Tag: #nottobemissed

Netflix Movie Riverdance – #AnimatedAdventure – #IrishFolkMusic – #readingirelandmonth25

Introduction

Perfect for the St Patrick’s Day holiday, I found this little 2021 ditty, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure on Netflix and of course, I had to view it for one of my contributions to the annual #begorrathon and #ReadingIrelandMonth hosted yearly by Cathy at 746 Books.

Riverdance: The Animated Adventure

Blurb

“After a heartfelt loss, Irish-born Keegan and his Spanish-born friend Moya learn to dance through danger and despair with a magical herd of spirit deer,” the mystical world of the Megaloceros Giganteus. Fancy footwork meets furry fun in this uplifting tale with new songs from Grammy-winning “Riverdance” composer Bill Whelan.

My Thoughts

There have been a number of fantasy or animated adventure releases with some amazing cinematography—many aimed at adults as well as children.

Sorry, this might not be. Perhaps it’s the spirit deer that, for me, reduces the feature more for children, but there were a number of scenes that were amazing.

I loved the dance scenes! So therein lies the difference between the CE and myself who felt that it definitely scored a high level multi-generational scope of entertainment. That might be the best part of the musical fantasy—a movie you can safely view with younger children without an involuntary crossing of your eyes or the need of earplugs.

Keegan loses his beloved Grandpa (Pierce Brosnan—gotta be one of my favorite Irish actors) early in the show. This poor kid has known loss before and is being raised by his grandparents who clearly love and adore him. Grandpa runs a lighthouse and is teaching Keegan all about it.

Sam Hardy - actor and voice of Keegan
Sam Hardy – Actor and voice of Keegan

Keegan is being played by Sam Hardy (though the photo of Sam Hardy on Google’s website shows a picture of actor Sam Hardy born in 1883. Nope.) It’s difficult to find the Sam Hardy whose voice this is; Riverdance being his most recent credit of four in IMDB. Cute kid.

Keegan finds the devastating loss intolerable. It’s Moya who cajoles him into following him into the fanciful magic land of the spirit deer. And it’s Moya whose delicate and perfectly choreographed steps and dances leads him outside of his grief where he begins to push through the pain and find a positive celebration in life.

The animation ran from rather basic to amazing, depending on the scene. The water looked real half the time, the animated dancing remarkable. The storyline is really just a vehicle for the music and dancing. Sorry, but I didn’t understand where the Spanish girl came from and the deer kinda cooled my jets.

Riverdance, a theatrical show originally created as an interval act for a contest in 1994 in Dublin was written and composed by Bill Whelan and featured the incomparable Michael Flatley. The film was made by Cinesite for River Productions and Aniventure.  The director was Dave Rosenbaum. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 67%.

There are a number of timely messages within the fairy tale musical. It’s sweet with traditions and friendship and deals with grief and community. Presented as a soft and natural, kind way of handling the subject, there is occasional comic relief, giving a respite to both children and adults alike. It’s thought provoking.

But Beauty and the Beast it’s not. Sick of that other one you’ve seen with your kid eighteen times? Check this one out. If not the frogs or stags, you might enjoy those dance scenes. And, can someone tell me if this kid is Irish?

It’s out now and streaming on Netflix.

©2025 V Williams

Have a Great Sunday

Cher: Part One: The Memoir by Cher #AudiobookReview #BiographiesofWomen

Amazon Charts #19 this week

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars 5 stars

Cher: A Memoir by Cher

Book Blurb:

Cher: The Memoir, Part One promises to be an engaging and exciting audiobook experience, befitting this incredible book. Read in part by Cher herself, the book is introduced, and each chapter launched, by the author. Rounding out each chapter as she continues the narrative is celebrated stage actor Stephanie J. Block. Stephanie starred on Broadway in The Cher Show for which she won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award. Together, Cher and Stephanie share the storytelling duties, alternating within the chapters to create a unique audiobook treatment that will bring listeners fully into this period of Cher’s life—from her earliest childhood memories, to her meeting Sonny and their ascent into superstardom, her painful divorce from Bono, her relationship with Gregg Allman and her reach for independence. It is a story of creativity, individuality, motherhood, love, and loss, as only Cher could recount.

“Lending my voice to help deliver Cher’s memoir has been an honor and a thrill. Her life is fascinating, glamorous, surprising, exciting… and at times, completely heartbreaking. Her story is a beautiful balance of ULTIMATE stardom and accessibility. She is CHER for a reason and this book helps the reader get behind ‘the reason,’” says Block.

“When it came to completing the audiobook, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it all myself due to my dyslexia. But then I thought of Stephanie, who won the Tony for playing me on Broadway in The Cher Show. I knew she would be the perfect choice to get across to the reader the essence of me. I called her and within hours she re-arranged her schedule to start the recording. I felt so safe having her help share my story, and she did a beautiful job,” says Cher.

My Review:

Ooh, I do love memoirs, especially of those I’ve grown up/old with. And, Cher? Yes, one of a kind—didn’t need a first and last name.

Yes, of course, I got the audiobook, although not narrated wholly by Cher, you can hear that unique voice at the beginning of the chapters. I hadn’t known about the part that Stephanie J Block played on Broadway giving her a Tony Award (among others). She does sound like her and there were a few times when I realized I was no longer listening to Cher, but Stephanie.

Still, it was Cher’s “voice,” the telling of her childhood, meeting Sonny, the babies, the split, and still was only the first part of the memoir? I guess the second part is due out late this year.

Cher: A Memoir by CherAlways a fan, I’ve been both appalled and amazed at the trails she was blazing, a contrast in naiveté and ballsiness when she needed it. The sixteen-year-old found a steadfast lover, father figure, friend, and (at times) questionable agent in Sonny.

Crazy childhood, she frankly relates the years with the different “dads,” the birth of “G,” and her mother. It was wild and later free of her mother, but then Sonny, eleven years older, took over. He was a hustler, a player, always trying one thing or another and wasn’t long before he noticed something very unique and special about Cher.

No, Cher didn’t just happen. They tried out a couple different names prior to the transition into Cher. But they “clicked” and had fun for years. I loved the Sonny and Cher Show and it’s gratifying now to know that what we were seeing, on the show, was real.

Their split was tough. Like losing Desi and Lucy (George Burns and Gracie Allen before that). Fans are often left lamenting the end of musical groups—it’s a divorce from their public as much as each other. Too bad, as it was so special.

Thoroughly entertaining, nostalgic, and probably most of everything you ever wanted to know. She doesn’t pull punches. Amazing stories about so many big names. She was there. A memoir I’d recommend, fan or not, and better than a National Inquirer.

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

Book Details:

Genre: Actor & Entertainer Biographies, Biographies of Women, Biographies of Celebrities & Entertainment Professionals
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN:  B0D5J76G3H
Listening Length: 15 hrs 47 mins
Narrators: Cher, Stephanie J. Block
Publication Date: November 19, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)

Title Links:  

Amazon-US  |  Amazon-UK  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

Add to Goodreads

 

Cher - photo courtesy Goodreads bio
Photo courtesy Goodreads bio

The Author: Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian, (1946) later adopted by Gilbert LaPierre) is an American pop singer, actress, songwriter, film director, record producer and author. Among her many career accomplishments in music, television and film, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards among others.

Cher first rose to prominence in 1965 as one half of the pop/rock duo Sonny & Cher. She also established herself as a solo recording artist, releasing 25 albums, contributing to numerous compilations, and tallying 34 Billboard Top 40 entries in the U.S. over her career, both solo and with Sonny. These include eighteen Top 10 singles and five number one singles. Cher has had 16 Top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart between 1965 and 2003, four of which reached number one.

She became a television star in the 1970s and a film actress in the 1980s. In 1987, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the romantic comedy Moonstruck.

With a career surpassing 40 years, Cher is an enduring pop icon and one of the most popular female artists in music history. Since her debut in 1964, Cher has sold over 200 million records worldwide as a solo artist[3] and 75 million more as half of the duo Sonny and Cher.
http://www.cher.com/

©2025 V Williams

#AudiobookReview

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars 5 stars

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Book Blurb:

An atmospheric tale of life and love in a Depression-era traveling circus.

Nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. It’s the Depression Era and Jacob, finding himself parentless and penniless, joins the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. There he meets the freaks, grifters, and misfits that populate this world. Jacob introduces us to Marlena, beautiful star of the equestrian act; to August, her charismatic but twisted husband (and the circus’ animal trainer); and to Rosie, a seemingly untrainable elephant.

Beautifully written, with a luminous sense of time and place, Water for Elephants tells of love in a world in which love’s a luxury few can afford.

My Review:

Oh, wow. I loved this audiobook. Two narrators; the young one and the nonagenarian. They were wonderful!

No doubt everyone knew about this book except myself that not only became a movie but a successful Broadway production. The prologue sets up the 90-something with his memories of the years with the Benzini Brothers—the Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It’s hard core exposé behind the scenes are probably what most people view as the reality of not only the animals but the persons involved from trainers to clowns.

And it’s not a pretty picture.

Water for Elephants by Sara GruenJacob Jankowski is ready to sit his final exam as a veterinary student when his parents are killed and he discovers they pulled out all their financial stops to get him through school, leaving nothing upon their death. Indeed, the bank will take everything. With no where to live, no obvious means of support, and a bankrupt economy as well with few options, he hops aboard the first train he sees. It’s a circus train and it’s 1931.

Now, and throughout the novel, the reader is flipped from the twenty-something to the ninety-something reliving those years with the circus and his attraction to Marlena, the wife of the sadistic ringmaster owner-operator August. The introduction of Rosie the elephant comes late into the book just about the time I was beginning to wonder when she would appear.

The author weaves a raw, emotional story of the young man as he gradually meets and gets to know the characters of the circus and the animals whom he is now charged with their care. The compelling characters are outstanding, well developed, come alive through the voices and their varied positions within the circus.

No, I never saw the 2011 movie with Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, and Christopher Waltz, but now that it’s on my radar, I will. I’m a big fan of both Witherspoon (who performed all her own stunts) and Waltz, an amazing actor who nails his parts so convincingly you want to kill him bare-handed.

Yes, it’s frankly honest, can be cruel and disturbing. But the tale it tells is mesmerizing, page-turning, and tension-filled right up until the rewarding denouement. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read or listen (the latter of which I’d highly recommend), now is the time. Already read it? Did you love it? Or not. I’d love to know.

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

Book Details:

Genre: 20th Century Historical Romance, Coming of Age Fiction
Publisher:
HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
ASIN: B000G12CEK
Listening Length: 11 hrs 26 mins
Narrator:
David LeDoux, John Randolph Jones
Publication Date: May 24, 2006
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Water for Elephants – Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Add to Goodreads

Sara Gruen - authorThe Author: Sara lives in America with her husband, three children, two dogs, two cats, three goats, and a horse. She already has her eye on another horse and a donkey. [Amazon author page]

Sara Gruen is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of five novels: AT THE WATER’S EDGE, APE HOUSE, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, RIDING LESSONS, and FLYING CHANGES. Her works have been translated into forty-three languages, and have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS was adapted into a major motion picture in 2011 starring Reese Witherspoon, Rob Pattinson, and Christoph Waltz, and then into a smash Broadway musical, currently running at the Imperial Theatre, written by Rick Elice and PigPen Theatre Co. and directed by Jessica Stone.

She lives in Western North Carolina with her husband and three sons, along with their dogs, cats, horses, birds, and the world’s fussiest goat. [Goodreads author page]

©2025 V Williams

#ThrowbackThursday

Rosepoint Publishing Reviews – February Recap – March Holds a Spring Promise

Rosepoint Publishing Reviews - February Recap

I loved it for a while, but alas, the AI freebies are over  (used my free credits) both on Canva and Gemini. Now I’m back to sampling Freepik—without much luck. The background of the bookcase below is a sample, but obviously not very close to my description of the picture I’d envisioned. Must admit, Gemini came closer to creating the images I wanted, but it too is bye-bye. I used to try to use only those pictures I originated, my pictures or designs. That’s no longer working. Got a source you like? What is your favorite go-to for images?

February is a short one and it flew by. I used to love March. Spring. Warmer weather. New growth, babies. Promise. Of course, for me, it’s also birthday month and as usual the body is saying one thing and the mind another. It’s a clash of wills but it may be the body who wins and both the CE and I are beginning to make more of those dreaded trips to the doc. We used to joke we’d need a car only for groceries and doctor visits. Ugh. Not so funny anymore, but that’s where some of our reading time went.

I’m still using Goodreads to find good audiobooks, as well as blogger buddy suggestions. My library has most of what I look for but it’s amazing the number of books that are on waiting lists despite having numerous copies. Of course, I still find books at NetGalley, as well as author and publisher requests.

We managed ten reviews between us in February that included four audiobooks. As always, the links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase or source information.

Rosepoint Publishing Review - February Recap
Background bookcase courtesy Freepik.com AI

You Have Gone Too Far by Carlene O’Connor
The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne (audiobook)
This American Woman by Zarna Garg
Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung (audiobook)
From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough (audiobook)
Valley of the Wolves by Brock Farrow (CE review)
Guardian of the Crossroads by Melanie Forde
To Catch a Spy by Mark ONeill (CE review)
Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima
Audition by Barbara Walters (audiobook)

 

Favorite Book of the Month

WOW, it was a tough one this month! A number of them could have been five-star reads from either of us, but despite a small issue that may have knocked off a half-star, the story was still outstanding. Included in the month—several memoirs!  In particular though, This American Woman—super, Guardian of the Crossroads—excellent, and Gathering Mist—love the dogs—really ticked off all the boxes. Zarna Garg has an amazing view of issues—some alien to mine but always with a sense of humor. Melanie Forde definitely pushed outside of her familiar family sagas. This one deeper, darker than I’d seen before and it worked, leaving me slack-jawed. Most readers have sampled Margaret Mizushima’s books. Always good, fast paced, and informative. So which one gets the coveted Rosepoint nod?

Favorite for February – Guardian of the Crossroads by Melanie Forde

 

Reading Challenges

My Reading Challenges page…

My Goodreads Challenge is currently at 33 of a 2025 goal of 125. No, keeping up with my Challenge page wasn’t a New Year’s resolution. I’ll get to it…

Welcome to my new subscribers! So glad you joined this group. I hope you found a book or two that appealed to you here, and I’m always looking for your suggestions! And to all my readers, have a beautiful March!

©2025 V Williams

It's so hard to choose!
Gemini-generated AI image

 

Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars 5 stars

Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima

Book Blurb:

Secrets hide within the fog deep in the mossy forests of the Pacific Northwest in this ninth thrilling installment in award-winning author Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mystery series.

Deputy Mattie Wray, formerly Mattie Cobb, is summoned to Washington’s Olympic peninsula for an urgent search and rescue mission to find a celebrity’s missing child. With only a week left before her wedding, Mattie is hesitant to leave Timber Creek, but her K-9 partner Robo’s tracking skills are needed.

Dense forest, chilling rain, and unfriendly locals hamper their efforts, and soon Mattie suspects something more sinister than a lost child is at play.  When one of the SAR dogs becomes ill, her fiancé, Cole Walker, suspects poison. Fearing for Mattie’s and Robo’s safety, Cole joins the search and rescue team as veterinary support.

Secrets that have lain hidden within the rugged terrain come to light, and when it is uncovered that the missing child was kidnapped, the search becomes a full-blown crime scene investigation, forcing Mattie, Robo, and Cole into a desperate search to find the missing child before it’s too late.

My Review:

I love mysteries and crime thrillers and throw in an awesome service dog and I’m there. This is one of my favorite K-9 series and this installment becomes a page turner very quickly.

With one week to go before her wedding to Cole, a veterinarian, Maddie is called in to fly to the northwest in Washington state to find a missing child. The change in climate is a shock, cold, windy, and buckets of rain with the attendant saturated soil and underbrush and difficult not only for ground trackers but scent trackers as well. The atmospheric description really sets up the scene and becomes a strong integral part of the plot.

This is one reason I enjoy these books so much. You learn so much about canines, their atheleticism, and learning capacity. It’s such a part of the prep for search or take down, however, the info is easily slipped in and just adds the wow factor rather than slowing the pace.

Gathering Mist by Margaret MizushimaWhen one of the other search dogs becomes sick, it’s apparent that he might have been poisoned and Cole makes arrangements to join her. Together with the search teams and local search and rescue, they form the grid and begin methodically canvassing the area which includes interviews with off-the-grid residents.

The tension ramps up as the search intensifies. There are a number of support characters and the parents present a divided and suspicious countenance. The story turns to a darker subject than I ever remember being used before and the climax is hard and fast.

The writing style throughout is engaging with no slack in the storyline. Robo shines as a masterful SAR dog, intuitive, smart, and protective. Love the action scenes. Heartily recommended.

Add to Goodreads

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
ASIN: B0CRTG7JRQ
Print Length: 252 pages
Publication Date: October 8, 2024
Source: Local Library 

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US  |  Amazon-UK   |   Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

Margaret Mizushima - authorThe Author: Margaret Mizushima writes the award winning and internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She serves as past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected 2019 Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Active in the writing community, she is also a member of Sisters in Crime, Northern Colorado Writers, and Women Writing the West. She and her husband recently moved from Colorado to a home in the Pacific Northwest. Find her on Facebook/AuthorMargaretMizushima, Twitter @margmizu, Instagram @margmizu, and her website http://www.margaretmizushima.com.

©2025 V Williams

#TuesdayBookBlog

Guardian of the Crossroads: A Novel by Melanie Forde #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Catherine Devine briefly becomes a minor celebrity in Fauquier County, Virginia, when she saves a child from an oncoming truck. Cate is an unlikely heroine, stuck in a dead-end job as a school crossing guard and part-time art teacher. Stalled in her early forties, she lacks sufficient faith in herself to craft any plans—grand or small. But Cate harbors an extraordinary secret—she occasionally experiences psychokinesis. As she ponders just how she stopped that truck, she comes to believe her mind can move more than just physical objects. Perhaps she can move time itself. Melanie Forde’s riveting sixth novel takes readers on a journey of discovery as Cate explores not only her paranormal quirks but artistic talents that can heal old wounds. Accompanying her on this journey is her faithful wolfhound, Hecuba, an old soul who has always considered her mistress someone very, very special—perhaps even a goddess.

Guardian of the Crossroads by Melanie Forde

My Review:

This is not an author who churns out one series installment every six months. Ms. Forde takes her time to deliver a complex plot line and crafts a spellbinding literary novel.

Thoughtful storylines may take a bit longer to build but are rewarded by deeply moving and thoughtful characters wrestling with life and circumstances the best they can with the gifts they were born with. Such is the story of Catherine Devine of Fauquier County, Virginia.

The author generates a raw and emotional main character in Catherine who, following the extraordinary save of a young girl from being killed by a run-a-way vehicle in her school crosswalk, begins to question her ability to have moved that fast and effectively. As Cate begins to reflect on obscure memories in her life, she instigates a plan to solve what might be an act of psychokinesis.

Guardian of the Crossroads by Melanie FordeEssentially without family, Cate does have a few friends but she begins an earnest investigation into her abilities and consults a professional. Single, her closest ally is a giant wolfhound named Hecuba. I loved this character! I could picture and invest in her.

In the study of her background, Cate comes across her old paintings, something she’d loved years ago and was very good at.

There is one very dark, ugly, but powerful painting she comes across that stirs strong emotions and she realizes that is the direction she must follow. She also remembers the catharsis her artistic abilities brought her and dives back into it with abandon, wondering what secrets she has long repressed will be revealed.

Yikes! The storyline turns dark, a startling surprise for me. Definitely caught off-guard, the plot becomes so compelling, you’ll have to follow to the denouement.

“The law of unintended consequences.”

It’s an intelligent and sensitive writing style that pulls in the reader. The themes examine the loss of familial trust, sexual deviation, paranormal and kinesis abilities, along with Greek mythology.

“…physical abuse breaks bones. Sexual abuse breaks the spirit.”

The author is a powerful storyteller. This is one of those stories that is laid out carefully, quietly, and then bestows a “wow” mystical factor at the end when the readers’ mind catches up. Whether or not you believe in paranormal or psychokinesis abilities, the narrative will leave you satisfied.

I greatly enjoyed The Quarry’s Girl, my last read by this author. Each of her novels is totally unique. I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. While there were some edit misses, they will be corrected. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars 4.5 stars

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Book Details:

Genre: Literature & Fiction
Publisher: D Street Books, a division of Mountain Lake Press
ISBN: 1959307436
ASIN: B0DSQ98DL1
Print Length: 471 pages
Publication Date: January 9, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US  |  Amazon-UK   |   Barnes & Noble

 

Melanie Forde - authorThe Author: For most of her writing career, Melanie Forde ghosted on international security issues. She published her first novel, Hillwilla, in 2014, followed by On the Hillwilla Road in 2015. Her West Virginia trilogy culminates in Reinventing Hillwilla, 2018. Twenty years in the making, her Irish-American family saga, Decanted Truths, was also released in 2018. In 2022, Forde mined the stories about her French Canadian ancestors, to publish another period novel and family saga, The Quarryman’s Girl. Legends about the goddess Hecate were the starting point for her sixth novel. Published in 2024, Guardian of the Crossroads combines paranormal, psychological and literary themes.

©2025 V Williams

Irish Wolfhound courtesy Freepik
AI generated Irish Wolfhound courtesy Freepik.com

This American Woman by Zarna Garg #BookReview #BiographiesofComedians

This American Woman by Zarna Garg

A One-In-A-Billion Memoir

“Giving to charity swells your heart with pride and joy; receiving charity crushes your soul with shame and embarrassment.”
When I got the invitation from Amy Jackson at Random House Publishing through NetGalley regarding this book and read the blurb, I thought this sounded too good to keep to myself and in turn invited the CE to read it as well. (Also, that book cover is pretty eye-catching!) Of course, I was in the middle of another book and he’d just finished his, so he jumped into this one and stayed. There were a number of LOLs and we did a buddy read. No doubt you can guess his thoughts on the novel—see below.

Book Blurb:

Award-winning comedian Zarna Garg turns her astonishing life story into a hilarious memoir, spilling all the chai on her wild ride from escaping an arranged marriage and homelessness in India to carving her own path in America and launching a dazzling second act in midlife.

Throughout Zarna’s whole childhood in India, everyone called her “so American” just for reading the newspaper, having deep thoughts, and talking back to anyone over the age of thirty. When Zarna’s dad tried to marry her off at age fourteen, Zarna fled—first to the streets of Mumbai and ultimately to the glittering paradise of Akron, Ohio, where she got to become American for real.

On Zarna’s very American quest to find herself and her calling, she threw herself wholeheartedly into roles like dog-bite lawyer, crazy perfectionist stay-at-home mom, Indian matchmaker, prizewinning screenwriter, and more. It wasn’t until a dare led her to a stand-up comedy open mic that Zarna finally found her spiritual home: getting paid cold hard cash for her big fat mouth.

And as Zarna discovered, after surviving the brutal streets of Mumbai, the cutthroat world of stand-up comedy is nothing.

This American Woman is an exuberant story of fighting for your right to determine your own destiny and triumphing beyond what you ever dreamed was possible. Zarna’s mantra becomes a call to action: It’s never too late. If Zarna can do it, you can, too.

My Review:

Absolutely no doubt this woman has a wild and wicked, often profane sense of humor. Given her history, it may be the only thing keeping her sane as she grappled with an insane drive she could not fulfill. That and the most loving and supportive brother she could have prayed for.

I loved the story of her early childhood, her place in the fairly well-to-do family, and the description of life as a privileged youngster up until the day her birth mother died.

“When you lose a parent, you lose your childhood.”

When her dad married again, rather quickly, he wanted his freedom. Zarna was shocked to discover just how serious he was. (Well, it’s interesting to see men really aren’t very different from country to country.)

This American Woman by Zarna GargAt fourteen, and with all the guile of a young teen, she knew marriage to someone, kids, the end of an education, and a life of servitude was not what she had in mind. So split she did. Of course, that didn’t turn out as she’d expected. Returning home, her father began the process of finding her a husband, even going through the process of meeting the groom and his family. Marriage plans were being made, a wedding that would last for days.

When she was finally granted the Visa and quietly worked out the airfare to America to join her sister and her American husband, she fled. It wasn’t easy, but amazing how hard she worked at everything, tried everything, including her newly discovered stand-up ability. None of this happened overnight or easily.

Yes, she does find a husband and they have three children. Throughout the story, there are observations relayed by her keen sense of humor and delivered with a quick wit and sharp mouth.

“My family is Gujarati, observant vegetarians, while Shalabh’s family is from Uttar Pradesh, the Alabama of India.” 

“Any woman anywhere can wear the bindi. But married women tend to wear it more because when they wake up the day after the marriage they should know where to aim the gun.”

The story is engaging, hard to put down, filled with anecdotes from funny to hilarious. Comments about life in India, comments about life in America, comparisons of the two, along with some hardcore facts. Yes, there are more than a few barbs, bound to be, I suppose. But let’s face it, she is one in a billion.

India - US area comparison mapIndia population as of January 2024 is estimated at 1.44 billion. (AI overview) (Population density approx. 488 people per square kilometer.)

USA population as of July 1, 2024 – 340,110.988. (AI overview)(Population density in 2022 approx. 36.43 people per square kilometer.)

This book releases the end of April. Needing a little comedy? This one will brighten your day and leave you with a smile on your face.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars 4.5 stars

His Review:

A domineering father who has decided that at age 14, Zarna should be married and launches on the quest to find her a husband. Zarna decides there is no way she will marry against her will and leaves her well-to-do home. Zarna begins by trying to stay with her many friends from school.

The problem is that she finds out that her welcome is overstayed very quickly and she is out on the streets again. There she learns what life is like for the many destitute people in India. The streets of Mumbai teach her many ways to get by but without money, she is trapped in poverty.

One of her best traits and biggest downfalls is her smart mouth. She refuses to cave to the continued attempted control of her father. Finally, she must return home or possibly die on the streets. Her father never capitulates and the end result is two hard heads unwilling to yield. She goes back with her tail between her legs and submits to husband interviews. Starving is simply not an option.

She has a married sister in America willing to sponsor her and help get her a Visa. Fortunately, this finally comes through just in time and she flees to the states.

C E WilliamsShe perfects her sense of humor and sets out to be a comic at local venues. At first, she begs to have people come to see her show. Many nights the theater is empty. If there are only a few persons in her audience, she goes through her act. Soon people begin to talk about this funny comedian from the streets and theaters begin to fill. She continues to write her dialogues spending many hours per day perfecting her act between shows. This book has many good belly laughs as you read about her trials and tribulations. Enjoy! 5 stars – CE Williams

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars 5 stars

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Book Details:

Genre: Biographies of Comedians, Biographies & Memoirs of Women, Humor
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN-10: ‎ 0593975022
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-0593975022
ASIN: B0DM6Z1SYQ
Print Length: 320 pages
Publication Date: April 29, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US  |  Amazon-UK   |   Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

 

Zarna Garg - authorThe Author: Zarna Garg is a force of nature with a mic. America’s first Indian immigrant mom comedian burst onto the scene in 2023 with her first special, ‘One in a Billion’. Her follow-up special,’Practical People Win’, hits Hulu in 2025. Zarna cut her teeth opening for icons Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Her acting debut in the indie hit ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ earned rave reviews, while her hugely popular ‘Zarna Garg Family Podcast’ explores modern family life with her husband and kids. With millions of social media followers and billions of views, Zarna just can’t stop laughing her way to the top.

Rosepoint Reviews – January Recap – Catch the winter reading bug, not the flu

#Rosepoint Reviews - January recap

January is a catch-up month around here, packing holiday decorations away, doing some cleaning, updating blog folders (and Challenge page) to 2025, and doing some general website housekeeping. I took a hard look at my challenges and signed up for the same few, but reduced goals this year. Just too much always going on to keep up and I’d dearly love to do some AI graphics.

After looking at WP templates and formats, it would appear I am pretty well stuck with the same one as I still don’t want to try the block editor again and so many of the templates only work with the block editor. As is, I’m finding problems with my widgets, the blocks interfering with spacing and I’m blocked from linking both Twitter feed and Instagram. Still, I want to update the look somewhat with whatever additional resources I have.

Decided I would continue to try for posts on Tuesday and Thursday—Sunday if the CE has a review available.  Felt like our stats were dropping and I went in to get an average number of reviews per month, but last January 2024 (not counting bookish posts), we posted ten reviews. So then looking at all months and tallying the average, discovered that between the two of us, we are generally running about 11.33/books/mo. Maybe not fewer then, just a shift in where we are getting the books and an increase in audiobooks equal to the decrease in digitals.

I mentioned AI graphics before and looking at different apps and free downloads, found more than I thought available. I played around with the free version of Freepik, but the free version is very limited and doesn’t make sense to pay for the little I’d use. Between the two, the AI graphics on Canva (again my free version) offers greater diversity and is more user friendly. Still, one can always resort to Google Gemini 2.0 which creates limited graphics as well as text.

I’m using Goodreads to mine the opportunity for good audiobooks, as well as your suggestions, and books sourced at NetGalley, author and publisher requests, and my well-stocked library.

We managed thirteen reviews between us in January that included seven audiobooks. These links on titles are to our reviews that include purchase or source information.

Rosepoint Reviews - January Recap

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (audiobook)
Downstate: A Novella by Jeffery Deaver (CE review)
History’s Pages: The Knocknashee Story by Jean Grainger (5 stars)
The Burning and The Lost Coast by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman (audiobooks)
To Catch a Thief by David Dodge (CE review)
All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee
Half Moon Bay by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman (audiobook)
A Measure of Darkness by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman (audiobook)
The Crossing Places: The First Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths
A Dead Draw by Robert Dugoni (CE review)
The Investigator by John Sandford (audiobook)

 

Favorite Book of the Month

No question this month, All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee left me breathless and satisfied. I recommended it to the CE and he burned through it in a couple days. No doubt this would make a super selection for any book club.

Favorite for January – All We Thought We Knew

 

Reading Challenges

My Reading Challenges page…My Goodreads Challenge is currently at 18 of a 2025 goal of 125. No, keeping up with my Challenge page wasn’t a New Year’s resolution. I’ll get to it…
by and by.

Welcome to my new subscribers! So glad you joined our group. I hope all my readers are finding some amazing books to spend some quality hot chocolate, fireplace time with!

©2025 V Williams

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