Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Sumayya Usmani GENRE: Memoir, Cookbook. RATING: 4.25 Stars. In a Nutshell: A beautiful homage to childhood influences on our cooking, written in the form of a memoir cum cookbook. Contains plenty of visibly-yummy Pakistani recipes. “Sumayya Usmani is an internationally published food writer, author and cookery teacher, who is recognised by BBC Good Food as the UK’s ‘go-to’ expert for Pakistani cuisine.” Thus says the author’s bio on Goodreads.  But I hadn’t heard of her at all! If you scan through my bookshelves, whether actual (at home) or virtual (on Goodreads), you won’t find any cookbook. The reason is that I don’t like cooking. I cook to live, and not live to cook. I haven’t killed anyone yet with my attempts in the kitchen (and my kids love my cooking – Phew!), but I am not the kind to search for new recipes and experiment with cuisines in my kitchen. As such, I was always a hundred per cent sure that I would *never* read & review a cookery book. Why this change of

AUTHOR: Robert Dugoni GENRE: Legal Thriller RATING: 4.5 Stars. In a Nutshell: A fast-paced and entertaining legal thriller with great characters. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Story Synopsis: Keera Duggan was an up-and-coming prosecutor until her romantic relationship with a colleague Miller Ambrose ended badly. Now she is forced to work in her family’s criminal defense law firm, which itself is struggling after her father’s repeated alcohol-induced misbehaviour. For Keera, who has always been an overachiever and a chess prodigy, this is a big comedown. When wealthy businessman Vince LaRussa, who is arrested on the charge of murdering his wife, approached Duggan’s firm to represent him, Keera knows that this is the chance to get everything – career, family, business – back on track. But there are many challenges as well, not least of which being that the prosecutor handling the case for the state is Ambrose himself. As Keera handles the defense side while navigating through some tricky leads,

AUTHOR: Helen Power NARRATOR: Rachel Fulginiti GENRE: Mystery-Drama, Paranormal. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: I didn’t expect paranormal elements to be a part of this ‘mystery-thriller’. But despite some scenes that were a tad too spooky for this scaredy-cat, I enjoyed the book. Entertaining, though somewhat slow. Better enjoyed without overanalysing. Story Synopsis: Rachel Drake, who is hiding from someone, has not stepped out of her apartment in the two years she has lived in Thorwald Place, a doorman building for those who can afford it. When Rachel gets a phone call one night, she knows that she has been found and decides to run away. She gets murdered in the lift while on her way to the garage. Now Rachel’s ghost is stuck in Thorwald Place, tied to the lift. Her reach is limited to the apartments near the elevator. As she gets a glimpse of the residents of the building, she realises that all of them have some dark secret. Could any of them have been her killer? Or was it the pe

AUTHOR: Szilvia Molnar GENRE: Literary Fiction. RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: An unfiltered look at new motherhood and post-partum depression. Loved the theme, but not the writing structure. Won’t recommend it to anyone who wants to experience motherhood some day – this book might turn you off the idea for life! Written from the first person point of view of an unnamed narrator, the book gives us a glimpse of this new mother’s ponderings and desire for normalcy. Her narration broadly covers three topics: her life with her husband John before motherhood; her current state of mind struggling with being a new mother to her baby (nicknamed “Button”) and suffering from Post-Partum Depression (PPD); and her introspections over various topics such as her work as a translator or her Google searches. As you can see, I have skipped my usual ‘Story Synopsis’ section in this review. The reason for that is simple: there’s no story in the book! It feels like one endless stream-of-consciousness mon

AUTHOR: Leah Henderson ILLUSTRATOR: Magaly Morales GENRE: Children's Picture Book. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A nice story with a vital message. A retelling of an old animal fable, the book tells us about a little hummingbird whose forest home is on fire. All the other animals are fleeing from the blaze. When the little bird approaches them for help, they respond that the flames are too strong for them to do anything. But the hummingbird remembers how much the forest gave to her. Can it simply abandon its home? Most of the book proceeds as expected. The other animals give up even before attempting to save the forest; they are more concerned with saving themselves. The hummingbird, though little, is the only one to take action against a problem. Towards the end, when the tired little bird declares, ‘I am doing all I can”, it is a wake-up call for the rest of the forest denizens. The story might be typical, but here’s where the book elevates the experience: 🐦 The vocabulary of

AUTHOR: Marni Fogelson CONTRIBUTOR: Mahani Teave ILLUSTRATOR: Marta Álvarez Miguéns GENRE: Children's Picture Book. RATING: 5 Stars. In a Nutshell: An amazing story that talks of love for music, love for homeland, and love for nature. This is based on the true story of award-winning pianist and environmental activist Mahani Teave, and her efforts in saving her place of origin, Rapa Nui (which is more popularly known as Easter Island), from natural destruction. Mahani grew up with a love for music, but she knew only the music of her people. When a retired piano teacher visited Rapa Nui, Mahani discovered her talent for the piano. She knew she had to leave her beloved island behind is she had to pursue her musical dreams as there was no piano on the entire island after the teacher left. Soon, Mahani toured the world as an acclaimed classical pianist. But a visit to her Rapa Nui showed a new struggle: the tiny island was being overburdened with trash left by tourists. Thus Mahani comb

AUTHOR: Lene Fogelberg NARRATOR: Austenne Grey PART OF SERIES: The NI Revolution Trilogy, #1 GENRE: Young Adult Thriller, Magical Realism. RATING: 3.6 Stars. In a Nutshell: This contains all the features I hate about the YA genre, and I still enjoyed it to quite an extent! All credit to the innovative storyline. First of a series, and hence the ending is ‘To Be Continued’. Expect magical realism, not fantasy. Story Synopsis: A year ago, sisters Flora and Fauna were near a tree when it was struck by lightning. Now fourteen-year-old Fauna is in a vegetative state, and seventeen-year-old Flora is trying her best to fit in a world that views her as ‘that girl’. When Flora discovers a body in her yard the day after her junior year at high school ended, she doesn’t know that it is just the first of a bizarre series of deaths. Police are sure that the foster boy next door, Carl, who is also Flora’s friend, is involved in the crimes. Soon, Flora learns a weird secret, and it is up to her to c

AUTHOR: Kelly Link GENRE: Fairy Tale Retelling, Anthology. RATING: 2.4 Stars. In a Nutshell: Too bizarre for my liking. For a collection of fairy tale retellings, there isn’t enough fairy tale content in any story. Might work for those who enjoy speculative fiction that’s on the weirder side of the logical spectrum. This collection contains seven stories, though most of them are way too long to be considered ‘short’ stories. They touch the bottom range of novella-length fiction. The seven tales are all retellings of classic fairy tales or lore, the name of the original being mentioned under the title of each story herein. Most of the retellings are set in the contemporary world, and have characters that could have been memorable had they been written differently. That said, the characters are diverse, and their personality ranges from vulnerable to manipulative, one plus point of the book. For a change, I knew every single one of the original tales, and this increased my excitement at

AUTHOR: Sarah Penner GENRE: Historical Mystery RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: Great concept, average execution. Entertaining if you can keep your logic aside. Story Synopsis: Paris, 1873. Renowned spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire has been training her new understudy, Lenna Wickes, in the art of conducting séances. Vaudenline’s speciality is that she conjures up spirits of murder victims so that their killers can be identified. Lenna had come to Paris on her own secret agenda – she wants to conduct a séance back in London for her younger sister Evie, who was recently found dead. Though Lenna is sceptical about the occult, she can think of no other way to find out what happened. When Vaudeline is summoned to London to solve the murder of the chairman of The London Séance Society, both the women realise too late that the situation is more dangerous than they had assumed. The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of Lenna, and the first person perspective of Mr. Morley

AUTHOR: Laura Spence-Ash NARRATOR: Ell Potter GENRE: Historical Coming-of-Age Drama. RATING: 3.75 Stars In a Nutshell: A drama spanning a couple of decades, focussing on two families on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, with one woman who is common to both of them. Unlike what the blurb says, this isn’t a romantic story, with romance being a minor track. Better suited to those who enjoy character-oriented fiction. Story Synopsis: When the German bombs start falling over London in 1940, Reginald Thompson decides to send his eleven-year-old daughter Beatrix to an American family in Maine, much against the wishes of his wife Millie. Uncertain of what awaits her in America, Beatrix arrives at the Gregory’s place, where Ethan, Nancy, William and Gerald Gregory are curiously awaiting their little British guest. Their open nature and different lifestyle soon melts away Beatrix’s reservations and she begins enjoying her life in the US. But they all know that this is only until the end of the

AUTHOR: Krystle Zara Appiah GENRE: Relationship Drama RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: Supposed to be a story about a ‘British-Ghanaian marriage in crisis’. Turned out to be a story about two self-centered individuals who don’t know what marriage or parenthood means. Shallow unlikeable characters and jumpy plot development make this a ‘rootless’ novel, struggling to discover where it belongs. This is an outlier review. Story Synopsis: Sam, a UK native of Ghanaian origin, is the ideal student: sincere, focussed on becoming a lawyer. Efe, newly arrived from Ghana and staying with her aunt in the UK, wants to study art history but her conservative family wishes for her to choose something more secure. After many years of friendship, Sam and Efe gravitate towards each other and then towards marriage. But when it comes to beginning a family, their thinking doesn’t match. When Sam arrives home one day to find that Efe has run away to Ghana, the two of them need to decide if their marriage is

AUTHOR: Neil Clark GENRE: Children's Picture Book. RATING: 4 Stars. In a Nutshell: A cute though farfetched story about a little snail with big dreams. Walter is no Turbo the speed-racing snail from the Dreamworks movie, but he still is a wonder snail in his dreams and his determination. He is fed up of his life amid the leaves and wonders if he should explore more. The other snails dissuade him with their constant refrain of “But that’s not what snails do!” Walter, however, knows what is best for himself and sets out of a journey into the unknown. With the help of some animal friends, he soon discovers that the world is indeed much more than leaves. If you notice the cover page of the book, you will see a tagline that declares, “Be brave, be curious, be Walter!” That covers the essence of the book. Walter explored the unseen terrain with bravery. Walter knows that there’s always something more to explore and one needn’t settle for what people tell you is enough. But most important

AUTHOR: Joseph Coelho GENRE: Children's Fiction. RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A beautiful, somewhat bittersweet story about how a bird connects a young boy and an old man. Miles, who is a spirited young fellow, loves climbing trees and running around with his friend Chris. They always end up antagonising old Mr. Buxton, who is constantly yelling at them to get off the trees. When Chris goes on vacation and Miles is wandering about alone on the estate grounds, he finds a lost budgie. Miles lovingly brings it back home, where his mum and his four-year-old sister Mary help him take care of the bird. There are some happy moments with the new pet before tragedy strikes. The story is written in the first person perspective of Miles. What you should know about this book: 🐤 This is a chapter book for early readers. Ideal for ages 5+. 🐤 It has about 3-5 paragraphs per page, with the font size being big and clear and easy on the eyes. 🐤 There are many colourful, quirky illustrations

AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR: James Warwood GENRE: Children's Nonfiction, Humour RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: Will work nicely for little dinophiles. The latest in the Truth or Poop series, this book contains 50 “facts” about dinosaurs. It is up to you to decide whether the fact is ‘truth’ or ‘poop’. Once you have your answer ready, turn the page to discover if you got it right. Each dino fact is accompanied by an illustration sketched by the author himself. These are quite funny! The answer page provides not just the answer but also a detailed explanation, which is written in a humorous rather than boring way. What I like is how the author manages to make the factual details conversational rather than encyclopaedic, thereby making the whole experience a relaxed and interesting leaning time. I’ve read all the Truth or Poop books so far (my kids are big fans of this series), but let me confess, this title was my least favourite one. The reason for that is quite simple: I am not a dinosaur

AUTHOR: Charly Froh ILLUSTRATOR: Zuzana Svobodova GENRE: Children's Picture Book. RATING: 4.25 stars. A sweet story of an unlikely friendship. Dan the Dragon stays on Cloud City, and Fran the Unicorn lives in Sparkle Land. They’ve never met. In fact, they don’t even know about each other’s existence. Both thought that their life was perfect as is. One day, when a blizzard strikes the Emerald Kingdom, both Dan and Fran are carried away by the wintry gusts and find themselves stranded far from home. At the place they’ve landed, there’s no one else. Each regards the other with curiosity and wariness. Each thinks that they can rescue themselves on their own. But soon they realise that they can work better when they work together. This is a really cute story. Kids anyway love magical creatures such as unicorns and dragons, so the book scores a winner by getting both of these in a single title. The friendship between Dan and Fran is balanced, with both helping each other and learning fr

AUTHOR: Louise Swanson NARRATOR: Sophie Bentinck GENRE: Dystopian Fiction. RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: Cant reveal much without spoiling the story, so you’ll get just a cryptic clue: it’s dystopian, but it’s not dystopian. Intelligent writing, innovative plotline, impactful characters. Definitely worth a read, even if you aren’t a fan of the dystopian genre. Story Synopsis: November 2035. Fiction has been banned since 5 years, and fiction authors have been asked to stay isolated and under the radar. Fifty-two-year-old Fern Dalrymple is one such ex-fiction-author who currently works as a cleaner at minimum wage. But Fern is no pushover, and she doesn’t want to extinguish her love of writing. So she has found a creative way of going against the ban: she is writing about her routine life in her notepad. That’s not fiction, is it? Moreover, she joins a secret group that narrates bedtime stories to sleep-deprived children over the phone. However, the random visits from government offi