Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Steve Moss GENRE: Micro Fiction Collection. PUBLICATION DATE: February 26, 1998 RATING: 4.25 stars. 151 stories, each exactly 55 words long. And yet, every story has a setting, a flow, memorable characters.  This is a really great book for someone looking to read the shortest of short stories: 55 fiction. Most of the stories are really fabulous, some even intriguing. I'm amazed how the authors could create a whole range of fiction within just 55 words.  Definitely a must-read when you are looking for a nice quick read.

AUTHOR: Ernest Cline SERIES: Ready Player One, #2 GENRE: Science Fiction, LitRPG PUBLICATION DATE: November 24, 2020. RATING: 3.75 stars. I've been ready for Ready Player Two ever since I completed the first book . After a long wait, the day has finally arrived! Wade Watts, the winner of the Three Keys challenge, has been the top honcho of OASIS for three years now, along with the rest of his 'High Five' teammates. Things are not quite the same among them, but all it takes is the rise of a new, omnipotent, omniscient enemy to bring them all back together into 'gunter' mode yet again. The story is mostly grim and bleak as Cline seeks to warn against the dangers of AI. Ready Player One had already impressed me with Ernest Cline's creativity and knowledge and this book further seals the deal. Gosh! He is a geek to the core! And I mean that as a huge compliment. What a unique way of incorporating pop culture into books! It's like a nerd-fest all through. Just as...

AUTHOR: Laura Gia West GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: June 24, 2020 RATING: 2 stars. A decently cute Christmas book for really young children.  The idea is good but the implementation is shoddy. I tried my best to see it as the right book to create Christmas Spirit in my heart. But honestly, all it created in me was irritation at the Gingerbread man's character.  Also, the line "you can eat me now" was too much!  I didn't care much for the rhymes too because they seemed forced in some instances. The natural rhythmic flow that is necessary in children's rhymes is missing.  There's no moral in the book, just in case you were looking for one. The illustrations are average. They could have been much better on some pages where they just seemed like random copy-pasted images thrown on a page. So yes, mainly for 2-4 year olds. I received an advance review copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHOR: Gene Luen Yang ILLUSTRATOR: Lark Pien GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: September 5, 2006 RATING: 1 star. Three storylines that do come together neatly at the end. And yet, the depiction in one of the storylines seemed so racist! I tried hard to look at the broader picture but couldn't find any reason to justify such a horrid depiction of the Chinese character.  Didn't leave any positive impact on me. I was hoping for a more personal narrative; this was just a comic tragedy (or tragic comedy?) of epic proportions.

AUTHOR: Kao Kalia Yang ILLUSTRATOR: Billy Thao GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: April 13, 2021 RATING: 5 stars. Children are the fastest of adapters to change and the bravest under adverse circumstances. No other book exemplifies this fact so beautifully as much as Yang Warriors does. Yang Warriors narrates one incident in the life of a group of young refugee children in the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand. The children are of the Hmong background, and in the camp after their escape from the persecution in Laos. Led by ten year old Master Me, the children train daily for whenever time needs them to be brave. And soon, the day comes when they need to take a difficult decision. Based on an actual experience from author Kao Kalia Yang's childhood, Yang Warriors goes to inspire bravery and hope in the hearts of the readers. Great children's fiction always offers valuable lessons that even adults can do well to imbibe. This is one such book. I can't end th...

AUTHOR: Leslie Tall Manning GENRE: Historical Fantasy. PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2017 RATING: 4.25 stars. What a weird, wacky, wonderful book! Usually when you call a book weird or wacky, it would be taken as a criticism. But I'm sure the author would agree with me that in this case, it is more of a compliment. 😁 Every wonder what happened to all those ladies whose lifestyles drastically changed during the war? They entered factories, supported their country and their men, and after the war, were forced to return to their earlier lives where they had to step into the role of being a Stepford wife again. No doubt some of them would have broken under the pressure. Maggie, the eponymous lead character of this book, is one of them. The book starts off routinely but soon detours into a different world altogether. There is a perfect medley of real life and the dreamscape, which gets more and more bizarre with every subsequent chapter. The plot twist at the end is fabulous. I couldn...

AUTHOR: Bram Stoker GENRE: Horror PUBLICATION DATE: May 26, 1897 RATING: 4.25 stars. Never ever expected that this would be among the books I read. I have a phobia against vampire stories. But this was a must because it is a classic, and the audio version did help a lot.  Thoroughly enjoyed the book, though like some other reviewers said, its mood changes suddenly at around 25%. Stick with it and the whole narrative gets back on track soon after.  Of course, it would have been far scarier to me if I had read it in my younger years, but as of now, I'm just happy I read it! :D

AUTHOR: Margery Williams Bianco GENRE: Children's Classic. PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1922 RATING: 5 stars. This wasn't really in my TBR list. I happened to find it while looking for another book, but had to add it immediately because of my love for Chandler from FRIENDS! 😁 This is a must-read. No wonder Chandler said it was his favourite childhood book. It evokes so many feelings in you!

AUTHOR: Edward Brooke-Hitching GENRE: Nonfiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2020 RATING: 3 stars. As the tagline of this book suggests, it is a collection of "the Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History." The book contains many interesting historical tidbits about strange, curiousity-inducing books from the past. While the collection covered is staggering, the information is presented in a very dry manner. I felt like I was reading a documentary rather than reading an captivating ode to the books of the past. The photographs are vast in range and do absolute justice to the book. After a few chapters, I just began flipping through the photographs as I couldn't maintain interest in the writing style. This will be a fabulous book no doubt for those who like to read encyclopaedic tomes but they aren't my cup of tea and I was expecting something else from this ARC. Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing this ARC.

AUTHOR: JFAM Johnson GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: November 24, 2020 RATING: 2.5 stars. JFAM Johnson is the collective name of the 8 siblings who have written this book. They range in age from 4 to 13 years old. So I think I need to be a bit lenient in my rating here. The entire book is shorter than its summary on Goodreads. It is written in poetic style, with a nod to hiphop and the hair textures of the usual artists involved in this style. The book is too specific in its content and target audience. I had assumed that it would go beyond the title; it doesn't. On the plus side though, it will connect with its target audience to a great extent. I loved one of the lines from the book: "My hair defies gravity but I'm more than just my hair!" I received an advance review copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHOR: Stephen G. Bowling ILLUSTRATOR: Vitali Dudarenka GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: December 8, 2019 RATING: 4.5 stars. Calvin, a little Christmas tree, isn't chosen by anyone. but somehow, circumstances change and he soon fulfils his destiny. The story is really sweet. You have a whole variety of tree characters. In a way, it is analogous to a small child being picked on at school until he/she discovers that what lies inside is more important than size. This is a really cute Christmas story and something the children will surely enjoy. I am actually against real Christmas trees being cut every year and then thrown into the woodchipper after the festive season. So I was a bit apprehensive about this book as I didn't want anything that encourages tree cutting. But to my pleasant surprise, the book does two things right: 1. It does not mention the trees being chopped. Rather, it shows the tree's root balls being packed with earth in a burlap sack. ( ...

AUTHOR: Lis Anna-Langston GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: October 20, 2020 RATING: 3.75 stars. Dexter is an eleven year old boy whose family is left without an anchor after the passing of his mother. His father doesn't seem to understand his needs and it is upto his eight year old brother Dougal and best friend Fiona to offer him companionship and sympathy. Until one fine Christmas season, when he discovers something that turns his life upside down. Gobbledy is a really good middle grade fiction book. The storyline progresses very quickly and the action keeps you turning the pages with interest. In a single story, you have joy, grief, friendship, family, adventure, danger,... Enough to keep its target reader interested. The characters too will definitely appeal to children. The eponymous Gobbledy especially will be a favourite. I really loved the character of Fiona, a brilliant character who doesn't fit into the typical stock female characters of children's fi...

AUTHOR: Jodi Picoult GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 11, 2016 RATING: 4.5 stars. Writing a book dealing with racism is never easy. But to write about the ones being discriminated against while you yourself belong to the privileged class of society takes an extra effort and talent. And one of the few writers whom I trust to do justice to this difficult task is Jodi Picoult. "Small Great Things" deals with a complicated enough premise. A newborn dies under the charge of the substitute nurse. The nurse is blamed for negligence of duty. Is she really to be blamed? Simple and straightforward question. Now add to this scenario the murky complications: - The baby was born with a minor heart problem, but was that a coincidence or a contributing factor to his death? - The father of the baby is a white supremacist, but he is a loving father too willing to do anything for his child. Should he be blamed for his racist stance that indirectly caused many unexpected ou...

AUTHOR: Zidrou TRANSLATOR: Jeremy Melloul GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: December 29, 2020 RATING: 4.5 stars. Gabriel is a 75 year old man stuck in his habits. His life turns upside down when his son and daughter-in-law adopt a child from earthquake-affected Peru. Slowly, the little girl works her way into Gabriel's heart and he is just beginning to enjoy the privilege of being a grandfather when suddenly, an unexpected twist changes the circumstances for everyone involved. Up until the twist, I absolutely adored the story. The humour is so nicely balanced with emotional moments that many times, I had happy tears in my eyes. After the twist however, the story becomes a lot more serious. Thw twist itself is unforeseeable so you are as confused as Gabriel by all that ensues. The story is bittersweet and will leave you with many thoughts. The translation seems to be spot on and the illustrations are really fabulous. They add wonderfully to the charm of the story. Overall, it i...

AUTHOR: Catana Chetwynd GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: February 2, 2021 RATING: 4.5 stars. Catana Chetwynd's comics are always the cutest and sweetest. I love her artwork and sense of humour. Her work always connects straight to the heart.  This little collection is exactly as the title suggests: life about love and life in pajamas.Almost every comic is "Awww-inducing". Loved it to bits!!! I received an advance review copy of the book from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHOR: Catherine Ryan Hyde GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: December 1, 2020 RATING: 4.25 stars. Catherine Ryan Hyde is an author who knows how to write about interpersonal relationships. And she shows that optimally in this book. The eponymous Anton is an 18 year old when the story begins. He is going through an extremely traumatic period with three intense personal losses within a year and apathetic parents to boot. He happens to chance upon 33 year old Edith who is caught in an abusive marriage. With an instant connection between the two, he decides to help her escape her marital hell. In the process, he discovers his own suppressed mental struggles and begins the healing process. Fifteen years later, Edith is back in Anton's life through another chance encounter. What does destiny have in store for them both this time around? The book spans a period of 55 years and in that long duration, we get to see some really strong characters. Other than Anton and Edith, Mari...

EDITOR & TRANSLATOR: Bhaskar Chattopadhyay NARRATOR: Sumit Kaul GENRE: Anthology PUBLICATION DATE: February 1, 2014 RATING: 4.5 stars. A fabulous collection of Indian regional short stories from masters such as Tagore, Premchand and many more such stalwarts. There are two stories from Satyajit Ray himself. Quite a few haven't aged well, so you will see signs of misogyny and chauvinism in abundance. But don't let this cloud your experience. Most of the stories are fascinating and give a great glimpse into human character and the interplay of fate and intent. It is no wonder that Satyajit Ray used these stories as the foundation for his movies. The translation is wonderful. Go for it. The narrator of the audiobook is superb. His dramatisation and use of voices is absolutely wonderful. But he makes a few errors in pronouncing words. I hope he works on the right pronunciation because he is absolutely perfect in all other departments of narration.

AUTHOR: Daniela Sacerdoti GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 16, 2020 RATING: 3 stars Note: This review contains spoilers. 'The Lost Village' terms the story of Luce, who has always known only one family member in her life: her mother Angelina. As a middle-aged woman with an estranged husband and a son off to college, Luce is suddenly a free bird to dig deep for the roots of her family in Italy. During her stay there, a devastating earthquake occurs, leading to much more than buildings and old secrets toppling down. Sacercoti's portrayal of Italy is so charming that you start visualising the scenery before your eyes and experience a longing in your heart to explore the Italian village. The other fabulous description in the book greetings to the earthquake. The vividity with which she portrays the devastations and the after-effects of the disaster are bone-chilling. However, the most important part of any book is the story and its unfolding. This is where ...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Jessica Williams GENRE: Children's Picture Book, Retelling PUBLICATION DATE: June 23, 2020 RATING: 4.25 stars. This is basically the story of Sleeping Beauty with a twist. But oh! What a twist!!! Niamh the princess is unlike what you have seen in any traditional fairy tale. She is an inventor and loves to read books too. As we know, she is cursed to prick her finger on a spindle on the day she turns fifteen. She does end up pricking her finger and the mandatory prince does arrive to rescue her. But what happens next? Discover by reading this lovely little book. Pros: - Fabulous take on the traditional princess tale by making the lead female an independent thinking character. - The illustrations don’t stick to the traditional white-skinned beauty. I loved the way the characters are drawn. They are all more relatable. Cons: - I wish the new take would have had some new spin on the “prick her finger on a spindle” idea. Most children today don’t even know what...

AUTHORS: Sunil Agarwal & Ian Baker GENRE: Humour PUBLICATION DATE: May 12, 2020 RATING: 2.5 stars. Just grabbed this ARC for some much needed laughs. I should have picked up a children’s storybook instead. This collection is just light humour, satirical in some cases. The cartoons are funny but most would induce only a smile. Just a few of the gags are actually LOL rib-tickling.  Unlike what the title says, only about half of the toons are related to the pandemic and/or the lockdown. This isn’t a flaw of course; the variety of topics brings a nice spice to what would otherwise have been a repetitive theme. The book doesn’t take much of your time and is a super-quick read. I received an advance review copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHORS: Various GENRE: Sci-fi Anthology PUBLICATION DATE: November 1, 2020 RATING: 4.5 stars. The description of this book on NetGalley says: "This book gathers twenty-one authors who have brought new focus to fairy tales by combining two well known stories with a literary genre of their choice." When you read this, your mind starts expecting a Neil Gaiman-esque fictional + fantastical bonanza. And the book does deliver to a great extent. The fairy tales used for this anthology range from the popular ones such as Beauty and the Beast, The Pied Piper and Little Red Riding Hood to totally unheard ones ( unheard at least by me! 🤭) such as The Arthurian Cycle and The Caliph Stork. But whether I was aware of the original fairy tale or not didn't affect my comprehension, nor did it impair my enjoyment. Unlike what you would assume, not every tale here is a fantasy fairy world retelling. You have a wonderful mix of science fiction, dark fantasy, humour, horror, steampunk, cy...

AUTHOR: Satya Vyas GENRE: Hindi fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 19, 2018 RATING: 4.5 stars. (No English translation available yet.) One of the biggest changes in my reading habits courtesy my Facebook reading group has been my foray into Hindi literature. Of course, I'm yet to achieve the reading fluency required to devour Hindi books. So I'm entirely reliant on audio versions for now. But this is a much better way to attempt Hindi literature rather than relying on poor English translations. My best experience so far, and also the most traumatic one, has been the "reading" of Chaurasi. Thanks to the frequent recommendations of my avid Hindi-reading friends, I knew this book would be interesting. But it was far beyond my expectations! The best Hindi book I've read so far! (Yeah, that's not saying much! 🤭🤭) Here's what you need to know about Chaurasi: - Go into it knowing what to expect. The Goodreads summary of the book makes it sound like it is the tal...

AUTHOR: Richard Happer GENRE: Nonfiction, Photography, Travel PUBLICATION DATE: October 8, 2015 RATING: 4.5 stars. There are so many places that humans have settled, thrived in, and then abruptly departed from. What brought people to that place? What was life like for them? Why did they leave? The book seeks to answer these questions with stunning photographs of 60 such abandoned places from all over the globe and detailed historical information about each of them.  It is a delight for every history/anthropology lover.

AUTHOR: Tejaswi Priyadarshi GENRE: Crime Thriller PUBLICATION DATE: July 14, 2020 RATING: 2.5 stars. As the title indicates, there are three main characters in this book: a Psychopath, a Cannibal, and a Lover.  A major chunk of the book, about 70%, is dedicated to the psychopath, a serial killer who avenges any major or minor wrong done to him by resorting to gruesome murder. Along the way, his path intersects with the cannibal and the lover. I won't reveal too much of the story as I don't want to leak any spoilers. But the psychopath's part of the story is the most interesting, especially his life in the hostel.  I did enjoy the cannibal's plotline too, especially her back story which is fantabulous. ( Yup, the cannibal is a female character! ) But I don't think she can really be called a cannibal in the strictest sense of the word. Readers looking for a hardcore cannibalistic story will end up disappointed. Also, there was too little of her in the book. Ye dil maa...

AUTHOR: Peace Adzo Medie GENRE: African Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2020 RATING: 3 stars. Afi is a young seamstress whose tough life is suddenly upended by a marriage proposal brought for her by her mother's employer. This wealthy lady wants Afi to marry her son Elikem, who is in love with some Liberian woman, whom the family doesn't approve of, though he even has a child with her and wants to be with her. While forced into marriage because of her circumstances, Afi soon finds herself drawn to the wealthy and convenient lifestyle. She uses her circumstances to advance in her studies and career but soon decides that she wants it all, that she can't share her husband with another woman. It is so tough to rate a novel by virtue of its writing alone when you simply didn't like the main character. The first couple of chapters reveal Afi as a vulnerable, uncertain young woman whose life seems to be no longer in her control. But soon, she reveals hersel...

AUTHOR: Linda Sue Park GENRE: YA Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 15, 2010 RATING: 4.75 stars. 1985. A little eleven year old boy, Salva, ends up separating from his family because of the Sudanese war. 2008. A little eleven year old girl, Nya, ends up unable to enjoy her childhood or go to school because the task of fetching water for her family everyday is hers. Two different time periods. Two different struggles. But two equally challenging young lives. Through the dual narrative from the points of view of Salva and Nya, we get a glimpse into the troubles of the Sudanese children. Salva is one of the "Lost Boys", the name given to a group of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups. These boys were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Some of the events mentioned are unbelievably horrid but, as the tagline reminds us, the book is based on a true story. Salva Dut is not a fictional character. The author, Linda Sue Park, is a Ko...

AUTHOR: Beth O'Leary NARRATORS: Daisy Edgar-Jones & Alison Steadman GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: April 16, 2020 RATING: 4.25 stars. The duty of every chick-lit novel is to create happiness in the mind and generate a smile on the face. This book does both successfully. I'm not an avid reader of this genre so if a book leaves me smiling, you can bet that it has something different. Eileen is a 79 year old grandmother who is tired of her routine life and craves excitement. She also wants a second chance at love and won't shy away from using dating apps to get a partner. But in the village, dating for the 70+ results in slim pickings. Leena, her granddaughter, is still coping with PTSD after the untimely death of her sister. She is forced to go on a sabbatical by her workplace but isn't used to living life in the slow lane. That's when the twain decide to switch places. Eileen will move to the city and Leena will move to the village. A perfect solut...