Tag Archive: Gita V. Reddy


Review: A Tapestry of Tears by Gita V. Reddy

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January 31, 2017

A Tapestry of TearsA Tapestry of Tears by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book free of charge from the author.

Well, this was a treasure. You all know I don’t like short stories. I like getting to know characters deeply. That is why I read so many series. But Gita V. Reddy has pulled off keeping the story short while not leaving the reader empty.

If there was a theme running through these stories it would be “Love”. Though the stories are about Indian families/couples the American reader isn’t lost in cultural differences. The stray non-English word helps in keeping the story authentic but those aren’t over done.

The female dilemmas that plague many countries are merely spoken of in fact as part of the story and not the end goal. That made the stories more interesting.

I found re-reading the last couple stories from other books a little boring but if it were the first time for a reader to see them they might find these interesting.

Well-done, Gita! I do recommend that everyone read this book. It can make you see some of your own flaws to work on in love. It isn’t just for Indian women. It is for everyone!

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Review: The Empress’ New Gowns by Gita V. Reddy

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October 30, 2016

The Empress' New GownsThe Empress’ New Gowns by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oops! I thought I actually wrote a review on this book as I ACTUALLY DID write a review already. But there was a computer glitch and the computer shut down. Then, well, life happened and I forgot. Luckily a friend “liked’ the review so I came back to the page and saw what I wrote wasn’t there. Sorry.

Let’s see if I can remember the gist of it. First of all, I do a lot of reviews for Gita V. Reddy. I like her work and when I saw this one I picked it up. I think I actually paid for this one but it was cheap and an author does deserve compensation for their work. I just am on such a limited SS budget that I rarely can buy a book. My small amount won’t keep a roof over her head, but I hope my reviews help lead people to try out her books for their edification and entertainment.

As for edification… this book was a cautionary tale to the pride that can be in each of us. The original tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes is the first part of the story. But the next part should be read by preteens, teens, and new adults. Pride can be a good thing, but if we keep it in check we retain our humanity. Gita was clever telling the female version of the original story. I enjoyed it.

Most readers will find this story fun. For me, the formatting stopped the full enjoyment. Since I do most of my reading at night and always using the black background with white font, I found I couldn’t see the words. I had to change my background to a lighter color but then found it too bright. Luckily, I always use Text-to-Speech and that worked fine. But had this been a longer story I think I would have given up. I have to read while listening as my brain needs to be fully engaged to get into a story. But for most people, this formatting issue won’t cause them a bit of a problem and they well enjoy this story fully.

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Review: Daksha the Medicine Girl by Gita V. Reddy

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October 4, 2016

Daksha the Medicine GirlDaksha the Medicine Girl by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

Sorry it took so long for me to write this review. See my review for Soul Slam to find out why (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show…).

I read this book in one evening quite a while ago. I remember enjoying it a lot. I loved learning about the main character, Daksha and her life. When you live in a society that is busy with it’s own goals of education and modern medicine, it is easy to forget that others have been living with herbal medicines and more holistic ways of living than we are used to. And they have survived centuries like that. So when we read about a young girl who apprentices for the local medicine man and finds this is her passion of life, it may seem a bit off. But we grow to love and understand her and her way of life.

The part I didn’t like was how the story was over before it had a chance to follow her next steps. I wanted to know more about her learning to read and getting that kind of education and how she might have taught others how to integrate her type of medicine with others we might have grown up with. Just a thought. I almost think this could be a series. I loved that it was centered around a girl. I just want more.

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Review: King Neptune’s Delite by Gita V. Reddy

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June 16, 2016

King Neptune's DeliteKing Neptune’s Delite by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Have you ever noticed how the most popular children’s books have children who have no parents? Hopefully, that is because parents keep children safe. But without that safety what kind of trouble could children get into on their own? King Neptune’s Delite is my proof in point. Orphaned children raised by the community were still orphaned children. And when it came to adventure, they chose adventure over the older sister’s cautions.

I would hope. Parents would read this book with their children. There are so many educational opportunities in this book that parents and teachers could implement. And maybe mature children who already have a good sense of caution could read it and not get caught up in the adventure they might have if they followed the younger siblings leanings. But should the adventurous child read this book it does become a cautionary tale. I suppose much worse could happen no no no no no no do need to do that than happens to the children of the story, but it was pretty bad as it was.

Thank you, Gita V. Reddy, for letting me read this book. It was quite the thriller from beginning to end. I found myself caught up in the story to the point of forgetting to eat or go to sleep. I just wanted to see that the kids would be okay, and if so how?

Gita is quite the storyteller! Her stories take place in her country, in India. So it gives us an education of culture and histories other than our own. I like that her stories lead us to see what we have in common with others. Example: boys who went to go fight the pirates. In this day and age, since Disney has given us Pirates of the Caribbean, even we adults might like to go on that kind of adventure. No wonder a child would!

I worked very hard not giving spoilers in this review. So instead, I say read this book; it’s a lot of fun! And grab a kid to read it to, while you’re at it! Wait, the didn’t sound quite right. But you know what I mean, I hope. 😉

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Review: Super-Duper Monty by Gita V. Reddy

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April 24, 2016

Super-Duper MontySuper-Duper Monty by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Did you ever have that niggling feeling that you had forgotten something? I kept forgetting that I had read this book recently and hadn’t written a review. If I hadn’t been given the book for that very reason, I wouldn’t have felt so badly when I did remember. Sorry it took me so long, Gita.

AND my memory of the book was gone. Part of it is my fibro fog is in full flare. Though I could remember that the book was cute, I know that Ms. Reddy tries to get a few lessons in there for the reader. I wanted to make sure I got it so I went back and read it again. It only took a few minutes. It was worth the re-read. Which proved to me that a child will want to return to this book often.

First, the illustrations are absolutely adorable! Abira Das (Illustrator) did a fantastic job! Second, the lessons were there. Here is a frog who is too happy-go-lucky for his own good. A lesson I tried to teach my own children was that if they wanted to wander beyond our yard they needed to have a sibling or two with them for the safety in numbers. So this educational moment would start a lot of conversations between parents and children. Or even students and teachers.

Then one could study amphibians, frogs in particular. Heck, one could even adopt a pet frog for a while learn about their growth, food, and other needs. And then make sure the children understand how important the proper environment and care is for any animal.

Last, it is a great early reader, one a parent could read aloud but the child could grow to read it independently all the while enjoying the fun pictures.

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Review: Theft at the Fair and Other Stories by Gita V. Reddy

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April 21, 2016

Theft at the Fair and Other Stories (It's a Mystery)Theft at the Fair and Other Stories by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclosure: I was given this book for an honest review.

Gita V. Reddy, the author, lives in India. Her books take place in India. So, I suggest that this presents an educational opportunity for parents and teachers. Pull out the encyclopedias, books about India, and/or make sure Google is available. Though Gita takes the time to explain terms or words within the story that are regional, it would stop the flow of the story to explain everything India. And this set of stories keeps you reading, even as an adult.

The mysteries are right up front. I love that they help the reader to learn to use their powers of observation. That was the only super-power I would allow my children to use. (Otherwise, with cape flowing they would have jumped from second story windows. So no capes or pretending other powers.)

Since I should have written this yesterday, I can’t remember exactly, but I think each of the stories was about some kind of theft. (Well, duh! it is there in the title of the book! **wink, wink**) I did wonder if there was a higher incidence in India than America. But realized that it could be localized here, also. I live in a small town (population approximately one thousand) and I assume we have as much crime here, per capita as L.A. usually drug related. So India is probably comparable. AND I prefer a mystery that has to do with theft over kidnapping or murder. And in this case, it is the smart children that figure it out. Hopefully, that comes with the conversation that kids who see something should say something to parents, teachers, authorities, etc. So this book is valuable for all that the reader puts into it.

The author mentions money statements. Another Google shows us what that means and how it translates to American money. But more than anything else, these stories are fun and show us how much we have in common and teach us about other people, respecting others and their properties. And did I mention, these stories are fun?

I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially parents and teachers to facilitate a great learning experience.

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Review: Cinderella’s Escape by Gita V. Reddy

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March 25, 2016

Cinderella's EscapeCinderella’s Escape by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: This ebook was given to me for an honest review.

I wanted to give this book five stars. The idea is superb! Rewriting Cinderella, giving her empowerment is right up my alley. Showing us that the strength we need is within us, that we don’t need to look to someone else to be our savior or fairy godmother is a very important lesson for us all.

And it came across; that idea. BUT. This story needs a better editing job. Besides grammatical mistakes and words that were left out or shortened, there were plotholes that stopped the enjoyment of the story. That is saying a lot, for me. I tend to get lost in a story and don’t notice those things. It is why I still haven’t put my stories out for others to read. AND English is my first language, I have no excuses. I know that English isn’t Gita’s first language yet the past books I have read of hers were amazingly well written.

And those are the mechanical problems. The overall story is hard for me to enjoy. If you like crime tales, this might be good for you. Knowing that you can be taken, kidnapped after an accident with no way out is hard enough for adults to read. I can’t imagine this story being good for children. As a girl, it would have increased my fears, even if the story shows how the main character gain her own smarts and courage to actually get out. The ending didn’t quite satisfy me either. You would think that the girl would understand not to run where she did just from all the reading she had done. And once again it was an accident that ended up saving her. I would have loved if she were able to save herself.

The story that followed about a boy that meets an actual fairy godmother was unique, also. I loved the points it made. But once again, a few plotholes and errors made it difficult to stay in the story. Still, knowing the professional person that Gita V. Reddy is, I see these as being special gems for everyone to read soon. I look forward to reading lots more by this author!

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Review: The Ant Thief by Gita V. Reddy

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March 24, 2016

The Ant Thief (Bed Time Tales, #2)The Ant Thief by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

This story reminds me of the Grasshopper and the Ant of Aesop Fables fame. But in this case, the lazy one is the ant (no grasshoppers in this story). And the main character is a girl. Yes, girls can be lazy, too! 😉

The artwork is adorable and the story flows quite nicely. I love that the ant has so many expressions!

As a bedtime story, parents and children could discuss laziness, shame, the values of telling the truth, how you can make mistakes and make reparations. And most of all about unconditional love.

As the child learns to love this book it will make a great addition to the young reader’s shelf as well. Or Kindle shelf for the children. It reads nicely on the Kindle so makes a good to-go story.

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Review: Knife and Fork by Gita V. Reddy

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Knife and ForkKnife and Fork by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I was given this book by the author for an honest review.

CUTE! I loved this little story. It shows us how to try new customs and ideas. I do believe that children would love the story of this cute, curious little monkey that wanders into the city. He learns valuable lessons to share with those around him, humans and other monkeys.

As Bholu, the little monkey, gets to the city he sees that a little girl and her family enjoy eating using a knife and fork. He learns that this is the way of the people and it works for them so he learns to use these tools, too.

The story continues in chapter form each leading to the next nearly seamlessly. As is common the main character (the monkey) bumps into problems and works them out. I believe that young readers will love this story. But I think it would make a nice read-aloud situation, too, as there are many concepts that parents and teachers could help children to absorb. Such as “When in Rome…” Now normally I would agree. In this case, the monkey is back with his friends and finds the knife and fork don’t do well on coconuts. But the conversation should move in both directions. Those berries won’t be so messy with a fork. And I’m sure the humans don’t use those tools to eat cookies.

Maybe a bit could be said for those of us with arthritis who find chops sticks hurt even if they want to do as the Romans (Chinese) do. Or even the forks and knives for some, have to have adaptations so as to get the job done.

Maybe a lesson in manners and why a knife and fork might be more healthy than eating with hands. Or how it might be up to Bholu to teach his friends how wonderful it is to have new skills.

There is so much in this story that leads to conversation. Yet this could be read over and over as one would love to have this monkey visit them for a picnic sometime.

Brilliant work Gita! Thanks for letting me read your books!

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Review: Never Ever by Gita V. Reddy

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Never EverNever Ever by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this story! Sure there are other stories featuring the importance of communication in relationships out there even those heading for possible divorce. But this one is unique with the wife being hearing-impaired. And this is an Indian couple trying to cope with modern societal implications.

Letting the reader see the thoughts of both the husband and the wife as the navigated these rough waters gave insight to how both sexes feel once the D-word is mentioned in the home. All the insecurities are brought to light.

I hope this isn’t considered a spoiler but the best concept brought up was how we have blood relatives that we can’t divorce, and how we wouldn’t think of cutting them out of our lives, yet here is someone we have chosen to give our lives to and the Big D comes up? Great concept to include!

A little side: I loved how the author took the time to educate the reader on the Indian words or meals. It was thrown in close to the part of the story it was in so that we weren’t left wondering what was being said.

As often as it is mentioned in this book, I kind of wished that there were recipes at the end of the book of the “daily” foods and preparations. And possibly those that many of the Indian Women freeze.

The acknowledgment of how the stay at home mother is forced to re-think her life choices when faced with divorce was a good thing to mention. It is something all potentially divorced women have been forced to look at. Indian or otherwise. It is sad that the stay at home mother isn’t valued more. But that is a problem modern women face. To find out that all those years doing their best to care for children and home are worthless in their retirement is another slap in the face of the divorced woman.

Anyway, this is a short book and has many gems built in. I almost wish I had been able to read prequels to this story, how they met and their growing relationship and the years after recommitment. That is how well the character development was in this book. I love the couple and want to know more.

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