Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Katarína Macurová GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: July 16, 2019 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book about one animal trying to help his friend to fly. Probably among the funniest picture books I have read! Love the story, the message, the ending, and the illustrations. A couple of the jokes might be understood better by adults, but plenty of learning opportunities here. Recommended. Plot Preview: Arthur the bear is concerned that his friend Eddie, a “bird”, doesn’t ever fly but walks everywhere. When he asks Eddie about it, Eddie responds that no one taught him how to fly. So Arthur decides that he will teach his friend to fly. Thus begins a series of lectures and practical sessions on flying from the bear to the “bird”. But as adult readers can guess, teaching this “bird” to fly ain’t gonna be an easy task! After a long series of debacles, Arthur decides to ask other birds for help. Do you think Arthur will succeed? Don’t you just love it whe...

AUTHOR: Robert Mgrdich Apelian GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: January 20, 2026 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A YA-Fantasy graphic novel inspired partly by Armenian and Persian mythology. A complex storyline that takes some time to come together. Some unexplained plot points. Intricate artwork but monochrome colouring. This might work better if read through a physical copy. Plot Preview: Seventeen-year-old Katah has always felt like an outsider in his family because he’s the only one with no talent for cooking. Unlike his much older siblings, he is also too young to have known his late father who was a legendary Hye chef in the Pars empire. At present, Katah is the sole caregiver for his sick mother, so when his vision-like dreams lead him to find a powerful div, he hopes to use its magic to save his mother’s life. But magical deals are complex and never one-sided. As Katah attempts to meet the div’s condition with the help of his siblings, he realises that he might have wa...

AUTHOR: Ashley Poston NARRATOR: Brittany Pressley GENRE: Romance, Timeslip. PUBLICATION DATE: June 27, 2023 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary romance with a magical timeslip. Decent characters, plot, and writing. Interesting use of the timeslip but no explanations and many loopholes. Insta-love and rushed relationship. Too many attraction-related inner monologues for my liking. Too convenient in plotting. Not a light story, but has light moments. I liked it but wasn’t blown away by it like so many others were. ¯ \_(ツ)_/¯ Plot Preview: After her beloved late aunt Analea passes away, Clementine moves into her NY apartment that Analea willed to her. Though still grieving, she is focussed on her work as a book publicist, and has no time for relationships. However, one day, she bumps into a strange man in the apartment. He claims to have been given permission by Analea to use the house for a while. After a lot of confusion, Clementine realises that this is what her aunt had w...

AUTHOR: Tory Henwood Hoen NARRATOR: Barrie Kreinik GENRE: Contemporary Drama PUBLICATION DATE: December 2, 2025 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary drama partly focussing on memory and memories. Expected to like this much more, but it felt more like a Hallmark depiction of Alzheimer’s. Many of the plot inclusions weren't my cup of tea. This is an outlier opinion. Plot Preview: Though twenty-six-year-old Cricket is doing decently at her job with a modern wellness company, she feels like she is weighed down under the burdens of a past tragedy and of a present worry: her father’s Alzheimer’s has worsened. When her elder sister Nina declares that they need to move their dad Arthur into a hospice-care facility, Cricket decides to use his health as the catalyst she needed to make a change in her life. She quits her job and moves to their home in the Adirondacks to become Arthur’s caregiver, and in the process, hopes to heal the old rift between them, though he doesn’t rememb...

AUTHOR: Oyinkan Braithwaite NARRATORS: Diana Yekinni, Nnei Opia Clark, and Weruche Opia. GENRE: African Contemporary Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: November 4, 2025 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A multi-timeline multi-perspective family saga. Impressive yet flawed female characters, somewhat flat male characters. Decent plot, good writing, good ending. Character-oriented. Unlike what the blurb says, this is not “wickedly funny”. (In fact, it’s not funny at all.) Don’t expect a clever satire like the author’s first novel; this one is more typical in its storyline. Recommended, though not as strongly as I had hoped to. Plot Preview: 2024. Lagos, Nigeria. Twenty-three-year-old Eniiyi has lived her entire life being told that she resembles Monife, her aunt who killed herself just before Eniiyi was born. She even tried moving out from her hometown, but the shadow of Monife was always there. Now she's back after eleven years, returning to the home where she grew up, and to the women who ...

AUTHOR: Vicky Alvear Shecter GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: January 20, 2026 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction set in Ancient Rome and inspired by true events. Gritty and disturbing. Slow but atmospheric. Good character development and build-up to the finale. Slightly repetitive. I’m somewhat undecided on my feelings about the ending. Recommended. Plot Preview: 216 BCE. Sixteen-year-old Mia has been serving as one of the Vestal Virgins for more than a decade already. Though this wasn’t a decision she made by choice, she performs her role with diligence. When she hears of the huge defeat of the Roman Army at the Battle of Cannae, she is sad for the 50000 fallen soldiers, but more than that, she mourns the death of her childhood love Attius in that battle. The priests declare that the only reason the gods abandoned Rome at Cannae was the breaking of the vow of chastity by the youngest Vestal Virgin. Mia knows that it is up to her alone to save her life...

EDITOR: Alice Hoffman GENRE: Essay Collection PUBLICATION DATE: March 10, 2026 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A collection of essays by various authors about some best dogs in the world. Given the reputation of the contributing authors, it’s not surprising that this is one well-written collection. A love letter to dogs and a must-read for all dog owners and dog lovers. At times, the cover of a book is such that you are tempted to grab it without doing any other due diligence. Look at the cover art of this book! Just see that unbridled bliss on that beautiful dog’s visage! Add to this, that amazing title! How is one to resist?! Thankfully, the book delivers exactly as the cover and the title promise, not making me regret my impulsive decision for even a second. I don’t often read essay collections, but if the theme of the essays is close to my heart, then I am willing to try the book. This book contains fourteen essays celebrating the joys and challenges of their canine companions. ...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Paula Bowles GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: March 3, 2026 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book that delivers on content, message, language, and illustrations. Covers an important topic in a fun way. Definitely recommended. Plot Preview: After a long journey, Toco the toucan has finally found the right tree for his dream home. He starts drawing plans for his treehouse, thinking of a warm and cosy place that will be perfect for him and hoping that the neighbours will also be friendly. Well, they are, overly so. The other toucans show up one by one to help, which makes Toco quite happy at first., But he soon realises that they are building the treehouse they want, not the one he wants. Toco tries to make peace with their version, but he soon feels overwhelmed. Will he be able to tell them what he really wants? In a world that is increasingly loud and aggressive, quieter children (and adults) often resort to the habit of staying...

AUTHOR: Abby Cooper ILLUSTRATOR: Eliana Gutiérrez GENRE: Humour PUBLICATION DATE: March 10, 2026 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A clever satirical picture book speaking to babies and toddlers about how to take care of their new moms. 😉 Absolutely loved the concept and the implementation. The satire is excellent, as is the strong tone of empathy. Much recommended to all moms-to-be and new moms. The title was enough to get me to grab this book. With the twist on the usual “It’s a Boy/Girl”, “It’s a Mom” made me curious to see the content. Turns out, it is a care package for new mommies wrapped in a lot of satire. What fun! I enjoyed the concept as well as the execution. The text is directed at kiddos aged 2 to 5 ( wink, wink! ) and is a guide on how to take care of their new moms ( more exuberant winking! ). Thus it offers advice about essentials such how to help moms stay awake at night, how to ensure that moms have a wash during your bath time, how to allow her tummy time, and so ...

AUTHOR: Nikki Erlick NARRATORS: Marin Ireland; Dan Bittner; Stacey Glemboski; Graham Halstead; Mia Barron; Callie Dalton; Janina Edwards; Shawn K. Jain; Christian Barillas; Jason Culp. GENRE: Speculative Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: June 17, 2025 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A speculative fiction novel about an innovative treatment facility and the individuals whose life it affects. An imaginative plot with some solid unforeseen reveals. Literary in style. Character-driven. Slow but steady pacing. A bit sad though there are moments of joy. Quite introspective. Recommended. I am an outlier… on the positive side! 🥳 Go in with the right expectations to enjoy this better. Plot Preview: In a secluded stretch of the California desert, a new establishment is making waves. ‘The Poppy Fields’ is an experimental treatment centre, claiming to offer relief to those burdened by grief through their revolutionary yet free therapy that involves extended sleep. Only those vetted by their elaborate...

AUTHOR: Elyssa S. Schwendy GENRE: Short story Collection, Retellings. PUBLICATION DATE: February 25, 2026 RATING: 3.2 stars. In a Nutshell: A fantasy story collection with known fairy tales in a different presentation. The stories ranged from decent to great, but the structuring of the individual tales and of the overall book didn't work for me, though this might be more a ME problem. This story collection contains eight main stories, each of which is supposed to be a modified version of a popular fairytale or folklore. I could recognise some of the source material, but wasn’t familiar with a couple of the titles. What I thought would make this collection stand out was the presentation framework - using a storyteller to tell us stories. The titular peddler, whose name is Verre, is the narrator of the tales. During a storm, she enters a tavern, feels that it's a "good night for telling stories", and sets up some exotic objects on a table. When curious customers walk to...

AUTHOR: Larysa Maliush GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: March 17, 2026 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book about a wolf and his moral dilemma. Funny story with interesting animal characters but some questionable logic. A good option for kids who don’t overthink. Plot Preview: Big Gray Wolf follows the rules of his pack except when they don’t suit him. One night, as he is howling at the moon and wishing for good food, he finds a lost bunny in the forest. According to the lupine code of conduct, Wolf has to eat it. But it’s so tiny and cute and fluffy! Plus, the little rabbit has a little note from his family that says they will offer a scrumptious feast to anyone who brings Bunkins back home safely. Should Wolf follow the wolf rules, or should he take Bunkins home in the hope of a bigger feast? This story offers a flip-around of the traditional predator-prey narrative. Wolf's moral dilemma is real because predators do eat other animals to survive, n...

AUTHOR: Cornelia Funke GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: April 1, 2025 RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade adventure mystery about some botanical wonders and some enigmatic old letters. Decent characters, excellent plant-related information, epistolary interludes, fun riddles, clunky plotting, too much of attraction/crush talk. I mistakenly assumed this to be a fantasy. Recommended to the target age group. Plot Preview: Twelve-year-old Caspia isn't happy when her parents tell her that they'll be spending the three months of summer in New York City. Caspia is not fond of big busy cities, and it's even worse to experience the New York heat after the cool Maine days. Things change when Caspia finds an old bundle of letters in their tiny new rental apartment. Probably belonging to the sisters who lived there long ago, each letter, written in the 1950s, contains a 'green' riddle with many clues and the answer always being from the plant kingdom....