmark movies I've ever seen....ever. She is a "Christmas coach" hired by an extended-extended-extended-extended-extended-extended royal family member living in America. She's awed by his royal-ness. (57th in line for the throne?????, something stupid like that). She helps him feel all Christmas-y by forcing him to build snowmen, drink cocoa outside, and go Christmas shopping. Will he lose all logic and reason and fall in love with her despite her being the most annoying person in the world?

2020s

• 2025 Disney's Living Characters: A Broken Promise. A four hour documentary about Disney's Living Characters...these go beyond animatronics. It is well-researched and up to date.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #47

This week I read six books.

117. Anne of Avonlea. L.M. Montgomery. 1909. 304 pages. [Source: Bought]

Read if...

• You enjoy the Anne series
• You enjoy classics
• You enjoy series books

118. Dear Miss Lake (Emmy Lake Chronicles #4) A.J. Pearce. 2025. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy] [historical fiction, historical romance, world war 2, 4 stars, series book]

Read if...

• You enjoy series books
• You enjoy historical fiction
• You enjoy world war II settings

108. BOARD BOOK: First Festivals: Christmas (Lift-the-Flap). Ladybird Books. 2025. 12 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

Read if...

• You enjoy board books

109. Board book: There There Little Kitten. Anna Milbourne. 2025. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars]

Read if...

• You enjoy board books
• You like cats

75. Through Each Tomorrow. Gabrielle Meyer. 2025. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [historical fiction, 4 stars, time slipping, christian fantasy]

Read if...

• You enjoy series books
• You enjoy historical fiction
• You enjoy timeslipping

76. Everyday Gospel: Christmas Devotional. Paul David Tripp. 2025. 55 pages. [Source: Review copy] [4 stars, advent, Christmas devotional]

Read if...

• You enjoy devotionals
• You enjoy advent devotionals

Century of Viewing #47

1940s

• 1940 Rebecca. An adaptation of the book, Rebecca. It was well done. But the story is a little too creepy for me to love and adore.
• 1942 Eyes in the Night. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this surprise of a movie. A blind detective helps out an old friend--a young woman with husband and a stepdaughter--and becomes quite involved in a MURDER MYSTERY and uncovering a ring of Nazi agents or sympathizers. THERE'S A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL DOG.
• 1942. Holiday Inn. One of my most favorite musicals AND one of my favorite holiday films. Definitely love this Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire movie. Highly recommended.
• 1946 Without Reservations. PERFECTLY charming John Wayne movie. Claudette Colbert plays a writer whose bestselling book is about to be adapted to film. By chance she meets John Wayne's character and decides on him to be her leading man. She is quite smitten. But can these two find a way to be together?

1950s

• 1955 Good Morning Miss Dove. Miss Dove is a teacher who has spent decades of her life dedicated and devoted to her students. When she has a health crisis the whole community comes together to show their respect, love, and appreciation.

1960s

• 1960 Angry Red Planet. "Astronauts" travel to Mars where they encounter unfriendly, dare I say, ANGRY alien lifeforms with a message to Earth. It was mildly enjoyable, perfectly mediocre.

1980s

• 1983 Space Raiders. A surprising amount of HEART in this one. A young boy stowaways on a ship that is being stolen, he becomes their responsibility...and bonds are formed with these space pirates of sorts. But will he find his way home again? Also contains a lot of rock-blasting just because. Enjoyable for what it is.
• 1987 Nightflyers. Mist. Hairspray. Shoulder pads. Synthesizer. Words that come to mind when thinking about this 1980s sci-fi adventure. ANGRY ship, helpless passengers.

2020s

• 2025 Merry Little Ex-Mas, Out of all the movies I've watched recently--or even this year--this one made me want my time back. I can think of one or two others as well. This holiday rom-com is NOT worth your time. Very few if any likeable characters. Obnoxious story.

1920s	Genre(s)
The Mechanical Man	science fiction, robots, crime
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	science fiction, crime, horror
Man From Beyond	paranormal, romance,
1930s	Genre(s)
Frankenstein	science fiction, mad scientist, monster, horror
Bride of Frankenstein	science fiction, mad scientist, monster, horror
Just Imagine	science fiction, musical, romantic comedy, slapstick
The Invisible Man	science fiction, mad scientist, crime, horror,
Dracula	horror, vampires, based on book
1940s	Genre(s)
The Bishop's Wife	angels, Christmas, romance, drama
Without Reservations	romantic comedy
Eyes in the Night	mystery, DOG, detective, world war II
Holiday Inn	musical, romantic comedy, Christmas
1950s	Genre(s)
The Day the Earth Stood Still	science fiction, aliens, robots,
Belle of New York	musical, romance, period drama
King Dinosaur	science fiction, space travel, exploring planets,
Good Morning, Miss Dove	drama,
1960s	Genre(s)
The Earth Dies Screaming	science fiction, aliens, robots
Dinosaurus	science fiction, dinosaurs, prehistoric man,
The Time Machine	science fiction, dystopia, futuristic, adapted from book
Angry Red Planet	science fiction, space travel, aliens
1970s	Genre(s)
Logan's Run	science fiction, dystopia, future
Poseidon Adventure	drama, survival, action, natural disasters
Beyond Poseidon Adventure	drama, survival, action, bad guys, plutonium
Monty Python and the Holy Grail	comedy, slapstick, musical
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory	musical, comedy
Land that Time Forgot	fantasy, dinosaurs, drama, prehistoric man
Soylent Green	science fiction, dystopia, future
The Cat From Outer Space	science fiction, aliens, comedy
1980s	Genre(s)
Philadelphia Experiment	science fiction, time travel, war
Escape from New York	action, dystopia, thriller
Something Wicked This Way Comes	fantasy, horror, spooky carnivals
Lethal Weapon	action, crime, holiday, drama
Lethal Weapon 2	action, crime, drama
High Spirits	comedy, slapstick, romance
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles	comedy, drama, road trip, Thanksgiving
Claymation Christmas	holiday special
Nightflyers	science fiction, aliens, horror, evil computers
1990s	Genre(s)
Wing Commander	science fiction, space wars, aliens,
Lost World: Jurassic Park	science fiction, mad scientists, dinosaurs, action
Jurassic Park III	science fiction, dinosaurs, action
Fifth Element	science fiction, aliens, romance,
Dark City	science fiction, horror, mystery
Starship Troopers	science fiction, aliens, romance, war
Evita	period drama, musical,
Daylight	drama, survival, action
The Mummy	action, period drama, horror, adventure, romance
Lethal Weapon 3	action, drama, crime, romance
Lethal Weapon 4	action, drama, comedy, crime, romance
Heidi	book to movie adaptation, period drama, drama
Death Becomes Her	dark comedy, fantasy,
Stay Tuned	dark comedy, comedy, fantasy,
2000s	Genre(s)
The Core	science fiction, end-of-the-world, mad scientists, romance, action
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou	dark comedy,
Day After Tomorrow	science fiction, disaster, survival, drama
Men in Black II	science fiction, aliens, comedy
The Mummy Returns	action, period drama, horror, adventure, romance
The Scorpion King	action, period drama, war, romance
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	musical, comedy, book to movie,
Kate & Leopold	time travel, romantic comedy
Day the Earth Stood STill	aliens, science fiction
2010s	Genre(s)
The Host	science fiction, aliens, romance,
The Martian	science fiction, space, survival
Men in Black 3	science fiction, aliens, time travel,
Batman Return of the Caped Crusader	animated, super hero
Batman Vs. Two-face	animated, super hero
Free Birds	animated, time travel, animal fantasy
2020s	Genre(s)
The Flash	science fiction, time travel, super heroes
Fantastic Four: First Steps	science fiction, super heroes
Wonka	musical, comedy

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews