Last Sunday, I talked about watching Victoria and Albert. Today I'm going to be talking gushing about the movie Young Victoria. How much do I love Young Victoria? Well, I've seen it four times since the first week of March! IF I owned it, well, I'm sure the number would be even higher. For I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and adore this movie!!! What do I lo
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Mr. Darcy's Diary. Amanda Grange. Sourcebooks. 2007. 320 pages.Monday, 1st JulyHave I done the right thing in establishing Georgiana in London, I wonder? The summer is proving to be very hot, and when I visited her this morning, I found her lacking her usual energy. I think I will send her to the coast for a holiday.Do I have a favorite Amanda Grang
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
New Loot:Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie DavisThe Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha ChristieTrue Sisters by Sandra DallasInsurgent by Veronica RothInto the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport by Mark Jonathan Harris and Deborah OppenheimerThe War of Our Childhood: Memories of World War II by Wolf
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Well, today was the Friends of the Library book sale. And this is what came home with me:The Good News From North Haven: A Year in the Life of a Small Town by Michael L. Lindvall (HC)Lady of No Man's Land by Jeanne Williams (HC)The Unplowed Sky by Jeanne Williams (HC)The Last of the Husbandmen: A Novel of Farming Life by Gene Logsdon (HC)Gossamer by
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Unwind. Neal Shusterman. 2007. Simon & Schuster. 336 pages.The prologue: The Second Civil War, also known as "The Heartland War," was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue. To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as "The Bill of Life" was passed. It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies. The
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Henrietta Sees It Through. Joyce Dennys. 1987/2011. Bloomsbury. 208 pages. February 11, 1942 My dear Robert Is there anything more fascinating than cutting the edges of a lawn? I definitely liked this one! I'm trying to decide if I like it more than the first book, Henrietta's War, or if I just feel more comfortable liking it since most
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Henrietta's War: News from the Home Front, 1939-1942. Joyce Dennys. 1985/2010. Bloomsbury. 176 pages.October 18, 1939My dear Robert,It was good to get your letter and hear that you are in a 'perfectly safe place,' though I wonder how much of that is true and how much intended to allay the alarms of your Childhood's Friend. And why, when I and eve
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Too Many Women. Rex Stout. 1947/1985. Bantam Books. 176 pages.It was the same old rigmarole. Sometimes I found it amusing; sometimes it only bored me; sometimes it gave me a pronounced pain, especially when I had had more of Wolfe than was good for either of us. With Rex Stout, it's merely a matter of determining if I liked a book or l
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Champagne for One. Rex Stout. 1958/1995. Random House. 224 pages.If it hadn't been raining and blowing that raw Tuesday morning in March I would have been out, walking to the bank to deposit a couple of checks, when Austin Byne phoned me, and he might have tried somebody else. But more likely not. He would probably have rung again later, so I can't
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
A few weeks ago I watched Victoria and Albert. I had just finished watching Young Victoria (I'll be reviewing that another week, I want to rewatch it just one more time...because two times just isn't enough, right?) and I was in the mood for more.What can I say? This film is very, very, very different from Young Victoria, but, that isn't a bad thing
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
New Loot:The Secret Adversary by Agatha ChristiePostern of Fate by Agatha ChristieOrdeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan Following Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-UcciGoliath by Scott WesterfeldUglies by Scott Westerfeld Pathfinder by Orson Scott CardWe Two: Victoria a
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The Book Thief. Markus Zusak. 2006. Random House. 560 pages.First the colors. Then the humans. That's usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try. Here is a small fact: you are going to die. I am in all truthfulness attempting to be cheerful about this whole topic, though most people find themselves hindered in believing me, no matter my pr
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer. Jennifer Gennari. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 119 pages.Unlike some people, Lake Champlain was a friend I could count on. I knew her every mood--sometimes she was flat like a cookie sheet, and other times she was whipped up like meringue on a butterscotch pie. That was the way I felt, too. Ever since Eva had moved
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Looking for Me. Betsy R. Rosenthal. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 176 pages.Edith of No Special PlaceI'm just plain Edith.I'm number four, and should anyone care,I'm eleven years old,with curly black hair.Squeezed / between / two / brothers,Daniel and Ray,lost in a crowd,will I ever be morethan just plain Edith,who's number four?In my overcr
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Divergent. Veronica Roth. 2011. May 2011. HarperCollins. 496 pages.There is one mirror in my house. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my hair. It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs. What my original review couldn't tell you is how much I've continued to LOVE,
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
A Nest in Springtime: A Mandarin Chinese-English Bilingual Book of Numbers. Belle Yang. 2012. Candlewick Press. 24 pages.Springtime...Wild geese come to nest.Busy, busy.How many eggs? A Nest in Springtime celebrates the arrival of spring. Two wild geese have arrived and they are preparing to hatch eight eggs. This one is a concept book--readers coun
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
North and South is something I could gush about for hours, days, and weeks. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the book. It's one of those truly-perfectly-perfect-oh-so-magical books for me. The kind that you want to read again and again and again and again.The book is by Elizabeth Gaskell. And she is one of my favorite Victorian writers. The only film a
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
New Loot:Ten Thousand Children: True Stories Told By Children Who Escaped on the Kindertransport by Anne FoxThe Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of my Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood by Mark KurzemThe Spanish Holocaust: Inquisition and Extermination in Twentieth Century Spain by Paul PrestonThe Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz: A True Story of World War II b
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Enchanted. Alethea Kontis. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 320 pages.My name is Sunday Woodcutter, and I am doomed to a happy life. I am the seventh daughter of Jack and Seven Woodcutter, Jack a seventh son and Seven a seventh daughter herself. I have mostly positive things to say about Enchanted. I do have something negative to say, something
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Lady Baltimore. Owen Wister. 1906. 272 pages.Like Adam, our first conspicuous ancestor, I must begin, and lay the blame upon a woman; I am glad to recognize that I differ from the father of my sex in no important particular, being as manlike as most of his sons. Therefore it is the woman, my Aunt Carola, who must bear the whole reproach of the folly
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Margot Livesey. 2012. HarperCollins. 447 pages.We did not go for a walk on the first day of the year. Have you read this "modern" retelling of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre? If you have, I'd love to know what you thought of it.Personally, I was disappointed with it. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I read it. It was a ris
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Mrs. Noodlekugel. Daniel Pinkwater. Illustrated by Adam Stower. 2012. Candlewick. 80 pages.A tall building, with one apartment stacked on top of another--that is where Nick and Maxine came to live with their parents. The cover is the best part about this book. That and the in
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The Lunatic's Curse. F.E. Higgins. 2011. Feiwel & Friends. 352 pages.In nightshirt and robe, slippers and nightcap, Rex Grammaticus quietly entered the large dark-paneled dining room. On the far side of the room, lit in candle glow, he could see his stepmother, Acantha, and his father, Ambrose, at the table eating their evening meal. Rex had eat
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
In April, I read 34 books. Looking at January, February, and March, it is easy to see this is my slowest month yet. But. I'm not discouraged. I read some great books this month. Also some almost-but-not-quite books. But still. Every month can't be super-amazing. Favorite Classic: North and South. Elizabeth Gaskell. Favorite Diary Adaptation: H
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
I recently watched The Valley of Decision starring Greer Garson and Gregory Peck. It was definitely a treat, for the most part. Greer Garson, of course, I knew from Pride and Prejudice. And then there's Gregory Peck. Need I really say more?! The movie, as I've come to learn, was based on a novel by Marcia Davenport. Though I believe the movie only c
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
I Love To Eat (J'aime manger; Me encanta comer) Amelie Graux. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 12 pages.I Love To Eat is a simple board book, a touch-and-feel board book, that highlights familiar words. For example, I Love To Eat highlights familiar words like: high chair, bib, sippy cup, glass, fork, spoon, bowl, cereal, little jar, peas, bottle, a
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The Duckling Gets a Cookie. Mo Willems. 2012. Hyperion. 40 pages.I really enjoyed this latest picture book starring Pigeon. As long as I remember that Pigeon is Pigeon and Piggie is Piggie, I really, really love it. The moment I start to compare my love for Pigeon with my LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, OBSESSIVE LOVE with Elephant and Piggie, I st
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Out of Sight, Out of Time. Ally Carter. 2012. Hyperion. 304 pages."Where am I?" I heard the words, but I wasn't sure I'd said them. The voice was too rough, too coarse to be mine. It was as if there were a stranger in my skin, lying in the dark, saying, "Who's there?"Out of Sight, Out of Time is the fifth book in the Gallagher Girls Series. Did it d
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The Pregnancy Project: A Memoir. Gaby Rodriguez and Genna Glatzer. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 224 pages. I'm not really sure how to rate this one. Did it hold my attention/interest? Yes. Was it a quick read? Yes. Was the back story a little too long--in other words, does it take half the book to get to the
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
I've Lost My Hippopotamus. Jack Prelutsky. Illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic. 2012. HarperCollins. 144 pages. I was disappointed in some ways with Jack Prelutsky's I've Lost My Hippopotamus. While there were a handful of poems--and yes, I mean just a handful--that I really loved and enjoyed, most of the poem
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Dinosaur Thunder. Marion Dane Bauer. Illustrated by Margaret Chocos-Irvine. 2012. Scholastic. 32 pages.When lightning flares in the faraway skyand clouds growl like lions waking......big brother Chad dances a dance right in the middle of the room. "A storm is coming. A storm is coming!" Chad shouts.Brannon looks for a place to hide.Brannon is
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Article 5. Kristen Simmons. Tor. 368 pages.Beth and Ryan were holding hands. It was enough to risk a formal citation for indecency, and they knew better, but I didn't say anything. Curfew rounds wouldn't begin for another two hours, and freedom was stolen in moments like these.If you enjoy YA dystopias, then you should give Kristen Simmons' Article
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Partials. Dan Wells. 2012. HarperCollins. 480 pages.Newborn #485GA18M died on June 30, 2076, at 6:07 in the morning. She was three days old. The average lifespan of a human child, in the time since the Break, was fifty-six hours. They didn't even name them anymore. Kira Walker looked on helplessly while Dr. Skousen examined the tiny body. The nurses
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
A few weeks ago I watched It Happened to Jane starring Jack Lemmon and Doris Day. What did I think? Well, I enjoyed it for the most part! Not that you should have high expectations that this is the BEST MOVIE EVER or anything. Because if you approach almost any movie like that, you'll be disappointed. But if you're looking for a movie to watch and e
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
New Loot:One, Two, Buckle my Shoe by Agatha ChristieThe Coming of the Dragon by Rebecca BarnhouseThe Star Wars Craft Book by Bonnie BurtonCrater: A Helium 3 Novel by Homer HickamIn My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer ArmstrongI Want to Live: The Diary of a Young Girl in Stalin's Russia by Nina Lugovskaya
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The Good Land. Loula Grace Erdman. 1959/2007. Bethlehem Books. 185 pages.Carolyn Pierce, pulling the white linen cloth straight on the long dining-room table, thought that perhaps the worst problem a girl could have was for people to think she didn't have any at all. I really, really, really liked this one. It is the last in Loula Grace Erdman
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The Wide Horizon. Loula Grace Erdman. 1956/2007. Bethlehem Books. 279 pages.Katie Pierce was sure she must be the luckiest girl in the whole Panhandle of Texas. Luckier even than her older sister Melinda who, after five years of waiting, was going to marry Dennis Kennedy in June and go with him to live in Amarillo. Dennis was a real doctor now, driv
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The Wind Blows Free. Loula Grace Erdman. 1952/2006. Bethlehem Books. 271 pages.Melinda Pierce sat on the green plush seat of the railroad car, listening to the mocking song the wheels of the train were singing. All the way up from East Texas they had said the same thing--"Going away. Going away. Going away," they wailed. And sometimes they added, "P
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
The List. Siobhan Vivian. 2012. Scholastic. 336 pages.From the prologue: For as long as anyone can remember, the students of Mount Washington High have arrived at school on the last Monday in September to find a list naming the prettiest and the ugliest girl in each grade. This year will be no different.The List has an interesting enough premise. It
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |
Strangers on a Train. Patricia Highsmith. 1950. 281 pages.The train tore along with an angry, irregular rhythm. It was having to stop at smaller and more frequent stations, where it would wait impatiently for a moment, then attack the prairie again.Strangers on a Train was both compelling and repelling. On the one hand, I think the characterization
| Becky's Book Reviews | Blog Books |