Century of Viewing, August

I watched twenty-one things in August! Two were K-dramas.

5 star movies and shows:

4-D Man
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Agent Kim Reactivated
Back to the Future
Daylight
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Strong Girl Nam-Soon
The Sunshine Boys

4 1/2 and 4 star movies:

Deluge (4 stars)
Top Speed (4 stars)
What's Up Doc (4 1/2 stars)
World's Greatest Lover (4 stars)
Starved for Perfection (4 1/2 stars)
When Worlds Collide (4 stars)



© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Century of Viewing, July

In July, I watched 43 things including some television shows!!!! It is my best month for viewing so far this year, though my reading has not been as much.

July's 5 star movies

Blast from the Past
Dance, Girl, Dance
Du Barry Was a Lady
First Contact (Star Trek)
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Lego Batman Movie
Sunset Boulevard
Teach You a Lesson (k-drama)
The Towering Inferno

July's 4 1/2 and 4 star movies

• Star Trek: Generations
• Jumanji
• Movie, Movie (yes, that’s the name)
• Enigma
• Little House on the Prairie (2026, season 1)
• Adam’s Rib
• The Phantom Tollbooth
• Idiocracy
• Timeline
• Cold Turkey

My top ten so far for this year:

Galaxy Quest
Ever After
What About Bob?
Blast from the Past
Ivanhoe
Return to Me
The Music Man
Teach You a Lesson
The Wonderfools
Lego Batman



© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Century of Viewing, June

I watched 27 things in June!!!!

5 Star Movies,

• Boss Baby
• If a Man Answers
• Limelight
• Twister
• Wonderfools
• Zathura

4 1/2 and 4 star movies,

• Timeless (season 1)
• Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
• The Main Event
• Akeelah and the Bee
• 13 Ghosts
• Seeking Persephone
• The Caine Mutiny
• Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead
• 27 Dresses
• Gremlins
• Stars and Stripes Forever

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #23

This week I read eight books!!!!

40. After My Brother Sam. James Lincoln Collier. 2026. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [1 star, mg historical fiction, why does this book even exist]
41. Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews. Julie Hedlund. Illustrated by Ilaria Urbinati. 2023. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, biography, music appreciation]
36. The Rare Bird. Elisha Cooper. 2026. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, cats, imagination, picture books]
37. Dinosaur Friends. Sara Miller. 2026. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, board books, dinosaurs]
38. Gus & Sully: All Week Long. Steve Light. 2026. 16 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, board books, friendship, concept book]
39. Glow with Sounds and Lights. Nicola Edwards. Illustrated by Sophie Ledesma. 2026. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [2 stars, interactive board book]
40. My Daddy is Everything (Board book) Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin. 2026. 24 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, board books, family]
13. Essentials of Reformed Systematic Theology. Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley. 2025. 1088 pages. [Source: Review copy] [4 stars, theology, Christian nonfiction]

Century of Viewing #23

1950s

• 1951 Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. A boxer accused of an extremely serious crime goes invisible to evade capture....and meanwhile two detectives end up involved in boxing. One as a "boxer" and one as a manager. It was silly. It was slapstick. It was sporty. I did enjoy it.

1970s

• 1979 The Main Event. Romantic comedy with a lot of boxing. Or as the poster says, a "glove story." She has lost just about everything....but she does have a contract on a fighter. He owes her a lot of money....but he doesn't want to fight...or do anything really. Can she make a fighter out of him?

2010s

• 2016/2017 Timeless. Time travel show. Each show varies in quality. Sometimes absolutely awesome. Sometimes tedious. The plot was interesting in some ways, but I think if the plots and stories were tighter and there were fewer episodes--filler episodes--then it might have been better??? I didn't want it canceled, but, it could have been better.

2020s

• 2026 Wonderfools. I love, love, love this K-drama set in 1999 starring 'misfit' superheroes who try their best to save the world. There are layers. All the feels. Is good.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Century of Viewing, May

In May, I watched 14 movies.

My two five-star movies were Modern Times and The Running Man (2014).

My four star and four and a half star movies are:

• Robocop (2014)
• Robocop 3
• The Last Starfighter
• Call the Midwife Season 15

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #20

I am feeling so much better! But I only finished two books! (Still haven't read that stack of picture books!)

35. The Bad Beginning. (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. 1999. 162 pages. [Source: Library] [j fantasy, mg fantasy, j fiction, mg fiction, 5 stars]
36. The Martian. Andy Weir. 2011. 369 pages. [Source: Library] [adult science fiction, 5 stars, space]

Century of Viewing #20

2020s

• 2025 Afterlight Five stories with some sci-fi elements. (Though strong horror elements as well for some). These are NOT connected in any way. I could have sworn that the description said they were. They weren't. The first story was thought-provoking, intriguing, showed great potential. The second story was intense and emotional perhaps a little too dark. Left more questions than answers. The third, fourth, and fifth stories were a complete waste of time. The third story might have been fleshed out into something larger which would allow for the mystery and suspense to be developed and an actual story told. The fourth story was just weak--in terms of script and acting maybe. It's very very hard to distinguish the two. Actors can only say what the script says. The fifth story was BORING. If the fifth had been the third would it have been as boring? Maybe. Maybe not.
• 2026 Call the Midwife, season 15 I loved the finale. I was SOBBING through portions of it. Did I love every single scene? Probably not. The series as a whole--all eight episodes--I would say I was mostly disappointed. The last two episodes were turning things around. I wish the last few seasons had been better. There are things that I just haven't liked, haven't wanted, haven't enjoyed. BUT the finale reminded me of all the reasons I CARE.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #19

This week I reviewed only one book--and that was last Saturday night! I've been sick--sadly.

ESV Women's Study Bible. God. 2021. 2336 pages. [Source: GIFT] [Bible, study Bible, 5 stars]

Century of Viewing #19

1980s

• 1984 The Last Starfighter    Alex Rogan plays a LOT of an arcade game. But the arcade game leads to a real life adventure, and the guy who has always wanted to leave his small town trailer park, well, he begins to question if he has what it takes to be an actual actual starfighter. It was interesting to see Robert Preston as an alien!

2000s

• 2002/2003 Forsyte Saga 2 Series. 13 Episodes. Much soap-iness. It has been a while since I read the books but it fairly seemed to go along with what I remembered plus or minus a few whines. I haven't watched the new series yet, and I'm not sure when I'll get to it. More unlikeable characters than likeable characters but much drama.

2010s

• 2012 Cold Light of Day Would I recommend it? NO. Are there worse ways to spend two hours? Probably. Possibly. Would I rather go to the dentist? YES. I have a great dentist. (We talk about movies and books!) I can't really think of anything I actively liked about this movie. Except it has been fun to watch reactions and reviews.

2020s

• 2025 The Running Man I read the book relatively recently. And I've never been more shocked that a movie was mostly relatively almost faithful to the book!!!! This movie shares little in common with the 80s original action movie. It is dystopia. It is dark. BUT I definitely preferred it not only to the original 80s movie BUT to the book as well.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Century of Viewing, April

In April, I watched 27 movies!

My five star movies:

Ever After
Forrest Gump
Frequency
Gospel of John
Home
It's You I Like
No Time for Sergeants
The Moon
The War of the Worlds
What About Bob?
You Can't Run Away From It

My four and a half and four star movies:

Empire Records
Trust Me The False Prophet
Sirius
Robocop
Robocop 2

My top five movies from ALL of 2026:

Galaxy Quest
Ever After
What About Bob
Forrest Gump
Ivanhoe

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #17

This week I reviewed two books and two Bibles!

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

33. Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. Laura Ingalls Wilder. Edited by Pamela Smith Hill. 2014. South Dakota State Historical State Society. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction, memoir]


2. New King James Version, Sovereign Collection, Wide Margin. God. (Thomas Nelson Publisher). 2022. 1696 pages. [Source: Bought] [Bible] [5 stars]


3. KJV Chronological Life Application Study Bible, Second Edition. God. 2025. 2128 pages. [Source: Bought (Gift)] [5 stars, bible review]


Century of Viewing #17

1940s

• 1942 Sirius. Did I expect to watch a Hungarian film this year? No, not really. This is a Hungarian science fiction film, a Hungarian Count, Akos Tibor answers an ad in the newspaper. A professor is looking for a man to marry his daughter. He goes because it might be an offer too good to refuse. The professor shows him a strange machine--a flying machine. Almost like a helicopter but missing some key details. He promises the young man that it has the power to travel through time--circle the globe in less than a second. Akos goes back in time to 1748, meets his great-grandfather (who is HORRIBLE) and falls in love with an opera singer (as one does naturally). But a duel turns into a nightmare...and his opera singer may be 'lost' to him forever. Good thing the professor's daughter is played by the same actress. So a happy ending of sorts. There's music. There's dancing. There's sword fighting. There's head-tilting.

1950s

• 1958 No Time for Sergeants. I love, love, love this comedy with Andy Griffith! Will Stockdale wants to get transferred with his 'buddy' Ben to the infantry, but, things don't ever go as planned!!!!

1960s

• 1968 Countdown. In this version of the space race, America is sending a man to the moon to wait for an Apollo flight to come rescue him. Sound like a bad idea? How about sending someone unqualified. After the Russians have already sent a man to the moon. What could go wrong? We don't know because the movie ends before anything exciting could happen.

1980s

• 1983 Brainstorm. I neither loved nor hated this 80s sci-fi. It had its ridiculous moments for sure--the water activated foam in the factory, for example. BUT it is something I watched. Mike and Karen are estranged but assigned the same project at work. Mike has been involved from the beginning. Something about a helmet that captures emotions, memories, sensations, experiences, all the feels. These can be shared helmet-to-helmet live or recorded on tape and played back through the helmet. There are evil guys, unsavory sorts, but seeing each other's memories proves to reunite this couple. Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood are the leads.

1990s

• 1998 Ever After. Is Ever After the absolute best, best, best Cinderella adaptation. MAYBE. Probably. Perhaps. Is it one I could watch eight million times and still adore. YES. I love the soundtrack. I love the characters. I love the story.

2000s

• 2000 Frequency. This was a GREAT movie. I absolutely loved it. It is set in 1969 and 1999. A father and son are communicating with each other via ham radio though it takes a little convincing on both sides. Can a son save his father? What happens when you change the past? How far would you go to be with family?

2010s

• 2018 It's You I Like. I love, love, love this documentary on Mister Rogers (Fred Rogers). I love all the clips! I love all the interviews! It's such a GREAT balance.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #16

This week I reviewed five books!

25. Olive and Oscar: The Favorite Hat. Ariel Bernstein. Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal. 2026. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, early reader, animal fantasy, friendship]
26. Bad Banana. Michael Rex. 2026. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, beginning reader, early reader, humor]
27. Board book: Just Because. Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. 2026. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, bedtime book, board book, imagination, creativity, curiosity]
28. Board book: Fix This Book! A Dinosaur Broke It! Silver Dolphins Books. 2026. 10 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, board book, interactive]
29. Richard Scarry's Great Mystery Collection. Richard Scarry. 2025. (1969, 1975) 96 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture books, mysteries]

Century of Viewing #16

1950s

• 1953 War of the Worlds Sharing this classic sci-fi with my most favorite person in the world was AWESOME. I love science fiction. This one may not be a super faithful adaptation to H.G. Well's novel, but, it's a thousand times better than some of the other adaptations out there.
• 1955 To Hell and Back Very much a war movie. I don't know that I like war movies. I was interested in this one because Audie Murphy is starring as himself in a bio pic which I thought was unusual and unique.

1960s

• 1968 Countdown. Science fiction. In this version of the space race, America is sending a man to the moon to wait for an Apollo flight to come rescue him. Sound like a bad idea? How about sending someone unqualified. After the Russians have already sent a man to the moon. What could go wrong? We don't know because the movie ends before anything exciting could happen.

1990s

• 1994 Forrest Gump Great soundtrack! Great story! SO many memories of watching this one. And it is SO quotable. It has been a few years since I last watched it.

2000s

• 2007 The Sunshine Can't decide between apocalyptic, horror, disaster, and sci-fi???? I may have a movie for you. Icarus II is off to save the world, or, at least attempt to save humanity. BUT they are just one or two decisions away from a complete and total fail. Mostly. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong. The characters are extremely VERY human, which is a strength for the movie. I didn't care for a plot twist near the end. But I liked parts of it.

2010s

• 2015 Home Home. ONE of my favorite, favorite, favorite animated movies. I love how OH (the Boov alien) finds a family. And Tip and Pig find a great friend too. So the Boov are best at all the running away. But Oh chooses to run towards the danger in this movie. He has promised to help Tip find Mimom. Such a fun movie with all the feels.

2020s

• 2023 The Moon Can't decide between apocalyptic, horror, disaster, and sci-fi???? I may have a movie for you. Icarus II is off to save the world, or, at least attempt to save humanity. BUT they are just one or two decisions away from a complete and total fail. Mostly. If it can go wrong, it will go wrong. The characters are extremely VERY human, which is a strength for the movie. I didn't care for a plot twist near the end. But I liked parts of it.
• 2026 Trust Me The False Prophet A Netflix documentary--four parts that felt like it should be four parts. Like some Netflix documentaries feel stretched thin like there's an hour's worth of great content and four parts. This wasn't that. It was fascinating/captivating yet disturbing because of the crime element. Still I think it's an important to have these conversations if only with yourself.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #15

The only book I reviewed was Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley. It was a painfully, excruciatingly painful read.

Century of Viewing #15

1940s

• 1945 Without Love Marriage of convenience. Set during World War II. He is trying to invent an oxygen mask for pilots to use. She wants to help him. Neither is interested in love....but time will prove different. The dialogue is good--great in some places. The pacing of the story isn't perhaps the best. It does have a CUTE little dog.

1980s

• 1987 Broken Vows I finished watching it. If I'd seen the 'advertisement' of this one, I'd have had a better clue what it was about. I went in thinking it was a mystery....a mystery solved by a priest. The mystery was the least important plot detail. Oh well.

1990s

• 1995 Empire Records I don't know *how* I missed this one. I enjoyed it last year. I enjoyed it even more this year. I can see how with repeated viewings it might become favorite. It follows a group of coworkers over a twenty-four hour period. They work at EMPIRE RECORDS. Each one has his/her own worries/concerns. Rex Manning, a musician, will be visiting the store [on his tour] signing albums, etc.

2000s

• 2003 Gospel of John One of the few life of Jesus movies that I absolutely love, love, love. Mainly because the narration--the only spoken words--are straight from the Gospel of John. No one is putting words in Jesus' mouth. Just Scripture acted out. Also good musical score as well!
• 2008 Song Sung Blue: Documentary Documentary of Lightning and Thunder. LOTS of home video. Lots of screaming. But lots of music as well. I am watching the 2025 movie--not quite finished yet. But I was curious about the musical act--a couple--that the movie is based on.

2020s

• 2025 Song Sung Blue (Movie) Musical. This is a bio pic of the cover-group Lightning and Thunder. (Lightning does Neil Diamond covers). This husband-and-wife duo experience the many trials of live--on and off stage. The movie does take liberties, I thought, based on the documentary I watched yesterday. But it was good.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Century of Viewing, March

In March I watched twenty movies or shows.

My five star movies: Can't Buy Me Love, Steel Magnolias, or Clue.

My four and half star and four star movies:

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Dark City
Live Free or Die Hard
Parkland
The Hunt for Red October
Dangerous Crossing
Mona Lisa Smile
The Brain from Planet Arous
Jurassic World Dominion
Shari & Lamb Chop
57 Seconds

My top five movies of ALL of 2026 are: Galaxy Quest, What About Bob, Clue, Ivanhoe, Music Man.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #13

This week I reviewed six picture books.

I barely watched anything. That's not true. I watched a LOT of Emily D. Baker. The Kouri Richens trial finished up and there was another shorter trial covered as well.

I reviewed Goodnight, Bruce. Lolly On the Ice. Rumpelstiltskin. Tiny Garden. The Future Book. Pizzasaurus.


Century of Viewing #13

1950s

• 1958 The Day the Sky Exploded. Or Explorded as the case may be). Italian science fiction. The audio was English. I'm assuming dubbed at some point. This meteor movie lacks intensity. Unless you are thrilled about a showdown over air conditioners. It's good the earth was saved because the air conditioner was turned back on. This movie was strange but not in a great way.

2000s

• 2005 Dawn Anna. A single mother facing a horrible brain disease finds romance and utter heartbreak as her daughter is one of the victims at Columbine High School. I didn't know what I was watching until I'd already committed a good deal of time to it. That aspect of the story is the last ten minutes maybe? last fifteen? So it doesn't dwell on it so much, but, it ends with that. IT is based on a true story. I think it was a made for television movie.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #12

This week I reviewed one book. I read The French Kitchen by Kristy Cambron.

I am reading books. But they are LONG books, thick books, books that are taking me a good bit of time to read. I did check out some picture books a few days ago, so at the very least I should be able to read and review those next week.

Century of Viewing #12

1950s

• 1957 The Brain from Planet Arous If you love sci-fi with "horror" elements, then I highly recommend this film from the 1950s. It was silly and fun. The premise, MYSTERY MOUNTAIN is a dangerous, dangerous place. Two scientists--presumably friends--investigate strange readings of radiation that they can pinpoint from their lab to a specific spot on Mystery Mountain. They investigate...but one never returns...and one returns as another....because he has met THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS. The brain has TWO things on his mind. SALLY (whom he definitely, definitely "elated" by (his words) and world domination. Can the world be saved from this amorous power-loving alien????
• 1958 The Day the Sky Exploded. Italian science fiction. The audio was English. I'm assuming dubbed at some point. This meteor movie lacks intensity. Unless you are thrilled about a showdown over air conditioners. It's good the earth was saved because the air conditioner was turned back on. This movie was strange but not in a great way.

1960s

• 1967 Those Fantastic Flying Fools (Blast Off) Changing the name doesn't help this movie be more than one star. I think it was supposed to be a comedy, perhaps a slapstick comedy, but it's just a mess of a movie. Too many actors. Too little story. Not enough comedy. It isn't as simple as well, not funny enough to be a comedy it must be something else...like a drama or tragedy. But nope. It's a void. So bumbling fools are trying to get to the moon via a cannon. This makes The Great Race (1965) look intelligent. Neither movie is funny. Both are too long.
• 1968 Finian's Rainbow. WHAT is this movie?!?! Well, it's a long movie. It's a song and dance movie. It's got an amorous leprechaun. It's got several weird stories going on. It's extremely unique. I guess a one sentence description would be, "Be careful what you wish for." It hasn't been a great year for watching Fred Astaire movies. Though I suppose I'm glad enough I persevered through this one.

1980s

• 1988 The Bourne Identity. Two part made for television movie. IT had suspense, action, and romance. I definitely am glad I watched this one!!! It has been so long since I watched the newer Bourne Identity, but, this one was GOOD and according to the comments on YT faithful to the book (which I haven't read so I can't judge for myself).

2020s

• 2022 Jurassic World Dominion. I loved seeing some of the characters from the Jurassic Park series come back for this one. The story is dinosaur-packed. It's action-y. It's dinosaur-y. I liked it well enough.
• 2023 Shari & Lamb Chop A documentary film on Shari Lewis (and her wonderful, wonderful, wonderful puppets). IT was a good documentary. I wanted more, more, more of Lambchop. But it was fascinating to see her whole life and not just a small bit of it. Would recommend.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Century of Viewing, February

In February, I watched twenty things (movies, shows).

My top five favorite movies from February are: Galaxy Quest, Return to Me, Shrek, The Twilight Zone, and Shrek 2.

Other five star movies are: Call Me Madam

My top five movies from all of 2026 are: Galaxy Quest, Ivanhoe, Music Man, Return to Me, and Shrek

My 4 1/2 and 4 star movies:

• The Mouse and the Motorcyle
• Runaway Ralph
• Ralph S. Mouse
• Jurassic World

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #8

This week I read three books.

I've been spending a lot of time listening to Gone with the Wind on audio book, however, I did get three book reviews written!

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. was a reread. I started it in January but finished it just a few days ago. This one is essentially three novellas loosely connected by a post-apocalyptic monastery in the desert. Centuries span between the novellas. Readers see civilization collapsed, rebuilt, and collapsing again.

A World Without Summer by Nicholas Day started off absolutely fantastic but got too preachy for me to keep it in the absolutely amazing and fantastic category. LOVED the history. Didn't love the beating over the head with a hammer.

Bittersweet by Christy Mandin is a great nonfiction picture book about the aftermath of World War II.


Century of Viewing #8

1970s

• 1978. Avalanche. Disaster movie set at a ski resort. Rock Hudson is the "villain" of sorts because he's so confident that he can build where no one else would ever dare because of the high risk of avalanches. The resort opens....and closes....within one weekend after tragedy strikes. Perhaps too much time is spent building up to the avalanche? It is rated PG. But it is absolutely NOT PG. At all. It isn't even PG-13. I don't know who decided the rating, but, that was a choice for sure. Most of that occurs before the avalanche and the action. And it was completely unnecessary to any story line or plot. This one stars Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow.

2000s

• 2000 Return to Me I absolutely love, love, love, love this romance. Is it incredibly, overwhelmingingly sad in the beginning? YES. But it's also a beautiful story of finding love again and second chances. I love ALL the 'side' characters that make up this movie. SO well done and a great example of 'found family.' SO many things to love. It's dramatic and comedic as well.
• 2001 Shrek. Would Shrek be as awesome with a different soundtrack?!?! It is a good thing we never have to find out. Shrek, an ogre, has layers. Donkey does not have layers--he has all the feels. Can Shrek and Donkey rescue Princess Fiona?! And does she have a secret of her own?
• 2004 Shrek 2. Do I love this one as much as the first Shrek?!?!?! This one introduces new characters that I do enjoy! It's just as quotable as the first movie. Perhaps even more so. Shrek and Fiona travel to meet her parents, but, not all is well....will they get their happily ever after.

2020s

• 2021 A Little Daytime Drama. It's Hallmark. Need I say more? Maybe. Maybe not. I watched this one because it is soap opera themed. It was enjoyable enough for a Hallmark movie. When you've just watched a great romantic-comedy like Return to Me, it's hard to watch this and not see how...lacking it is. That being said, it was enjoyable enough. It needed more of the dog! And I wouldn't have minded more scenes of the fictional soap opera so it could venture into more of a parody.
• 2026 Miss Scarlet. PBS mystery drama. It was fine. It wasn't not fine. I just don't know that I am invested in the show as I used to be. I think I liked last season better. And perhaps the seasons before even better. I do think that this insta relationship is just weird. I mean it was so fast, so sudden, so settled. Anyway, it was fine.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #7

This week I read eight books.

The Belle of Chatham by Laura Frantz is Christian historical romance set during the American Revolution.

Searching for Mr. Johnson's Song by Ariel Vanece is a children's picture book about a young boy seeking to comfort and encourage his neighbor, Mr. Johnson, by helping him remember the lyrics to a song he forgot.

All the Blue Skies by Renee Watson won the Newbery Medal, but did it win my heart???? Not so much. But if you are looking for a book weighted down by ultimate sadness do seek it out.

Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams by Katherine Paterson was a bit overwhelming but extremely fascinating. I felt each page was SO packed with information I'm still processing it all.

If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon by Ellen Levine was a thrift find I loved.

Through the Telescope by Charles R. Smith, Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies by Margi Preus, and That Swingin' Sound: The Musical Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong by Rekha S. Rajan are all picture book biographies.

Century of Viewing #7

1950s

• 1953 Call Me Madam. This was my first time seeing the musical Call Me Madam. It has both Vera-Ellen AND Donald O'Connor. Though neither in the lead roles. Mrs. Sally Adams is appointed ambassador to a foreign country--her only qualifications being connections in D.C. and her 'charms.' (Her charms must include singing and dancing). She takes her attache (played by Donald O'Connor) with her. They fall in love with some higher-ups in the foreign country, but, things are complicated overseas. Can she sing and dance her way out of trouble?
• 1959/1960 "There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone."
  I love, love, love, love the Twilight Zone. There were thirty-six episodes in the first season.

  My favorite episodes this season were:

  "Time Enough at Last"

  "One for the Angels"

  "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

  "The Fever"

  "Perchance to Dream"

  "Judgment Night"

  "The After Hours"

1990s

• 1995. A quirky comedy (period drama) with an extremely flimsy romance. But the soundtrack is fabulous. The accents are fun. I liked it. So a Welsh "mountain" is judged to be a mere "hill" and the villagers come together to make their hill a mountain....and Hugh Grant falls in insta love with one of the villagers. Or maybe she falls in insta love with him. Not the best plotted romance for sure. And while listed as a comedy, it's the premise that is comedic AND not the story itself. It has more drama than comedy.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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

Century of Viewing, January

In January, I watched thirty-two movies (or shows). I did watch Metropolis twice. Once with the original score which earned it 5 stars, and once with a jazzy-loopy-loop that earned it 4 1/2 stars.

My top five favorite movies from January are: IVANHOE, MUSIC MAN, GROUNDHOG DAY, STRICTLY BALLROOM and WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING. Honestly, it may be a tie between While You Were Sleeping and Overboard.

Other five star movies include: Bride and Prejudice, Gilded Age season 3, Metropolis, Overboard, The Thirteenth Floor, and VHS Christmas Carols. I would watch all of these happily again. They were solidly enjoyable. (Overboard as I mentioned is SO, SO, SO good).

My four and four 1/2 star movies this month include:

• Escape from LA (4 stars)
• Chaos on the Bridge (4 1/2 stars)
• Starship Troopers (4 stars)
• Marjorie Morningstar (4 1/2 stars*)
• Millennium (4 stars)
• Red (4 stars)
• A Wrinkle in Time (4 stars)

*Honestly I would NOT watch Marjorie Morningstar again but I thought Natalie Wood did a fantastic job in the movie and I am glad I saw it once.

Millennium and Red are movies I would definitely watch again!

I did watch TWO one star movies. I would not watch Camelot or We Three Kings again.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #5

This week I read three books.

I reread one of my favorite classics Jane Eyre. I listened on audio. It was wonderful!

I read a middle grade science fiction book, The Experiment by Rebecca Stead! I loved the beginning and middle more than the end, but it was still an enjoyable read!

I read a Christian fiction novel--historical fiction--The Fault Between Us by Stephanie Landsem. It is set in Yellowstone National Park in 1959.

Century of Viewing #5

I did not realize that I did NOT include the Great British Sewing Bee seasons one through three in my round-ups. I don't remember when I finished each season of this competition show.

I also have watched TEN episodes of the Twilight Zone. Seven or eight episodes of Star Trek The Original Series. And one episode of Space 1999. I honestly don't know what to do about individual television episodes.

1980s

• 1985 1918. Horace Foote's 1918. This period drama is emotionally intense. But it is thought provoking. HISTORY and family history often are. You can think *how* did they cope with so many, many losses, so many, many struggles. This one deals with World War I and the influenza epidemic. One really sees how BIG an impact they could have on one community. And this one is set in Texas.

2000s

• 2003 A Wrinkle In Time. It's been ages and ages since I've read the book. I can't tell you if it was faithful to the book or not, but, it was a great way to spend the evening with my best friend. Two siblings (Meg and Charles) along with a friend (Calvin) travel the galaxy in an attempt to save Charles and Meg's father from great darkness. IT must be stopped.

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews