Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman GENRE: Dark Fantasy. PUBLICATION DATE: June 18, 2013 RATING: 4.25 stars. I am a very visual reader. Whatever I read translates itself into crystal-clear pictures in my vivid imagination. ( That's why I can't read horror. Rather than getting an adrenaline rush, I end up scaring myself! 🙈) This habit of mine gets tested when I read fantasy. To picture dragons and unicorns and horrifying creatures and alien beings and scary ghouls and strange Gods does challenge the limits of the imagination. Yet I inevitably succeed in my endeavour and relish these out-of-the-world images even more. For the first time ever though, my imagination has failed me. And all this is courtesy one man: a man whose creativity never ceases to amaze me. From the door leading into the unknown in Coraline to the graveyard full of varied types of ghosts in The Graveyard Book, this man can go where no other author can take you. The book that caused my imagination to struggle is his masterful...

AUTHOR: Babu Devakinandan Khatri TRANSLATOR: Rohini Chowdhury SERIES: Chandrakanta Santati #1 GENRE: Indian Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: 1888! RATING: 2 stars. The book is full of twists and turns. It would have been a great success in the Race film series if it could be transferred to the modern timeline. Interesting story, a bit dated of course because of the period it was written in. The first book I've ever read where the hero faints pining for his beloved. So I'd put this adaptation as a one-time read.  I have no doubt that the original Hindi version would be a much better read. Somewhere, it did feel like things were lost in translation. But the aiyyaars and their aiyyari, wow!

AUTHOR: Jane Austen GENRE: Classic. PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1793 RATING: 3 stars. It is totally unlike any other Austen work. Not just by the writing style (she was just a teen after all!) but by content too! Never expected Austen to be so naughty in her teens. There's a hint of mischief throughout the 50 odd pages. Austen-lovers, you might want to check it out. Not recommended to anyone else.

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS: Rebel Girls GENRE: Children's Nonfiction, Biographies. PUBLICATION DATE: November 20, 2017 RATING: 4.75 stars. Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls is one of these modern marvels that is a must-read for every girl child aged 5 and above (it can be read to younger children too). This book has been a trendsetter and has spawned so many other books using the same premise: Stories for Boys who Dare to be Different, Like a Girl, Women in Science/Sports, The Good Guys, She Can You Can, Fantastically great women who made history, Fantastically great women who changed the world,..... The list is endless! These books give me hope for a better tomorrow, a tomorrow where your gender doesn't define you, nor does it restrict you. If there's only one book that you can gift your children, let it be one of these.