#BeingHenry – Rosepoint Publishing

Rosepoint Reviews – February Recap – Welcome March (and spring?)!

Rosepoint Reviews-February Recap

Much as I bad-mouth this area (California it’s not!), I must admit that February wasn’t all that bad. Little of that cold white stuff and temps that ranged up to 74-75 degrees. In this area, anything above 50 is t-shirt weather, so February was pretty nice with the exception of a few throwback days to below freezing temps. Can’t wait to see what March will bring, besides winds and rain, the other problem with this area—wind. Chicago isn’t called “the Windy City” for nothing and the wind always wreaks havoc when trying to ride (whether bicycles or motorcycles).

February is also a month for getting everything caught up on the blog; still wrestling with that and doing the necessary yearly appointments. The CE volunteers with our son at the annual AARP tax service for seniors at a farming community library which gives him a nice outside interest for a short while and he always enjoys. Slows down his reading services though!

I’m always excited about March–Reading Ireland Month—that and my birthday—a big one last year. I am, however, increasingly dismayed at the treatment service people extend to seniors. I would argue that some gray hair does not always mean a loss of brain cells. (And no—not something I’ll just get used to without some blow-back.)

With all that and continuing to work with the little Pomeranian (now with us almost five months), we managed to provide reviews for twelve books. As always, links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase or source information.

February Recap

Death in the Ozarks by Erik S Meyers (CE review)
Where Butterflies Wander by Suzanne Redfearn
Being Henry by Henry Winkler (audiobook)
The Great Gimmelmans by Lee Matthew Goldberg
Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes (audiobook)
The Wager by David Grann (audiobook)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger (audiobook)
Rich Justice by Robert Bailey (CE review)
The Longmire Defense by Craig Johnson (audiobook)
The Lost Pope by Glenn Cooper (CE review)
The Millionaire by Keenan Powell
Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawlon (audiobook)

Favorite Book of the Month

Several great books in February caught our attention. Clyde loved The Lost Pope, while I gave five stars to both Henry Winkler’s book, Being Henry, and The Wager. I didn’t read The Lost Pope and feel Henry enjoyed professional and brilliant collaboration on his. So I have to give The Wager the nod for February. I didn’t want to shut down the audiobook and listened while grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Okay—not vacuuming—I couldn’t hear it.

Book of the Month for February—The Wager

My Reading Challenges page… I’ve worked on the Reading Challenges page but am not completely up-to-date yet, nor have I been able to incorporate the Goodreads Challenge banner. Always a work in progress.

Miscellaneous Comments

Update on Punkin adopted the first week of October last year. At almost five months with us still prefers her crate to human companionship, but she is beginning to seek us out sometimes. We think she wants company or to play but has no idea how to do that. We’ve been trying to find ways to engage her. Still doesn’t want toys, doesn’t respond well to treats, or games. Being ever vigilant, we are catching her potty habits more often. Now if only we could tie those successes with her initiating the desire to go out.

I’ll be posting a list of books and activities tied to Reading Ireland Month shortly. Still getting that gathered and organized. Spoiler alert: Includes a Michael Connelly audiobook, of course.

Welcome to my new subscribers! I appreciate all my followers and love your likes and comments.

Being Henry by Henry Winkler – #AudiobookReview – Actor & Entertainer Biographies

The Fonz . . . and Beyond

Best Biographies & Memoirs

Winner for Best Humor (2023)

Rosepoint Rating: Five (BIG) Stars

Book Blurb:

This program is read by the author.

“Kindhearted and approachable Winkler shines in his narration of his memoir commemorating 50 years of showbiz work…An engaging and endearing memoir by a genuine Hollywood treasure whose work spans generations.”—Library Journal

From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.

Henry Winkler, launched into prominence as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.

Since the glorious era of Happy Days fame, Henry has endeared himself to a new generation with roles in such adored shows as Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, where he’s been revealed as an actor with immense depth and pathos, a departure from the period of his life when he was so distinctly typecast as The Fonz, he could hardly find work.

Filled with profound heart, charm, and self-deprecating humor, Being Henry is a memoir about so much more than a life in Hollywood and the curse of stardom. It is a meaningful testament to the power of sharing truth and kindness and of finding fulfillment within yourself.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.

My Review:

I love it when a well-known actor writes and narrates his own memoir. Who better to do “the Fonz” than Henry Winkler? So, yes, I was near that generation when it was easy to identify with that crowd, his character being iconic—the perfect “greaser.”

I was a fan before I listened to his self-deprecating audiobook; a bigger fan now. The man turned a type-cast character into the amazing role of a generous human being. His success actually becomes good for others.

As a cruelly dyslexic child of German Jewish parents who expected so much more from their son and never let him forget their disappointment, he managed to plod along with his ambitions and eventually do quite well with it. He finished high school and went on to Emerson College, eventually Yale.

Rather penurious, he carefully saved his money until he had $1,000 saved to go to Hollywood, as he was told that if he wanted to be known in the theatre, he could stay in New York but if he wanted to be known in the world, he’d need to move to LA. So, he did. And he stayed with friends, used their telephones, but managed to get a job within a week. You know where that led.

It was indeed difficult to emerge from the Fonz to play other parts, but he began to find those opportunities as well. He met his future wife, Stacy, with whom he has now been married for close to fifty years. He began writing books, collaborating on children’s books (thirty-nine), many about dyslexia. He and his wife work with troubled children and he has given “hundreds of these talks.”

He enjoys gardening—yeah—started with a descendant of the spider plant his aunt smuggled out of Germany. And dogs? He frequently spoke lovingly about his dogs. There is almost no industry name familiar to you that he hasn’t met, worked with, or counts as friends—and that includes Ron Howard, the lead, who he quickly eclipsed as the favorite on Happy Days.

So many stories. Such a storyteller!

And, you know, I might have sneered and said, oh come on, toot your horn some more. But I’m listening to his voice, and he sounds authentic, vulnerable, honest, kind, and sincere. His wife joins him in narrating a few short anecdotes and it’s interesting to note she’s a cancer survivor.

The man paid his dues—in spades. The audiobook is delightful; a road down memory lane of an amazing career. It’s fun, informative, immersive, and extremely entertaining. His success becomes a vehicle for the good he does, particularly for troubled children.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts. Wholly recommended!

Book Details:

Genre: Actor & Entertainer Biographies, Biographies of Celebrities & Entertainment Professionals, Memoirs
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0BX7DW8LM
Listening Length: 9 hrs 22 mins
Narrator: Henry Winkler
Publication Date: October 31, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Links: Being Henry [Amazon]
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Henry Winkler is an actor, producer and director. He is probably most famous for his role as the Fonz in the 1970s US television sitcom, Happy Days. But if you ask him what he is most proud of, he would say, “Writing the Hank Zipzer books with my partner, Lin Oliver.”

Henry Winkler will celebrate 50 years of success in Hollywood this year and continues to be in demand as an actor, producer, and director. He co-stars as acting teacher Gene Cousineau on the hit HBO dark comedy, Barry. For this role, he won his first Primetime Emmy Award in 2018 for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy as well as two Television Critics Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he was cast in 1973 in the iconic role of Arthur Fonzarelli, aka “The Fonz,” in the TV series Happy Days. During his 10 years on the popular sitcom, he won two Golden Globe Awards, was nominated three times for an Emmy Award and was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In recent years, Winkler appeared in a number of series, including Medical Police, Arrested Development, Children’s Hospital, Royal Pains, New Girl, and Parks and Recreation. He is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous children’s books, including Alien Superstar, A Trilogy andHank Zipzer the World’s Greatest Under-Achiever, a 28-book series inspired by Winkler’s own struggle with learning challenges. Of all the titles he has received, the ones he relishes most are husband, father and grandfather. Winkler and his wife, Stacey, have three children, Jed, Zoe and Max, and six grandchildren. They reside in Los Angeles with their two dogs.

Happy (Audiobook) Thursday