Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Gita V. Reddy GENRE: Indian cultural fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: August 27, 2020 RATING: 3.25 stars. The Morning Star narrates the story of Sudha, a married woman who unexpectedly finds herself in charge of the future of a newborn baby girl. The death of the baby's mother and the heinous intentions of her alcoholic father make Sudha take drastic steps to ensure the little one's wellbeing. How far can Sudha go for someone else's child? Will her family bear the brunt of her decisions? The title refers to the baby girl, named after the Indian name for the morning star, Arundhati. In Indian mythology, Arundhati was the wife of the sage Vashista, and they were considered an ideal couple, their marriage a symbol of love and loyalty. Sudha's love for the baby Arundhati makes her take all decisions with a fierce singlemindedness that at times goes against her own family's wishes or needs. The book starts off as a family drama, slowly turning into covid fiction and fi...

AUTHOR: Edith Wharton GENRE: Drama, Classic. PUBLICATION DATE: October 25, 1920 RATING: 3.75 stars. Everyone has read books on the British elite. Here's one classic about the American elite. No matter which country, the thinking, the pseudo morality and the snobbery remains the same in the prudish elite of old who delight in gossip and scandals of others while trying to protect their own name. A very good read in spite of its age. I liked that it was from the pov of a male character unlike most other books in this genre. The book provides an insight into the farcical lives of the Americans of those days who wanted to be independent of the British but ended up having the same attitude towards tradition.

AUTHOR: Nesrine Sleiman ILLUSTRATOR: Pixel Ink Studio GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: September 24, 2020 RATING: 2.75 stars. Lemar is an excited girl as she is going to get a pet for her birthday, which is on the next day. She finds a gem in her garden, and at night, goes to sleep, wondering if it is magical. So, is the gem really magical? Are all the creatures she sees real? The book is interesting enough to appeal to children but the end will leave them a bit unhappy as an important plot point isn't resolved at all. There are many animals introduced in the book and that's a good way of getting children to know about fauna. The illustrations were average, I didn't find them much appealing. Overall, a decent book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHOR: Elena Paige GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy. PUBLICATION DATE: September 19, 2019. RATING: 3.25 stars. I was quite excited when I was opting for this book as the title, the story and the Goodreads rating were all quite appealing. My feelings about the book were quite contradictory to the general opinion on Goodreads and hence I asked my 12 year old daughter (an advanced reader) to give her opinion on the book. Thus this feedback has two distinct parts. My daughter's opinion: She enjoyed the book to a great extent. She found the visuals of the book quite awesome such as the description of 66 Lilly Pilly and its magical inside. She also admired the fact that the author didn't resort to stereotypes while describing the magical creatures. The fairies, the elf, the goblin: none fitted the typical mould of these characters. What most resonated with her was the lesson that other than being selfish or selfless, there was a third possibility: self-care. She was disappointed at the e...

AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman SERIES: London Below, #1 GENRE: Urban Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: September 16, 1996 RATING: 4.75 stars. I never thought Neil Gaiman could surprise me any more. I never thought it possible to be a bigger fan of the man. I was totally wrong, and boy, am I glad about it! 🤩 What writing! What imagination! What a vocabulary! He floors you away with the fantastical phantasmagoria he creates in Neverwhere. The story, the plot progression, the atmosphere, the words, the characters....ooh, especially the characters! I could reread this book yet again just to relive the thrill of reading through Vandemar and Croup's interactions! They are among the best bad guys I've seen in fiction. My only crib was that I couldn't read as far as I usually do; every sentence in the first half has so many hidden nuances that I had to go slow and steady. But it really picks up pace in the second half and you end up on a high. Now let's hope the planned sequel about the Seven Si...

AUTHOR: Jean Lafille GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: April 26, 2020 RATING: 3.75 stars. A slightly different tale of how a young girl is depressed after moving to a new house. While her parents try the usual way of satisfying her with material gifts, what she really wants is something else. The book highlights the importance of sharing your feelings with your parents and why you must not keep anything bottled up. "Treat parents as your friends and they will definitely help you" is the clear message. It was a good story with colourful illustrations and can be independently read by children 5+. I received an Advance Review Copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHORS: Arthy Muthanna Singh & Mamta Nainy GENRE: Children's Nonfiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 1, 2019 RATING: 3.25 stars. The title of the book isn't exactly accurate. Not all the places mentioned are strange or mysterious. Some are just interesting. Pros: * Fabulous information about some really great unknown places of India. Anytime interested in history or fun facts will find a treasure trove of information in this book. Cons: * Pictures of the places would have been so helpful. The book contains only a couple of crude illustrations in every chapter. Considering the fact that this is a children's book, this problem is greater. Especially after the cover so cutely illustrates many of the places mentioned. * The content has no logical flow in many places. It looks like it has been haphazardly put together. Better organising and editing of the content was really required. Overall, a decent read if you are looking for knowledge. But not interesting enough for kids.

AUTHOR: Robert Roper GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: July 28, 2020. RATING: 3 stars. Considering this sensitive topic, I was more curious than my children to see how the idea of conception has been handled in the book. The story begins with a very curious child who loves nature and begins to wonder if baby humans come the same way as baby snakes and baby butterflies. Her mother is the one who answers her doubts about the origin of babies. Just in case parents are wondering the exact detail the book goes into, it skips the actual intercourse part ( Thankfully, because the topic would be too early to introduce for the target age group of this book. The book is meant for early/young readers ) and begins with love, cell division and life in the womb. It does end with a question about multiple babies so be ready to answer that ( and many more queries ) if you are reading this to your children. The way the topic of conception is explained is quite satisfactory. The enti...

AUTHOR: Caroline Watkins ILLUSTRATOR: Mark Tuchman GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: August 27, 2019 RATING: 4 stars. A really cute book, and not at all scary, this is something that would appeal to all children who are interested in funnily scary tales. There's no blood or gore in this book, so it would be quite wonderful for early readers. The illustrations are fabulous and would definitely appeal to those keen little eyes that look at the drawings in their books. Best of all, the book comes with a great lesson on how to solve problems constructively. A worthwhile investment. I received an advance review copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHOR: Charles Sheehan-Miles GENRE: Contemporary Mystery PUBLICATION DATE: June 4, 2019 RATING: 4.25 stars. Brenna goes missing on her 16th birthday. Left behind are her father Cole, her mother Erin and younger sibling Sam, each of whom is battling their own problems in the aftermath of that shocking incident. Cole loses his job, Erin starts looking at alcohol as a balm, and Sam wrestles with a deep identity crisis of being a girl trapped in a boy's body. Now after two years, there is finally some information. What happens next? Can the family recover from the trauma of the last two years? Will they reunite? In spite of being 430 pages long, the book goes by quickly. The author maintains the momentum for most part of the book so you don't feel the length of the read at all. Also, the story is told from multiple perspectives and that helps a lot to get an insight into the family members and their individual struggles. The story could easily have been a 5 star read for me for th...

AUTHOR: Jim DeFede GENRE: True Life Narrative PUBLICATION DATE: July 12, 2011. RATING: 4.25 stars. All of us are aware of what happened in the USA on 9/11/2001. Ever wondered what happened to all the other airplanes in the skies that morning? To the passengers in those flights? To the airports where landing spaces for such a huge number of aircraft had to be coordinated almost instantly? What must have played in the minds of all these people? This book provides a small peek into this unseen side of 9/11. The US government had closed its airspace to all domestic and international flights after the intent of the attacks became clear, and all flights en route to the country had to find the closest alternate landing spots outside the US. It's a testament to the air traffic controllers that not a single accident took place in this sudden, massive traffic rerouting up in the air. Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada, played host to 38 such airliners, totalling 6122 passen...

AUTHOR: Poornima Manco GENRE: Short Story Anthology SERIES: Around the World, #1 RATING: 3.75 stars. The title of this book doesn't leave you in any suspense about what to expect. You know that the book will have twelve stories from various countries. But the question is, how have the stories been handled? Here's the good news: What the title lacks in originality is more than made up for by the book. Almost all the stories in the book will leave you hooked. By their inherent nature, only a few of the stories are quick-paced. Yet the intrigue factor keeps you from slowing down. In some cases, the end of the story brings an unexpected twist that catches you unawares and leaves you shellshocked. I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection and would recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting mix of short tales. I received this free ARC from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts expressed above are of my own volition. Here are my reviews for the o...

AUTHOR: Mira Saraf GENRE: Short Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: March 1, 2020 RATING: 4.25 stars. Ever read an anthology where every story leaves you bewildered? No? Try this one. It's a unique experience where you like a story and are confused by it simultaneously. I've hardly ever been so muddled up about what to write in my review. I know I want to talk about the book but I don't know what to talk about it. I know I enjoyed the reading experience but the stories aren't "enjoyable". I kept debating with myself on whether I should review the book or skip it but here I am, writing about the book in an attempt to make sense of what I just read. A very short read comprising only 5 stories, "The Boundaries of Sanity" can be completed within an hour. But you won't complete it that soon because you'll feel the urge to reread a story just to cross-check if whatever you read was correctly interpreted by you. Four of the five stories left me simpl...

AUTHOR: L.M. Montgomery ADAPTER: Crystal S. Chan GENRE: Manga, Classic. PUBLICATION DATE: November 10, 2020 RATING: 3.75 stars. Most of us have read and loved the story of chirpy little Anne and her life with Marilla, Matthew, Diana and Gilbert in Green Gables. So when I saw that there is this manga version of the novel available, I grabbed at the opportunity. This manga adaptation is entirely faithful to the book. It doesn't tamper with the story nor does it skip out essential elements as many adaptations do. I really enjoyed reading this graphic version of the popular tale. Most of the illustrations are gorgeous. Anna and Diana especially have been drawn in a picture-perfect manner, exactly as they are represented in the book. However, I didn't like the way Matthew Cuthbert, my favourite character from the book, was drawn. I was sorely disappointed to see that the ARC had only BW illustrations. I am sure I would have enjoyed the book even more if I could see the comic as it i...

AUTHOR: Varadharajan Ramesh GENRE: Short Story Collection. PUBLICATION DATE: January 22, 2019 RATING: 4.5 stars. I've read three of VR's short stories, one on his blog and two in the Hive anthologies. Having loved all of these miniature marvels, I had huge expectations from this anthology. So... Were the expectations met? 🤔🤔 Let's try to answer this logically and unbiasedly: 🔸 The title tells you to expect tales with a "twist". 🔸 Every single story in the book has the mandatory twist. 🔸 None of the twists seem to have been inserted, or rather, forced in the story for the sake of it. 🔸 All the twists fit perfectly in the narrative flow and yet, come most unexpectedly. 🔸 Most of the twists are not guessable beforehand. Given this scenario, I can honestly declare: Yes, the expectations are met, and even surpassed! In fact, in some cases, the stories start sweetly enough and then, when the end draws near, Bammm! You get hit by the twist! It's like getting a...

AUTHOR: Garrett M. Graff GENRE: History, Nonfiction. PUBLICATION DATE: September 10, 2019 RATING: 5 stars. Today marks the completion of 19 years since that devastating day when we realised for the first time that planes could be flown into buildings without regard to the sanctity of life or the concept of humanity, that a hijack doesn't necessarily involve one plane or hostage/ransom crises, that no country in the world is safe from partisan extremists. I'm sure I don't need to tell you the details of the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks or their aftermath that continues to this day. It is one of those events in history that will always be remembered, the deadliest terrorist attack to date in terms of fatalities. We've heard of the multiple hijackings. We've seen the second plane fly into the South Tower, the two towers collapse into the huge dust cloud, the shattered section of the Pentagon's distinctive structure,... But can you try imagining what would ...

AUTHOR: Tina Sequeira GENRE: Short Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: June 1, 2020 RATING: 3.25 stars. Bhumi is an anthology of 16 stories revolving around the idea of the contemporary woman. Unlike what you'll assume when I say women's fiction, not all the stories have women as their protagonists, at least not in the traditional way. The book covers a whole gamut of female characters, from feminists to traditionalists, from the underprivileged to the elite, from the meek to the bitchy, from a child to an old lady. It's fun to guess what "slots" the woman from the next short story will fit into. There are a couple of stories with male leads too and I loved both of them for their uniqueness. The stories in the book evoke a range of feelings in you. Some of the narratives are sweet and heartwarming while others will make you cringe with their hard-hitting portrayal of reality. Amma, Stark Illusions, Third Time Lucky, Grey, First Lady, Fire and Ice, Pound of Flesh, a...

AUTHOR: Nikki Turner GENRE: Middle-grade Dystopian Fantasy. PUBLICATION DATE: May 21, 2020 RATING: 3.25 stars. The Vulture King is a dystopian fantasy thriller, having a eleven year old boy named Aram as its protagonist. Aram isn't an ordinary boy but a veldera, a magical being with special powers. But as he is orphaned at the age of 6 because of the vulture-like cechua birds of the Vulture King, he goes undercover and alone, moving from village to village to stay alive. In one such village he meets the brave human, Bayre, who changes the course of his life. There is also a brave little girl named Bina who plays an important part in the story. The Vulture King is quite thrilling and would be a good option for children interested in fantastical stories with novel creatures. The eponymous vulture king, as the villain, has an indirect role for most of the story. It is mainly Aram, Bina and Bayre who drive the narrative ahead. While it is quite a unique story to read for children, som...

AUTHOR: V.P. Evans GENRE: Short Story Collection. PUBLICATION DATE: February 14, 2019 RATING: 4.5 stars. Yet another anthology from Kindle Unlimited. This one is not an easy read. All the stories have proper endings, but not all have happy endings. The topics deal with brutal realities, so the stories aren't comfortable or light. They can leave a scar on your mind and pain in your heart. "Woman" is a very short book, just 69 pages long. It has five stories, named after each letter of the word WOMAN. But within these few pages lie topics so intense! W talks about genital mutilation and its detrimental effects on the physique and psyche of a woman. O deals with breast ironing to avoid attracting the male eyes. This story shocked me the most because I hadn't heard of breast ironing ever before. M is about a rape survivor and her mental trauma. A reveals a woman's standing up to marital bullying. N narrates a prostitute's attempt to gain freedom for her younger si...

AUTHOR: Jason G. Long GENRE: Short Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2020 RATING: 4.25 stars. Just look at the cover of this book! Who could resist? But that's not the reason I chose to read it. I've been a short story fan for many years now. I really enjoy how well-written short stories can create such an impact within a few pages. Additionally, the title and blurb stated that the stories in this book revolve around birthdays. There are forty stories in the book, each dealing with one birthday starting from age zero and each set in a different city/country. That novelty factor was intriguing enough for me to go for this book. So, does the book deliver on its potential? To a great extent, yes. The 40 stories vary in length, each requiring between 2 to 10 minutes for reading, and are mostly unrelated to each other. ( Except for 2 stories that have been connected inconspicuously. ) The plots give a quick glimpse into the life of the protagonist on his/her birthday a...

AUTHOR: Deepa Narayan GENRE: Nonfiction, Feminism PUBLICATION DATE: March 8, 2018 RATING: 2 stars. I wanted to like this book so much. I tried my best to. But sadly, I just couldn't. It just drags and drags after the first couple of chapters. I would have DNFed it were it not for the guilt factor to read it out of loyalty to my gender.  The writing style is more like a feminist rant. I am agree with many of the points given in the book but not all. A more grounded approach and a different writing style (less of the bluster and more of pragmatic action points) would have made this book so much better and impactful.  This is a case of good intention with bad execution.

AUTHOR: Leah Johnson GENRE: Young Adult Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: June 2, 2020 RATING: 2.75 stars. This was the August YA pick for Reese Witherspoon's YA Book Club. So I decided to give it a try as I was anyway in a mood to experiment with an unknown book. Unfortunately though, this was a really disappointing read. I'm still trying to figure out if the book itself is bad or whether my expectations soured my experience. Liz Lighty, a financially-struggling 17-year-old black girl who stays with her grandparents and younger brother, loses out on the scholarship to her dream college. To earn money, she decides to participate in the highly competitive school prom to win the title of Prom Queen and the financial prize that comes with it. Along the way, she accepts her sexual orientation more openly and falls in love with a fellow prom queen competitor. The book is about her journey to accepting herself without being worried of what others will say. What could have been a brilliant n...

AUTHOR: Deborah Ellis SERIES: The Breadwinner, #1-4 GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction RATING: 4 stars. Book 1: The Breadwinner introduces us to Parvana, a gutsy 13 year old living with her family under Talib-controlled Afghanistan. After her father is arrested without any reason, she decides to dress up as a boy in order to fend for her family. In the course of time, she discovers an ex-school friend, Shauzia, who has resorted to the same method to support her dreams of going to France and sitting in lavender fields. The book narrates the story of both these little girls and their bravery and struggle to be the breadwinner. - 4 stars. Book 2: Parvana's Journey focuses on Parvana's quest for her mother and the various children she meets on the way. This book is the most hard-hitting in terms of impact and some scenes can cause you bitter anguish. - 3.75 stars. Book 3: Mud City changes the narrative to Shauzia and talks of her life after Book 1. Do her dreams of going to France come...