58. Every Time a Bell Rings

58. Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It's a Wonderful Life, America's Most Beloved Holiday Film. Emily St. James and Lauren Theisen. 2026. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [2 stars, adult nonfiction, essays]

First sentence: Certain movies take on lives of their own.

Premise/plot: Emily St. James and Lauren Theisen have teamed up to write about the holiday movie, It's a Wonderful Life. What should YOU the reader expect?

Each chapter is essentially an essay tackling the film. The essays cover a wide range of topics. Some expected. Some unexpected. What do I mean by unexpected and expected? Obvious and NOT obvious. Points of view that are not traditional, obvious, deducible by reason or logic no matter how many times you view the film. They come from nowhere. The book avoids sticking with the traditional, obvious, literal meaning of the film. Not every essay goes where no person has gone before. Some are more obvious--for example, providing background on the ACTORS, on the DIRECTORS, on other films released the same year. Other essays examine specific elements of the film--Pottersville, for example.

Chapter One: You Are Now In Bedford Falls
Chapter Two: George Bailey's American Dream
Chapter Three: Frank Capra's Last Stand
Chapter  Four: 1946: A Movie Year Like No Other
Interlude
Chapter Five: Harry Bailey, American Hero
Chapter Six: Uncle Billy and the Safety Net
Chapter Seven: Peter Bailey's Son
Interlude
Chapter Eight: Nick, Martini, and Annie
Chapter Nine: The Many Wonderful Weirdos of Bedford Falls
Chapter Ten: Seneca Falls Eighty Years Later
Interlude
Chapter Eleven: Welcome to Pottersville
Chapter Twelve: Henry F. Potter's American Dream
Chapter Thirteen: The Strange Copyright Journey of It's a Wonderful Life
Interlude
Chapter Fourteen: Outside Bedford Falls
Chapter Fifteen: Clarence Odbody, Angel Second Class
Chapter Sixteen: Mary Bailey

The chapters--or essays--vary in topic and subject. Some were informative. Some were speculative. Some were just weird and weirder. The book was--for better or worse--surprisingly or unsurprisingly VERY political. Again, for better or worse, it tried to take today's issues and make It's a Wonderful Life have some comment one way or the other. To be fair, it also tackled some of yesterday's issues--of the 1930s and 1940s--and tried to make It's a Wonderful Life have strong opinions one way or the other. For example, IS the film pushing communism? For all that is being addressed in the book, the book doesn't particularly tackle morality, faith, and spirituality--at least not well for being so front and center in the movie itself.

Some essays try a little too hard. George Bailey is too white and a white male at that. Mary Bailey is not feminist enough. Their traditional family life is too oppressive.

My thoughts: It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful, wonderful movie. It is timeless and universal. It is spiritual and philosophical. It tackles the harder questions of life. WHO AM I? WHY WAS I BORN? DOES MY LIFE MATTER? DOES MY LIFE HAVE MEANING? WHY AM I HERE? It asks not only what kind of person am I when life is easy and going my way but WHAT KIND OF PERSON AM I WHEN THINGS ARE DIFFICULT AND ANYTHING BUT WONDERFUL. These kinds of questions can be answered by many different faiths, but are often associated--or would have been associated in 1946--with Christianity. In fact, the film opens with not a couple of people praying but the whole town coming together to pray. Which indicates a COMMUNITY with shared values if not specific faiths (or denominations) AND compassion and empathy. When they heard that George Bailey was in trouble, they didn't just say, "Oh, that's too bad." Or "I'll add him to the prayer list at church." Or the equivalent of a prayer emoji. They stopped what they were doing and prayed. There was genuine concern and worry. And they were directing that to God. The movie doesn't go into defining God--or limiting him to one denomination. And their faith wasn't limited just to their prayers.

If the book had fewer essays I might have liked it more. I appreciated the historical chapters best--the ones that focused on the director, the actors, the short story the movie was based on, etc. I liked the politicized chapters least of all. The ones that tried to pull all the "hot" issues of the past four to eight years and make the movie say something about the current times.




© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

54. The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins

54. The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins. Melanie Dickerson. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, clean romance, historical romance, Jane Eyre wannabe]

First sentence: "Charlotte! A letter came for you!" Hattie Jacobs emerged from the back entrance of Mrs. Southey's School for Young Ladies, waving something over her head.

Premise/plot: Charlotte Robbins, our protagonist, is incredibly excited to start a new chapter of her life as a governess to an earl's niece and nephew. Lord Brookhaven is extremely friendly and sociable from their first meeting. Charlotte was hoping to find love in this new chapter as well though she knows that it couldn't possibly be with the earl himself. But surely there's someone about with whom she could find a happily ever after. BUT when Charlotte is included in Lord Brookhaven's social calendar--a house party--she begins to realize she is in fact falling for the earl. AT the same time, he begins to realize he is falling in love with her. But, dear readers, we are barely a fifth of the way through the novel. Readers still have a couple hundred pages to go before the incredibly obvious and tedious misunderstandings can be cleared up in three or four minutes of conversation.

My thoughts: The book wants to be Jane Eyre without being Jane Eyre. They've upgraded Mr. Rochester to an EARL. They've removed the hidden wife in the attic. Simply not acceptable to have a MARRIED MAN falling in love with another woman, proposing, or trying to marry again unlawfully. They have tried to make the story a little more Charles Dickens...introducing TWO ORPHAN CHILDREN that must be saved and rescued. Charlotte does "inherit" but not from an uncle she's never met--but from an imaginary uncle created by the earl as a guise. This money from an "uncle" (wink, wink) sets her up in London, brings two street orphans into her life, and makes her the catch of the season. As marriage proposals abound, Charlotte is unhappy because Lord Brookhaven is keeping his distance. The truth comes out...and she's livid. And then the nonsense continues because of course it does. Eventually these two have an honest conversation and when he proposes she accepts.

It is published by a CHRISTIAN publisher. There is little to no Christian content. There is 800% more Christian content in the original novel Jane Eyre than in this book. The "improvements" to the story are not really improvements in my opinion.



© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

47. How a Bear Became a Book

47. How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-The-Pooh. Annette Bay Pimentel. Illustrated by Faith Pray. 2026. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, history, picture book]

First sentences: Would you like a story? WE can make one up! But stories are about things that happen, and things have to happen to someone. So we'll need a someone--a character. Any ideas? Because characters in stories begin with ideas.

Premise/plot: How a Bear Became a Book is a behind the scene glimpse at the creation process of Winnie the Pooh. It is a PROCESS. It isn't quick. It is slow. It isn't one person had an idea and POOF a book appears. It shows that writing is a process, that illustrating is a process, that publishing is a process. That everything worth doing takes WORK and MORE WORK and EVEN MORE WORK.

My thoughts: I love the Winnie the Pooh novels. I have never outgrown my love of the bear. I enjoyed reading this story. Is it thrilling and captivating every paragraph--maybe not--especially if you are young and have a short attention span. But I really enjoyed the showing of the process.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

43. The Midnight Train

43. The Midnight Train. Matt Haig. 2026. 296 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, adult speculative fiction, adult romance]

First sentence: Wilbur Budd died around midnight, but he had trouble remembering the details.

Premise/plot: The Midnight Train is a premise-driven novel. Think Twilight Zone, Our Town, and A Christmas Carol. Wilbur Budd, the protagonist, dies soon after the novel opens. He's lived a long life, in many ways a successful life. IF you only look at dollars or cents--or the British equivalent. But Wilbur has focused on all the wrong things for perhaps the right reasons, perhaps not the right reasons. But his need to escape the poverty of his childhood--as well as dealing with some childhood trauma, or not dealing with it as the case may be--has left his heart as cold as ice. Maggie loses the man she marries to a cash register essentially.

The night he dies, he boards a train, the "Midnight Train," the train that will take him to the afterlife. He can look out the windows and see every moment of his life flash by. There will be stops along the way. As a ghost, he will look upon significant moments of his life. Some are obviously significant. Some less obviously significant moments. Some are moments that he is overjoyed to relive, to experience with fresh eyes. Others are dark, haunting, traumatic. The train stops and he must go where it takes him.

There are RULES and more rules. But what if there weren't rules. What if Wilbur is a REBEL and a risk taker? What if he is determined to NOT go quietly...

My thoughts: I could not put this one down. It was IMPOSSIBLE for me to go to bed until I finished it. It was reflective and equal parts wonderful and heartbreaking.

I recently read Midnight Library. Nora Seed does make an extremely small appearance as a piano teacher in this one. I LOVED this one more than Midnight Library. I thought the characterization was better. Or maybe the premise was better.

Quotes:

• I don't mean to be pedantic, but the whole point of a life flashing before your eyes is that you see it.
• It was interesting, to realize that even your own past was new territory to explore. That memories were no more the real event than flags were their nations.
• A life of avoiding pain becomes a life defined by pain. Pain and regret.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

34. If You Lived During the American Revolution

34. If You Lived During the American Revolution. Chris Newell. Illustrated by Steffi Walthall. 2026. 88 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, history, nonfiction]

First sentence: Colonization by European peoples of what we now call the United States of America began as early as the sixteenth century.

I read a few "If You Lived...." books growing up. There is a newer series of books similarly titled that are being published now. This is the first I've read of the newer series. It is on a heavy, complex topic. Heavy because it's about war. Complex because every conflict, every war, has at least three sides. It is also written to line up in accordance with modern sensibilities. For better or worse. There are certainly some benefits, I'm sure, to a modern take on the past. But if exclusively or overly so, it can come across as super judgy. In other words, America should never have been colonized and all wars were a result of us unnecessarily colonizing. And the colonization of America could never be justifiable, etc. And sometimes I just want my history to be, you know, just record what was without comment or bias or opinion. Neither obnoxious praise or condemnation.

As for the facts in this one, I am too long out of school to know how accurate or inaccurate it may be. OR if the emphasis is rightly placed. It could be perfectly, perfectly fine as far as facts are concerned. OR it could have a mistake here or there. I wouldn't be able to distinguish. I last studied the American Revolution in college, and I found it fascinating then.

What I liked about the original series was how the questions were answered concisely and were full of I didn't know that facts. But this one is on a more complex, darker topic. It is probably easier to read than a textbook. (At least the textbooks of my past). BUT it isn't "fun" or "light" or "casual." (And it would probably be wrong if it was.)

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

32. Magnitude

32. Magnitude. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2026. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, historical fiction, mg historical]

First sentence: The first time I felt an earthquake, I was nine years old.

Premise/plot: Magnitude is middle grade historical fiction set in San Francisco, 1906. Cora, Oliver, and Chi are unlikely friends brought together by circumstance. Cora and Oliver were once the closest of close friends until their parents quarreled. Cora and Chi were strangers when the story opens. But being at the same place when the earthquake hit brought them together--when the road collapsed they fell underground and were trapped together. Oliver 'rescues' them both. But that's not the end of their adventures.

My thoughts: I wanted to like this book. I did not like this book. Why didn't I like this book? I felt almost all the characters lacked common sense. I truly did. Granted middle grade novels are typically centered on kids being independent and not relying on adults even in adult situations. Parents are usually 'absent' from the plot or poorly drawn and flat. But in this one, the three friends make unwise decisions one hundred percent of the time. Run away from danger? Run towards parents? NO. Run towards danger? Run toward fires? Yes. Run toward exploding buildings? Yes. Accept the guidance of any and every adult they come across? NO. Do whatever they want despite being warned eight million times? YES. Adults are bad. Surely they are smarter than ANY and EVERY adult. Because they think they always know best, they do find themselves in trouble. And I'm not really blaming Chi--she was just dragged into this story. But because they are the heroes of the book, they have a tied up in a neat bow ending.

You might think you're getting a book about survival, a desperate search to find family, a tale of perseverance against all odds. What you are getting is a story about corruption and greed. Cora took out a loan from a shady, shady guy. When the loan is due, Cora still doesn't have the money. The earthquake happens. The bad shady guys are after her. It's a cat-and-mouse game. The earthquake is not important in the slightest. It's just a girl and her friends being chased by "bad guys" who want the money paid back from the loan. All the characters seem more focused on this loan and money situation than the dangers of the earthquake--the fires, the explosions, being hungry and thirsty, being separated from family, being vulnerable and all.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

30. The Littlest Elephant

30. The Littlest Elephant. Katherine Applegate. 2026. 36 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, picture book, animal fantasy]

First sentence: Nobody ever listens to the littlest elephant. And around here, the littlest elephant is me. When you're the littlest elephant, they call you things like "Buttercup" and "Ru-Ru" and "Twizzletrunk." Even though your name is Ruby.

Premise/plot: Ruby is the littlest elephant. But she's growing, growing, growing. Her new tusks are a sign of her growing up. Ruby is conflicted. She doesn't know if she wants to do the growing up. What if she wants to stay the littlest elephant. The book is about a celebration of her growing her. And Ruby doesn't want to do the remembering bit that is encouraged by the older, wiser elephants.

My thoughts: I liked this one well enough. I love the middle grade novels in this series. I do. I don't love the picture books as much. Well, that's not quite true. With this one, the audience is definitely older readers. Dare I say it's best for adult readers? That it is more a book for adults to appreciate? It is text heavy. I can't see the story appealing unless you've already read the middle grade novel(s). The themes are mature--not because of content but because they are deeper in a philosophical, reflective way. I liked it.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

27. The Lions' Run

27. The Lions' Run. Sara Pennypacker. 2026. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical fiction, j historical, mg historical, world war II]

First sentence: A little freedom. Lucas had only a few deliveries this afternoon, and if he was quick with them, he'd finally have a couple of hours to himself before he'd have to show up back at the abbey.

Premise/plot: The Lions' Run is set in Occupied France during the Second World War. Lucas, the protagonist, is an orphan, a delivery boy. He lives at the abbey where there was a school. One day when he rescues kittens from drowning--if you're incredibly sensitive, this might prove a bit too much--he meets a girl, Alice, hiding a horse, Bia. The Nazis want Bia, and Alice is determined NOT to let them have her. She is trying to smuggle her to America. Meanwhile, Lucas is determined to join the resistance. As a delivery boy already, perhaps he can keep on blending in and not draw too much attention to himself. However, when he sets out to rescue something much larger--and noisier--than several kittens, IT will be a fight to survive.

My thoughts: It's way too early in the year to proclaim favorites of newly published books. YET this one does have a lot of potential to make that list all the same. IT is a World War II story but one that tells a unique story. It also explores the concept of bravery and courage. Is it courage if you're scared the whole time you're doing it?


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

13. Eureka

13. Eureka. Victoria Chang. 2026. 272 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, YA Historical Fiction, MG Historical Fiction, verse novel]

First sentence: "Eat before you go out,"
says Ma Ma. "And be
back for Chinese school!"
Ma Ma says this to me
every single day.
I'm not allowed to go to a public school
in San Francisco
with the American kids.

Premise/plot: Eureka is historical fiction set in 1884/1885 California. When Mei Mei's parents feel their young daughter is in danger if she remains in San Francisco (in danger of being taken and sold), they send her--for her own good--to Eureka, California, little knowing that they are sending her to even greater danger. In just a few months, all the Chinese will be expelled--much violence--from Eureka. Mei Mei and her new friends will have to find their own way back to San Francisco in the hope of finding refuge.

My thoughts: I enjoy verse novels. I enjoy historical fiction. I definitely enjoyed this one. It was a quick read.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews