Week in Review #45

This week I read six books. But they were great books.

114. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Harry Potter #7) J.K. Rowling. 2007. 759 pages. [Source: Library]  [4 stars]

Read this if....

• You enjoy the Harry Potter series
• You enjoy audio books
• You enjoy fantasy series

104. I Survived the Dust Bowl, 1935. Lauren Tarshis. 2025. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, historical fiction, series book]

Read this if...

• You enjoy the I Survived series
• You enjoy historical fiction
• You enjoy children's books
  

105. Mr. Willowby's Head Over Heels Christmas. Robert E. Barry. 2025. 40 page. [Source: Library] [christmas, picture book, 4 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoyed Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
• You enjoy holiday stories
• You enjoy animal fantasy

106. The Dog and Pony Show: Dance Pants. Jeff Mack. 2025. 64 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, if the Cybils exist in 2026 which is questionable, this one would be eligible] [early reader, early comic]

Read this if...

• You enjoy animal fantasy
• You enjoy early graphic novels
• You enjoy humor

107. Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas. Russell Hoban. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. 1971. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, Christmas, picture book, animal fantasy]

Read this if...

• You enjoy animal fantasy
• You enjoy holiday stories
• You love the Jim Henson adaptation

14. The Minister's Bible. Holman Christian Standard Bible. (HCSB). 2010. 1806 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, Bible review]

Read this if....

• You enjoy the HCSB translation of the Bible
• You enjoy single column Bibles
• You are looking for ministry "helps"

Century of Viewing, Week #45

1950s

• 1951 The Day the Earth Stood Still. The original movie is SO good. Highly recommended. I enjoyed the storytelling. The ending is very open-ended which I think feels right for the story AND for the time it was filmed.
• 1952 The Belle of New York. I'd never seen this FRED ASTAIRE musical with Vera-Ellen (of White Christmas fame). I enjoyed it very much. Some of the song-dance sequences were a bit much. But overall, I greatly enjoyed this one. Is it my favorite musical? No. Am I very glad it's now free to stream on Tubi. YES.

1960s

• 1964 The Earth Dies Screaming. I feel this one is false advertising. This short black and white film--set in England--features a 'deadly' virus that wipes out a good percentage of the population (at least in England) and there are "aliens" (that are really robots) that are out zapping people. There is very little screaming. Everything is very keep calm and drink tea. So don't expect actual screaming or much action. Just a handful of six to eight survivors trying to puzzle out how to survive.

1970s

• 1974 The Land That Time Forgot. DINOSAURS. World War I. Prehistoric people. This one is a bit silly. Yet it is fun in its own way. I don't regret my time. Granted I had the best company.

1980s

• 1987 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. All he wanted was to get home to his family for Thanksgiving. What he got was a new best friend after many, many, many trials and tribulations. On this road trip nothing will go right...but friends can be found in unexpected ways.
• 1989 Garfield's Thanksgiving. MY ABSOLUTE favorite and best Thanksgiving special. I love, love, love Garfield. This one is so quotable and enjoyable. Highly recommended.

1990s

• 1992 Death Becomes Her. SO STRANGE. So very, very strange. What if you could live forever but it came at an awful, awful price. I don't regret my time. But it wasn't quite what I was expecting either.

2000s

• 2008 The Day The Earth Stood Still. The remake is enjoyable just VERY different. I don't regret my time at all. It's just different--not terrible different, just different-different. I would pick the original over the remake if I had to choose. But I think both are enjoyable enough.

2020s

• 2025 Fantastic Four: First Steps. I loved the sets and costumes. I loved the look of this film. Very retro-futuristic. How someone from the fifties or sixties might have imagined the future. The story...the plot....I'm not sure. I think this was my first Fantastic Four movie....though I might have caught bits from earlier films though not all the way through and intentional. It was solidly okay. But I wasn't wowed.

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)
1950s	Genre(s)
The Day the Earth Stood Still	science fiction, aliens, robots,
Belle of New York	musical, romance, period drama
1960s	Genre(s)
The Earth Dies Screaming	science fiction, aliens, robots
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
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
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,
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
2020s	Genre(s)
The Flash	science fiction, time travel, super heroes
Fantastic Four: First Steps	science fiction, super heroes

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

114. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

114. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Harry Potter #7) J.K. Rowling. 2007. 759 pages. [Source: Library]  [4 stars]

First sentence: The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane. For a second they stood quite still, wands directed at each other's chests; then, recognizing each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and started walking briskly in the same direction.

ETA: The third time around, I LISTENED to the audio book narrated by Stephen Fry. It was a great choice. Will I read the series a fourth time? That's a good question. I think three times might be a reasonably good number of times to have read the series. Time will tell.

Premise/plot: Harry Potter is on his final quest(s) in this final fantasy novel starring Harry Potter and company. (In particular, Ron and Hermione are his companions for most of the novel.) He is preparing day and night (night and day) for that final battle, the big showdown. He's also trying to decipher (uncover, discover) the mysteries of Dumbledore. There's so much he doesn't know, and he's still grieving the loss of his mentor.

My thoughts: This was my SECOND time to read the series. I will say I don't do the absolute best with super-intense action sequences. I more anxiously skim than stay present in the moment. I thought a reread would slow me down so I could appreciate everything more--especially towards the end. But even though I knew how things ended up, I just couldn't handle it! 

When I read the series the first time, I wasn't sure I would ever revisit the series. I did decide to reread and I am so glad I did. I can't say the series will ever be at the top of my favorite series. But I do feel like I better grasp the characters and the story. There were things I noticed the second time around that I didn't quite appreciate or get the first time around. I would imagine the more times you read the books, the more you notice the small things. Also little things might become quite meaningful to you. 

Will I read the series a third time? Only time will tell. Maybe. Maybe not. I still don't own the books. There are so many other series books that I would love to read--some would be new-to-me series, and some would be rereads. So I may not get to it again for a while--if at all.

This last book is quite different from the others in the series. But that is okay--this series grew with its original audience which is nice. 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Week in Review #44

This week I read two books. But they were great books.

113. Kidnapped From Ukraine #2 Standoff. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. 2025. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [realistic fiction, family, drama, war] [5 stars]

Read this if...

• You enjoy compelling realistic middle grade
• You enjoy dramatic war stories
• You enjoy family and 'found family' stories

73. On a Midnight Clear. Karen Witemeyer. Tracie Peterson. Misty M. Beller. 2025. 304 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, novella, Christmas novellas, christian fiction, christian romance]

Read this if....

• You enjoy novellas
• You enjoy historical romance
• You enjoy historical holiday romances
• You love Karen Witemeyer

Century of Viewing, Week #44

1930s

• 1931 Dracula. Is it faithful to the novel? Maybe. Maybe not. I do know it is VERY condensed, abridged, and missing characters. Are a few of the acting performances great? Absolutely. Are all of them so? No. But I am glad I watched it. It isn't my favorite of the "Universal Monster" movies from the 1930s, but it is solidly good.

1990s

• 1992 Stay Tuned. This is a dark comedy with a moral or "moral." A couple facing significant marital troubles faces hell together when they are sucked into the television. One moral might be: don't open the door to strangers. A second might be: read the fine print. A third might be: be careful what you wish for. Luckily, this couple has a super-smart-genius son that is able to help them survive. I don't know if it's fully parody/satire. But there's definitely dozens if not hundreds of dark spins on pop culture--movies, television shows, genres and sub-genres. The movie is DARK, but it's meant to be comedic. Yet for those who would prefer their movies not to feature hell/Satan taken so lightly, this might not be the fit for them.

2000s

• 2008 The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior. This is a prequel featuring 'The Scorpion King' as a young boy/young teen. It features a quest to the underworld. It was bad. I'll just be honest. It was bad. The special effects were weak at best. And there wasn't characterization enough to save it.

2010s

• 2012 The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption. Of the four sequels, the third movie comes closest to being as enjoyable as the first movie. The movie does veer all the way back to being a comedy with action sequences. As a comedy it works.
• 2015 The Scorpion King 4: Quest for Power. This movie was so much better than the second movie and almost as good as the third. All things considered. Ratings really only work if you've seen all five Scorpion King movies. When compared to other movies--say the Lethal Weapon franchise, for example, since it hasn't been that long since I watched those. (I almost said we), then I'm not sure how any of the Scorpion King movies would score. But I liked some of the characters introduced in this one. I loved the eccentric, quirky dad of the love-interest.
• 2018 Scorpion King: Book of Souls. I thought no movie would be as bad as the second movie. I was wrong. It was this one. This is the worst of the franchise. By far. It isn't even close. IT was great fun to watch with someone--however. Because everything was so ridiculously bad, plenty of opportunities to laugh, to make someone else laugh. This movie features REALLY bad costuming and make-up.

Genres/Decades

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)
1950s	Genre(s)
1960s	Genre(s)
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
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
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
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,
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
2020s	Genre(s)
The Flash	science fiction, time travel, super heroes

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews