Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Topher Payne GENRE: Children's Picture Book RATING: 5 stars. In my childhood, I had read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree and I remember having mixed feelings about it. I felt sorry for the tree who didn't get anything in return after doing so much for that ungrateful boy. Of course, you can look at the story as a fable of selfless love but as the years have passed, I have come to believe more and more that selfless love isn't possible without self-love. One must learn to set healthy boundaries even in close relationships if one has to stay mentally satisfied and not drained out. That's where this book comes in. The basic concept is the same as in the original book. But from a particular point , the story transitions into one where the tree speaks for itself and sets a clear limit. This, it does without being rude. it speaks to the boy (now man) in a firm way that one needs to have an empathetic relationship with fellow beings. If you ha...

Author: Clare O'Dea Genre: Historical Fiction, Feminism Rating: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A power-packed novella that delivers a lot of thought-provoking content within a few pages. Story: 1st February 1959. An ordinary Sunday almost everywhere. But for Switzerland, a day where the country’s future could be rewritten. This was the day Swiss men got to vote on whether Swiss women ought to get the right of suffrage. While the men were busy deciding the fate of this historic poll, what were the common Swiss women doing? We see this through the lives of four ordinary Swiss women: 👉 Vreni – A farmer’s hard-working wife who is due for a medical procedure but is worried to leave her work behind; 👉 Margrit – Vreni’s daughter who seems successful as an office worker in Bern but is battling a troublesome issue; 👉 Esther – A hospital cleaner who has singlehandedly faced financial and other troubles since many years and is desperate to reunite with her son; and 👉 Beatrice – The hospital a...

Author: Dusti Bowling Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez Genre: Middle-grade fiction Rating: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A wonderful adventure story for middle graders, though the parent in me wasn’t too happy with a few of the decisions taken by the three young protagonists. Story: Twelve year old Jolene loves watching the livestream videos of her online friend Addie as the latter flies her ultralight plane over the Arizona desert. Jolene finds Addie’s adventures a virtual escape from her personal issues as her mother battles an opioid addition. Addie, who is struggling to come back to normalcy after the death of her father a few months before, loves interacting with Jolene, her biggest fan and the one person always there to watch her live feed. During one such livestream, Addie’s plane engine stops and Addie crashes somewhere in the desert. The only witness to the accident is Jolene, whom no one is ready to believe. Will Jolene be able to save her virtual friend using the limited knowledge and ...

Author (Adaptor): Stacy King Original Author: Alexandre Dumas Illustrator: Nokman Poon Genre: Classic, Manga Rating: 4.25 stars. A rendition of the Alexandre Dumas novel in manga format. The book is faithful to the original story and as such, is just as complicated. If you found yourself lost in the multitude of characters that the 1844 classic contained, you will be stuck in the comic version too, even though it is much easier this time. Some sequences are written in proper detail but some are rushed through in just a few pages. For instance, Dantes’ escape from the prison and his finding of the treasure is barely covered. The author’s note at the end explains the creative calls taken about the inclusions or exclusions of various events from the classic. That helps us understand how difficult it must have been to take a 1000+ page tome and convert it to a 400 page manga without losing the original essence. The book is written like an actual manga, beginning from what is usually the la...

Author: Shalini Boland Genre: Domestic Thriller. Rating: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: I’ve never read this author’s works before but having heard so much about her, I somehow expected more. It’s a decent one-time read but I can’t call it a must-read. For a regular thriller reader, it will be highly predictable. Story: A WARNING FIRST: DON’T READ THE GOODREADS BLURB!!!!! Two couples – Niall and Beth Kildare (from Dorset, UK), and Renzo and Amber Mason (British expats now residing on the Amalfi Coast in Italy) decide to house swap for a vacation. (Don’t get me started on the idea of house swaps!) When the Kildares arrive in Italy, their vacation starts off decently but soon devolves into a nightmare. The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Amber and Beth, and a third mysterious character whose brief and random interludes add a level of creepiness to the narrative. Where the book worked for me: 👌 It went by pretty fast. I completed it within a day. (Not bad for a 240 page...

Author: Laura McVeigh Narrator: John Chancer Genre: Literary Fiction Rating: 4.75 stars. In a Nutshell: If you are looking for a book that will captivate you and at the same time, shatter your heart, this is the one. It is all things good and all things depressing. I hated it and yet I loved it. (Go figure!) Story: False River, Louisiana, 2012. Jim: A war veteran who is struggling with PTSD and unemployment. Miss Julie: An old widow who can’t move about much and spends her days talking to her long-dead husband. Lucy: A young librarian who has borne much loss early in life and still tries hard to make a difference in a disillusioned town. What is common to these disparate characters is a little nine-year old boy named Lenny. Jim’s son; Miss Julie’s neighbour and friend; Lucy’s young customer at the library. Lenny wants to help out all these people, and even their town of Roseville, which is facing a bleak future after a sinkhole threatens to destroy it. Will Lenny succeed in his mission...

Author: Stanlei Bellan Genre: Sci-fi Anthology Rating: 3.9 stars. An excellent anthology of ten stories set on the theme of time travel. Despite the common theme, each story stands out in its style and has something new to offer. You won’t find them getting repetitive. There's adventure, drama, comedy, tragedy, dystopian sci-fi and even one with philosophical undertones (which was, needless to say, my least favourite.) The author's note at the end explained his inspiration for each of the stories, and in some cases, the facts intermingled in the fiction. As the note was specific to each story, I would have liked it better if the note pertaining to a story came immediately after it in the book. This would have helped make a better connection between the intent and the content. The writing is very good for a debut work. Most of the stories go by at a brisk pace. As the book is just about 130 pages long, the stories are done within just a few pages and yet they leave a mark. Of th...

Author: Melissa Fu Genre: Chinese Cultural Fiction, Historical Fiction Rating: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: Outlier review alert! Call this either bad book timing or a mismatch of expectations. But after a particular point in the story, I just couldn’t concentrate. The story is impactful and the writing, lyrical. But it wasn’t on the same wavelength as I was. Story: The narration begins in 1938 in the Hunan province of China. Meilin is looking forward to a happy future with her husband Xiaowen and young son Renshu. But with the Japanese attack changing her fortunes, she is forced to escape with the help of her brother-in-law Longwei and his family. What follows is a tale of sorrow and courage, with Meilin trying her best to provide for Renshu the future she had dreamed of. The above forms the first one-third of the story. The rest of the story is divided between the US and China. Where the book worked for me: ❤ The characters in the initial segment, especially Meilin, are so well-carved t...

Author: Vinod Balan Genre: Sci-Fi Novella Rating: 2 stars. The storyline is decent. There was something that was intended as a surprise twist at the end. Unfortunately, I could guess it in the first chapter itself, so even that didn't work out for me. The author needs to work a lot on grammatical, stylistic and usage-based elements. A detailed feedback has been sent to him privately. I know that this author is talented in terms of creativity. I have read a horror anthology written by him and it was astounding in its imagination (though it too suffered from major grammatical problems.) This time though, neither the plot nor the writing methodology kept me invested. Thank you for sending me your book in exchange for an honest review, Vinod. Best wishes to your future endeavours.

AUTHOR: Terri Tatchell ILLUSTRATOR: Ivan Sulima SERIES: Endangered and Misunderstood Animals, #4 GENRE: Children's Picture Book RATING: 5 stars! Dang! I have fallen in love with this series!!! It is so informative and so cute!!! 😍 This time, we meet a little tarsier who sings a rather mournful song. His friends – a bear cuscus, a hornbill and a macaque – promise to teach him new happy songs, and they do. But that’s when Tarsier reveals the purpose of his song – he is waiting for his one true love. Awww! This is the fourth book in the “Endangered and Misunderstood“ series, and just like the first three books, this one delivers on every aspect. The book is written in beautiful rhythmic verse that works so wonderfully especially for a book about songs. The illustrations are outstanding. To top it, there are fun facts at the end about the animals who make an appearance in the story. There is also an illustration guide to draw the animals. This would be perfect for every little animal ...

Author: Ron Cooper Narrator: Charles Henderson Genre: Retelling Rating: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: Imaginative, for sure. Traditional believers will find it controversial as well. I read it as pure fiction and hence wasn’t bothered much by the content. The book works in some ways but doesn’t meet the standards that the blurb claims. Story: The story of Jesus, from his childhood to his initiation into preaching, the crucifixion and the resurrection, and finally the spread of his beliefs. All this is narrated through the point of view of his “twin brother” Thomas. The first person narrative is written when Thomas is eighty and wants the world to understand the enigma behind his famous twin. Though this can be called a biblical story, it is more a creative retelling than a faithful narration. Thus there is a lot of inventive filling in the blanks for explaining the miracles and even the resurrection. The basic idea in the book is that Jesus was a regular human being who intended to be a poli...

Author: Jeffrey Archer Series: Kane & Abel, #1 Genre: Historical Fiction, Family Saga Rating: 4.5 stars. Looking at an old book with modern lenses isn't easy. I have read this classic at least 4-5 times but more than fifteen years ago. This reread (which will probably be a final reread) took me down nostalgia lane. In many ways, I have grown as a reader so I could see all the flaws of the book standing out glaringly - the umpteen coincidences, the "Bollywood potboiler" kind of drama, the lack of attention to the daughters,... These elements haven't stood the test of time. At the same time, nothing can deny the magnitude of the historical, social and political coverage of the book. Nor can one ignore how wonderfully the story is built up in parallel between the two main characters, each of them getting the spotlight for an almost equal time. That ending is also perfect. I would have been disappointed if it had gone the more clichéd way. Kane and Abel are both grey ...

AUTHORS: Piotr & Józef Wilkoń GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: May 3, 2022 RATING: 3.5 stars. A somewhat different take on the biblical story of Noah’s ark. Originally written in German as “Die Arche Noah” by Polish father-son duo Jósef and Piotr Wilkoń, and published in 1992, this edition is the English translation. The story is faithful to the biblical version, except that it focusses more on earthly matters than spiritual. Thus it is not much religious at its core. Except for the basic storyline of Noah following God’s instructions to make an ark, everything else is about the animals and their reactions on the ark. There are some funny situations and some moralising lessons. It stresses on the attitude of gratitude than simply whining about whatever happens. Overall, the story was pretty good but it somehow left me wanting more. I don't know why it felt incomplete. The language is very simple and any beginner reader will easily be able to follow the stor...

Author: Ann Hunter Narrator: JoBe Cerny Genre: Children's Fiction, Retelling Rating: 3.75 stars. A different take on the children’s classic story of “Chicken Little”, with some divine and mythological influences. Rós, a little red chicken, is suddenly hit on the head with something small and round, something that looks like a golden acorn. She doesn’t quite figure out what it is. However, she understands that it is not anything ordinary because she has suddenly gained the ability to view creatures around her in colour. Rós is determined to find out what this magical thing is and return it to where it belongs, and sets out on an adventure with her white chicken friend. Though the story is supposed to be a retelling of “Chicken Little”, it has a lot of shades of The Lord of the Rings series. You have little Rós and her friend going on a dangerous quest to return the ring… oh sorry, the golden acorn… before it destroys the world. Then you have a reference to ENTs, who are trees just l...

Author: Fumi Furukawa Genre: Manga, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ+ Rating: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: An unusual story in manga format with anthropomorphic animals and forbidden feelings. Mind you, the story is cute but part of the content is R-rated. Story: The setting is a peaceful world divided in two camps, carnivores and herbivores. Each category sticks to their side of the city unless there’s a genuine need to go to the other. Yagi is a goat who loves books and dreams of working in a bookstore. Unfortunately, as a goat, he also loves to eat books, which is why no herbivore bookshop is willing to give him a job. In desperation, he tries his hand at the bookshop in the carnivore section. To his surprise, Ookami, the scary wolf bookstore manager, gives him a job willingly. Will Yagi be able to do justice to his new employment? Will he still eat books? Will he be in danger from the carnivores that surround him? Why did Ookami offer a job to a book-eating herbivore? Read and find out. The story ...

Author: Andy Zach Narrator: Luke Castle Genre: Children's Fiction Rating: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: You would think that a book about disabled superheroes would easily go in my “recommended” list, but no. This book needs to do a rethink on quite a lot of the content. Story: Twelve year old Jeremy Gentle has cerebral palsy and hence uses a wheelchair. He is also a tech whiz. While experimenting at home, he ends up getting a superpower. When he decides to repeat the experiment with his classmate and best friend Dan who has been blind since birth, Dan ends up getting a different superpower. The same process is repeated with two other disabled friends, Kayla and Aubrey. When the four friends realise how their new superpowers work wonderfully in tandem with each other, they decide to team up as superheroes and use their powers for the betterment of the world. In terms of intent? The book gets a few marks. In terms of execution, it fails miserably. If I had read this a couple of decades ag...

Author: Peng Shepherd Genre: Magical Realism Rating: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: When I finished reading this, I was on a book high. But as the day went by, I began to see a few logical loopholes in the plot. So as long as you don’t overanalyse this book, it can be one heck of an entertainer! Story: Nell Young has always been passionate about cartography. But after a very public spat with her illustrious father (who is also a respected cartographer), Nell’s career track has been a standstill. But now, after seven years of no contact with him, she learns that her father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, that too in his office at the New York Public Library. In his possession is the same map the two had had a fight over a mass-produced highway gas station map. Why is this ordinary map still with him? Did he die or was he killed? What is the secret behind the conspiracy that seems to be ballooning every day? The story comes to us mainly in a limited third person narrative...

Editor-Translator: Ranjita Biswas Authors: Various. Genre: Anthology, Indian Cultural Fiction. Rating: 2.75 stars. A collection of fourteen stories from Assamese women writers. Each of these stories was written in the 1990s. There were many reasons for me to opt for this book: 1. The North-East factor is the topmost reason. I have not read much from the North-Eastern region of our country and this seemed like a great option. 2. All stories are by female writers. 3. The stories are contemporary and not historical. It would have provided a great opportunity at reading modern regional literature. 4. The blurb made it sound very intriguing. Unfortunately for me, this didn’t turn out to be as per my expectations. As the writers are from Assam, I was hoping to find something quintessentially Assamese in the stories. After all, that's the biggest purpose of reading regional writers, isn't it? That they can show us a glimpse of the local flavour that is denied us in mainstream media an...

Editors: Rebel Girls Genre: Children's Nonfiction, Inspirational. Rating: 5 stars. Having read almost every single book published by the Rebel Girls team, I have run out of new things to say on their book reviews. But let me make one thing clear: this book is among their best releases so far, at least the top three if not the numero uno! This collection has inspirational stories of twenty-five female “climate warriors” from around the world. I hadn’t heard of anyone here except for Greta Thunberg, Wangari Maathai and Margaret Atwood. (Yup, I was surprised too to see that last name.) Each of these girls/women has attempted to make a difference in a world that seems to no longer care for nature. They are courageous and inspiring, both qualities being much needed in today’s apathetic ocean of humanity. I was especially happy to see Purnima Devi Barman being included in the line-up. The foreword by Cristina Mittermeier of SeaLegacy is wonderful. Towards the end of the book, there are s...

Author: Donna Tartt Narrator: David Pittu Genre: Literary Fiction Rating: 3.5 stars. Ah well! So that’s that! I read it. Phew! What I loved: • The story. • The title that indicates not just the painting in the story but also works as a metaphor for the lead character Theo, who seems to be stuck in place no matter how much he tries to fly. It works brilliantly for the story. • The emotions of the various lead characters who are so flawed and yet you can’t help connecting with them. Hobie was my favourite of the lot, but even Theo, with all his murky greys and Boris with his screwed-up Russian loyalties make a mark. ( Making a mark doesn’t necessarily mean you will like them. ) • The writing quality, except for the length of the scenes, was excellent. The author’s use of analogies and character musings worked very well. It’s a character-driven novel from start to end. • All the references to art. In my real life, I can’t make head or tail of paintings but I enjoyed reading the thoughts r...

Author: Byrd Nash Genre: Magical Realism, Mystery Rating: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: This started off excellently for me but began dipping around the midway mark. The finale left me disappointed. Nevertheless, it’s a unique story and deserves credit for its imaginative characters. Story: Three siblings, who have been in touch only virtually since a few years, meet up in their quaint hometown of Grimsby after their mother’s death. What makes this unlike any such situation is that their mother was a narcissistic woman who had made their lives miserable. Also, the trio aren’t ordinary individuals. Each of them is blessed with a special talent. Philippa Rowan, the eldest, can use her charisma to bewitch others into doing what she wants. Victoria is an empath who can glean emotions from others and even manipulate them. Liam can know the history of objects merely by touching them. Their reunion uncovers many secret revelations and begins a series of dark events. Will the siblings be able to esc...

AUTHOR: Vicky Weber ILLUSTRATOR: Svitlana Liuta GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: December 7, 2021 RATING: 3.25 stars. Three little children are dreaming in school about the gingersnap cookies their abuela is baking for Christmas. They can’t wait to reach home and devour those yummy cookies. But once home, they see that only crumbs are left – the cookies are gone! Who ate their cookies? Will the children discover the cookie thief? This is a very quick and easy story. Young readers will have fun following the three kids on their mission to follow to crumbs and solve the mystery of the missing cookies. There are a couple of animals to boost the cutesy factor. I wish the ending were different. The identity of the culprit will be fun for children to know, but the story can’t stop just there. It feels incomplete. The book is written in rhythmic prose. It works in some verses, but at other times, the rhymes seem forced. The illustrations are adorable and the best part of ...

Author: Rhea Ewing Illustrator: Rhea Ewing Genre: Graphic Novel, LGBTQ+ Rating: 4.75 stars. No matter how many compelling adjectives I use in my review, they will fall short to explain what an illuminative experience reading this book has been!! From the days when there were (supposedly) only two main genders – male and female – to today when gender is known to be not a binary concept but a spectrum, human thinking and acceptance of gender variations has come a long way. Unfortunately, we have an even longer path to journey ahead. In an age where there are so many gender-related terms coming up regularly – genderqueer, nonbinary, genderfluid, androgyne, cisgender, agender,… it is so easy to feel lost and confused, trying to understand who is what, who prefers what, what is what! This book won’t provide you with a dictionary of definitions but it will certainly help you understand concepts you never looked at or attempted to understand before. Because of its inherent structure, it provi...