Rosh's Reviews

ORIGINAL AUTHOR: Yuval Noah Harari ADAPTER: David Vandermeulen ILLUSTRATOR: Daniel Casanave SERIES: Sapiens: A Graphic History, #1 GENRE: Nonfiction, Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 2021 RATING: 2.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Not as good as the first graphic novel. Almost at the same level as the original work. Loads of assumptions and generalisations mixed in with the facts. Good for those interested in the topic, as long as you don’t blindly believe everything herein. Even if you haven’t read Yuval Noah Harari’s 'Sapiens' , you surely would have heard about it. It took the reading world by storm a few years ago and became a seminal work on the anthropological, sociological and technological evolution of humankind. Sapiens was divided in four sections. Each section is now being adapted to a graphic novel. The first two books are already out, and the third one is due to release in October 2024. ‘The Pillars of Civilization’ is the second graphic novel of this series,

AUTHOR: Nancy Burke GENRE: Short Story Collection. PUBLICATION DATE: May 7, 2024 RATING: 3.4 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story collection set around various “units of measure” that we use in our life. Loved the concept. Liked the stories. But something felt missing. Still recommended, as the variety of the stories in terms of plot and genre is great. The author’s note at the start of this short story collection clearly explains the intriguing theme underlying the seventeen stories herein. (Well, sixteen stories and a novella.) Her definition of “units of measure”, as mentioned in the title, does not refer to the mathematical or scientific standards of measurement but to the way we measure everything in our lives. Whether generic choices or professional decisions or personal commitments or long-term goals, whether our behaviour with others or our treatment of ourselves, there is always some evaluation involved, consciously or subconsciously. And these are the “units” explored in thi

AUTHOR: Bobby Palmer NARRATOR: Stephen Mangan GENRE: Contemporary Literary Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: March 14, 2024 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A literary fiction about a family that has drifted apart over the years and how one incident sets the wheels in reverse motion. Lyrical, character-oriented writing. A few interesting magical realism interludes. A bit repetitive at times. Not for every reader, but a good choice for lit fic lovers. Plot Preview: After having suddenly lost what he had assumed to be a secure corporate job, Jack is back home, which is a wild place at the edge of the woods. His aged father Gerry is teetering at the brink of sanity because of his memory issues, and Jack’s younger sister Charlotte is frustrated with everyone and everything. His mother Hazel is missing, and no one has any clue about where she has disappeared. Jack and Gerry have always been the opposite of each other, but they now seem to have one thing in common – they both can speak to anima

AUTHOR: Annalisa Crawford GENRE: Psychological Drama PUBLICATION DATE: May 14, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A psychological drama with a dash of mystery and experimental storytelling. To the right reader, this will work mostly well. The problem is that there will be fewer right readers for such a writing approach. I hope the book finds its audience because such a clever writing endeavour, especially an indie one, deserves a try. Plot Preview: Early on a Tuesday morning, at 6.05 am, Lexi finds herself all alone. Literally. No sign of her partner Finn, her neighbours, the people outside on the streets – not a single person around. Her only company is a black cat who makes random appearances. As Lexi struggles to figure out what happened, she realises that she is stuck in that morning and at that time, with no clue about what’s going on. In the meanwhile, on that same morning, Finn realises that he is all alone at home. As Lexi and he had had an argument the night before, he pre

AUTHOR: Cath Staincliffe SERIES: Detectives Donovan & Young, #1 GENRE: Police Procedural. PUBLICATION DATE: May 9, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A police procedural focussed on discovering the truth about a crime that occurred two decades ago, as well as on the personal lives of the key characters. Most of the book was good enough but not gripping enough for me. But the ending was surprising and not over the top, which nudged up my rating. A good, one-time read. First of a planned series. Plot Preview: 2019. Yorkshire Dales. When a caver stumbles upon the remains of a body inside a previously unknown pothole beneath the fells, Detective Leo Donovan wonders if they have finally discovered the remains of Vicky Mott, a twenty-year-old drama student who went missing in 1997 after scrawling a note for her friends that she was going to see the sunrise. There had been a serial killer active in the area, and soon after Vicky’s disappearance, the “fellside strangler” had been arre

AUTHOR: John Scalzi SERIES: The Far Reaches, #6 GENRE: Sci-Fi Short Story. PUBLICATION DATE: RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: An intelligent sci-fi short story but essentially plotless. Suited to a mood when you just wanted to hear someone talk than for when you want to read some sci-fi action. I might have liked it better had I been prepared for something more introspective. Plot Preview: There’s no plot! The entire story is a rambling narrative in the first person point of view of a sentient spaceship who reveals to us its origin at the hands of humans, the purpose behind its existence, and its current and future intent. All this is told to us while it is on a long journey lasting millions of years. This is the sixth and final standalone story in 'The Far Reaches’ series, described on Amazon as “a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart.” Woohoos: 🎉 Unique first-person narrative from an AI spaceship. 🎉 The AI’s observations on h

AUTHOR: Laura Pearson GENRE: Contemporary Drama. PUBLICATION DATE: April 6, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A dramatic story about a woman who wakes up from a coma and realises that some of her memories aren’t exactly accurate. A great option if you know what to expect from this genre. Trigger warning for domestic abuse, though the writing handles it sensitively. Plot Preview: As soon as thirty-year-old Shelley wakes up from a coma, she insists that the police arrest her husband David as he was the reason she ended up in hospital. The medical staff advise her to calm down while the necessary is being done, but somehow, Shelley gets the feeling that she’s not being told something. As Shelley lies in bed, her mind goes wandering through the memories of her childhood, and through that exploration, she realises that her current memory is not exactly accurate. But what’s the truth? Why isn’t anyone telling her anything definite about her situation? The story comes to us in Shelley

AUTHOR: Steve Cavanagh GENRE: Psychological Thriller PUBLICATION DATE: March 19, 2024 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting psychological thriller with regular twists along the way. Inspired from the classic murder swap “Strangers on the Train”, which I haven’t read/watched and hence I could enjoy this as a fresh story. The ending might not work for everyone. An entertaining ride if you follow the golden rule of contemporary thriller reading: Do not overthink! Plot Preview: New York City. Ever since Amanda’s daughter and husband died, she has been focussed on avenging their deaths while still struggling to cope with her loneliness and grief. At a counselling session, she bumps into Wendy, who is also intent on a revenge plan against the man who destroyed her family. As they unburden to each other, they come up with a plan: You kill for me, I’ll kill for you. Ruth, who also lives in NYC, had been a confident professional until the day a stranger with piercing blue eyes ent

AUTHOR: Deepa Rajagopalan GENRE: Short Story Collection. PUBLICATION DATE: May 7, 2024 RATING: 3.7 stars. In a Nutshell: Considering how much I dislike Instagram, I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this collection of short stories, each dwelling on a diasporic Indian woman striving to make the best of her situation. The characters and the poignant writing make this collection impactful. I’ve never been a fan of Instagram for various reasons. If I even see the word “influencer” in a blurb, I don’t go for that novel. Then why this story collection? Many reasons: 1. Indian-origin writer. 2. Indie writer and indie publisher. 3. A women-centric collection. 4. An intriguing title – does “peacocks” stand for the fake showiness of the app? Colour me curious! 5. The wacky mirror reflection in the cover art, taking peacock feather eyes and giving them a human twist. 6. This phrase in the blurb: “a cast of Indian women who are flawed, enterprising, and fill

Author: Gabrielle Meyer Series: Timeless, #3 Genre: Christian Historical Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: May 7, 2024 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: The third book of the wonderful ‘Timeless’ series. Historical fiction with excellent research and intriguing timeslip elements that make you feel like you are reading two stories at once! Christian without feeling preachy. Strongly recommended! Though it can be read as a standalone, better to go in the right order and experience the brilliance of the entire series. Plot Preview: Grace and Hope are identical twin sisters who have inherited their mother Maggie’s timecrossing abilities. The twins thus switch between 1692 Salem, Massachusetts and 1912 New York City. (If you’ve read the earlier books, you know how they timecross. I won’t repeat the same info!) Their twenty-fifth birthday is just a few months away, and by then, they need to decide which life they want to continue in. With the Salem Witch trials and the drudgery of their existenc

AUTHOR: Nick Louth SERIES: Detective Jan Talantire, #1 GENRE: Police Procedural. PUBLICATION DATE: May 2, 2024 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: The first book of a new police procedural series. Not so impressed. While the mystery is dark and the plot contains enough twists, the lead detective is incompetent, much of the plot is extremely coincidental, and the ending has one of the most illogical infodumps I have ever read. I don’t think I’ll continue with this series. This is an outlier review. Plot Preview: Ilfracombe, England. DI Jan Talantire has been called to a little cottage where a senior citizen has been murdered, impaled with a crucifix. When she discovers that the name of the victim is Ruth Lyle, she is stunned. Almost exactly fifty years earlier, sixteen-year-old Ruth Lyle had been murdered, also impaled with a crucifix, at exactly the same location. The old evidence is now inaccessible due to the passage of time and the shoddy maintenance of paper documents, and the new e

  AUTHOR:  Elizabeth Maria Naranjo GENRE: Short Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: December 21, 2023 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An indie short story collection with a mix of emotional and bittersweet tales. The writing is exceptional, but the endings could have worked better for me as many fail to provide resolution. A great option for those who are more about the journey than about the destination.  This collection of eighteen stories is simultaneously diverse and similar, diverse in terms of plotlines, and similar in terms of writing and atmosphere. While there's no author's note to inform us of the theme or intent behind these tales, the blurb specifies that the stories are all connected to memory and how it haunts us. While reading the book, the theme didn't come out that strongly to me. To be clear, I had read fourteen stories before I went to the blurb to see if it held any clue about the theme, because there was nothing I found connecting the tales in a threa