Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Melia McClure GENRE: Literary Fiction RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A complicated and quirky literary fiction. I am still not sure if I *got* the whole novel (being much deficient in surrealism-processing abilities), but I am in awe of the author’s intricate plotting. Recommended only to niche lit-fic lovers. Story Synopsis: (Have to keep this vague as this is an easy novel to spoil.) The Playwright: Successful in her work, but haunted by her muses. And I mean ‘haunted’ in many ways, including literally. The Psychiatrist: Seemingly a misogynistic prig, but haunted by his long-lost love. The Muse: A stage actress who is determined to do anything to succeed, but haunted by what she has had to sacrifice. The lives of these three characters juxtapose in a curious manner, sometimes crossing the boundaries of time and space. The story comes to us through the first person narration of these three characters over the current timeline and flashbacks. Just a few days ago, my fri...

AUTHOR: Jessica Sinha ILLUSTRATOR: Tetiana Kopytova GENRE: Children's Picture Book RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A nice picture book about how dreams can be accomplished with some help from friends. Not a fan of the verses, but liked the illustrations. Story Synopsis: A little panda longs to fly and touch the sky. He even attempts flying by climbing atop a bamboo tree and flapping his arms. But as expected, the attempts ‘thuds’. Some monkeys laugh at the panda at trying something he wasn’t meant to do. But when the panda explains his reasons, the monkeys decide to help him. This is a sweet story overall, though not pathbreaking. The panda’s belief in his dream is a bit shaken after others laugh at him. But the monkeys’ support and friendship helped the panda achieve his goal, though in a slightly different way. I like how the story doesn’t stress on achieving the original, impossible dream, but shows a practical workaround that comes near to the original intention. Any chi...

AUTHORS: Various GENRE: Retelling Anthology. RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting collection of fairy tale retellings, but with an unexpected twist. Not a bad anthology, but I expected it to blow my mind away – that didn’t happen, partly due to my reading preferences. A decent option for retelling/fantasy short fiction fans. This is a collection of nine stories, all of which are retellings of at least one of Grimm’s fairy tales. There is no editor’s note or author’s note in the collection nor any kind of foreword ( Grrrrr! ), but thankfully, the title and the cover provide a clue about what to expect. You don’t need to know the original stories as these retold versions can be enjoyed on their own merit. But if you know your Brothers Grimm works, you will enjoy detecting which story ( or stories! ) have been chosen for the fresh take. I love how the authors didn’t stick to only the popular Grimm tales but opted for some esoteric titles as well. Considering that there are ...

AUTHOR: Mihaela Noroc GENRE: Photography. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A gorgeous coffee-table book containing some stunning photographs of... you guessed it… ‘girls of the world’. Covers multiple countries and cultures. Inclusive in almost every way. A treat for the eyes and the heart. Author Mihaela Noroc is renowned for her first photographic collection, ‘The Atlas of Beauty’, which contained 500 stunning photographs of women from across the globe, all of whom she had clicked during a year of backpacking. This second project of hers is extra special as she was also accompanied by her little daughter Natalia on her travels. The purpose of this collection, in Mihaela’s words, is ‘to inspire’, and I think she has been quite successful in that respect. Inspiration needn’t be big or small. On some days, even a simple heartfelt smile can inspire you towards a better day. And this book contains more than enough adorable snapshots to brighten your spirits. This book covers 250 photograp...

AUTHOR: Cheryl Strayed SERIES: Out of Line GENRE: Short Story. RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story about a young girl and what happens to her after she becomes pregnant. Powerful without being over the top. Impressive scope and character development of the protagonist, especially for a story of this length. Story Synopsis: 1964. Seventeen-year-old Geraldine discovers that she is pregnant but neither her nineteen-year-old boyfriend nor her own family is too pleased about the news. She is sent away to an unwed mothers’ home where she gives up her newborn child for adoption. Her mother is quite worried that Geraldine has “ruined her life.” But life goes on without any major hiccups, until some decades later, Geraldine’s past converges with her present. This is a standalone short story in the ‘Out of Line’ collection, described on Amazon as “an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape.” Consider the sheer scope of this s...

AUTHOR: Lili Hayward GENRE: Contemporary Drama RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A predictable but heartwarming story. Works to a great extent; could have improved on character development. Prose and atmospheric setting lovers will enjoy it more. Story Synopsis: When Mina receives a note a few days before Christmas from her estranged godfather Davy Penhallow, an acclaimed artist who lives on Morgelyn Island off Cornwall, she is initially not sure what to do. But it’s not like she’s enjoying her boring job, so when she learns that Davy is recovering from a stroke in hospital and wants her to take care of his cat Murr, she leaves her work obligations and rushes to the remote location. Her only intent is to ensure that someone is looking after Murr so she can return to London immediately. However, as she spends more time in Davy’s cottage, she recollects his engaging narration of Cornish folklore and the few happy months she spent there with her mother. The support of the island commu...

AUTHOR: Kari Allen ILLUSTRATOR: Tatjana Mai-Wyss SERIES: Maddie and Mabel, #4 GENRE: Children's Fiction, Chapter Book. RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: The fourth book in the Maddie & Mabel series, though it can be read as a standalone. Just as adorable as the earlier books. A great option for sweet sibling stories. I have been a fan of this series ever since I read the first book: 'Maddie and Mabel' through Netgalley in early 2022. The sequel, 'Maddie and Mabel Take the Lead' , also a Netgalley read in mid-2022, was equally brilliant. Unfortunately, Book Three: 'Maddie and Mabel Know They Can' never came up on Netgalley (and it’s too expensive to buy in India *sob*), so I was blissfully unaware of it until I saw the listing for this fourth title of the series. I grabbed it ASAP, and now I am happy to say that it meets the standards set by this series in every way. The titular Maddie and Mabel are sisters, Maddie being the elder one. The two are also...

EDITORS: Shannon Gibney & Nicole Chung GENRE: YA Anthology. RATING: 3.6 stars. In a Nutshell: An #OwnVoices anthology focussed on transracial adoptive experiences, written by adoptee YA authors. Love the themes and the intent. The stories were a mixed bag for me, but that’s  partly  because I am not a big YA fan. This is an anthology of fifteen stories, each written by an adoptee author. In fact, not just adoptee, but a transracial adoptee. The central character in each story is also a transracial adoptee, thereby giving the author a chance to imbue their protagonists with authenticity. The stories come from varied genres such as drama, sci-fi, and fantasy. The adoptees are also cross-cultural, coming from backgrounds as varied as Black, South Asian, East Asian, Mexican, and Indigenous American. I am not at all a fan of YA writing, but I couldn’t resist this collection for various reasons. The title, the cover, the theme, the authors and their OwnVoices credentials – al...

AUTHOR: Gail Lynn Hanson GENRE: Contemporary Literary Drama RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Quirky and unusual. Compelling in a befuddling way. BUT this wasn’t a psychological suspense as advertised. My experience fell a little flat as I went in with the wrong expectations. Will work better if read as a literary drama with a dash of dark humour. Story Synopsis: Eighty-three-year-old Dorothy Fiske is widowed, but she hasn’t allowed her age or her marital status to dim her passion for old Hollywood movies and expensive jewellery. She has lived a glamorous life in Los Angeles with a rich husband and famous actors as neighbours. Her only disappointment is that she never had children, for which she knew her husband Eugene was to blame. Other than that, she has lived life on her own terms, and continues to do so. Sixty-six-year-old Ruth works as a health care aide for senior citizens. ( Well, those who are much senior to her. ) She had lost her earlier job at a nursing facility when res...

AUTHOR: Lu Fraser ILLUSTRATOR: Kate Hindley SERIES: The Littlest Yak, #1 GENRE: Children's Picture Book  RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A sweet story about accepting yourself, no matter how small or big you are. The first book with little Gertie the yak. Almost as cute as the next book in the series. Story Synopsis: Little Gertie the yak lives with Mummy Yak and the other yaks of their herd, on the top of a snowy mountain. While she loves being a yak, and is quite great at it too, there’s one thing that keeps her sad: she is the smallest of the lot, and so she can’t do anything the big yaks can do with their huge horns and hooves. She does everything she can to grow bigger, but nothing seems to work. But one day, something happens, and Gertie realises that even smallness has its significance. Just a few days ago, I had read The Littlest Yak: The New Arrival , without knowing that it was the second book of Gertie’s series. I loved Gertie so much that I went searching for the b...

AUTHOR: Bella Osborne GENRE: Romantic Comedy RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: An imperfect Christmas story. Could have been really good had the characters behaved better. Not my favourite Bella Osborne work by far. Story Synopsis: Blythe is desperate to sell just one more house this month so that she can set a new record at the real estate firm she works with. So she bends the truth just a teensy bit when she sells a home in the picturesque little town of Holly Cross to city dweller Sam. Sam hates Christmas, so he is unaware that he has purchased a residence in the centre of the most Christmassy village of the country. Needless to say, as Christmas draws near, Sam is the Grinch who might jeopardise Holly Cross’s chances of winning a Christmas village competition. Now Blythe has to do some quick reparations as she is the one to blame. The story comes to us in the third person perspective of Blythe and Vicky – Blythe’s best friend. I admit, I was looking for light fluff when I picke...

AUTHOR: Roxane Gay SERIES: Out of Line GENRE: Short Story, Dystopian. RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: After a long time, an Amazon Original Story that impressed me! Would have loved for this to be a novel. But even as is, it’s quite a thought-provoking read. Story Synopsis: In some dystopian future not too far ahead, there’s a baby library where a woman can borrow a baby for a few days. Sidra: A caretaker who is chosen to work with the babies at the library as she isn’t fond of them. Hadley: A woman not licensed to procreate, though she longs to have a baby. Seraphina: A woman licensed to procreate, but hates her husband and kids and llongs to escape. How are the lives of these three women connected? Read and find out. This is one of the standalone short stories in the ‘Out of Line’ collection, described on Amazon as “an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape.” I can’t remember the last time I read an Amazon Original Story f...

AUTHOR: Charlotte Perkins Gilman GENRE: Short Story, Classic. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story much beyond its time. A quick read that won’t leave you quickly. Story Synopsis: The unnamed narrator is living in a new rental colonial house, along with her husband (a physician), her baby, and her sister-in-law. After her husband diagnoses her with a “temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency”, he asks her to be confined to her room and rest without doing any work. However, the chosen room is an old nursery, because of which it has barred windows and a bright yellow wallpaper. The narrator hates the wallpaper because of its shifting patterns that seem to hint at a woman creeping in the design. With nothing else to invest her time in, she grows more and more obsessed with the wallpaper, until her mania crosses a dangerous boundary. Written in the first person of the narrator, the story comes to us through her journal entries. This classic short story won’t ...

AUTHOR: L.V. Pires SERIES: The Towry Family, #3 GENRE: Gothic Horror  RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: The third and final book of the Towry Family series. I never thought I would be left so impressed by a horror book that is absolutely NOT in my comfort zone. Has some minor flaws, but on the whole, I enjoyed this entertainer. An excellent adieu to the series. (This review contains spoilers from the first two books.) Story Synopsis: After the events of Book Two, Anne finds herself in a psychiatric asylum. Her desperate attempts to attest her sanity prove counterproductive. She knows that she has to save her baby son Christopher from the curse still lingering at Whitehall Manor, but how can she do it while locked away? Meanwhile, Brooks and his wife Evie, Anne’s sole surviving relatives though they have never even met Anne, are contacted to take guardianship of Christopher until Anne’s release. As their financial situation in South Carolina isn’t too great, they decide to shi...

AUTHOR: Amélie Fléchais TRANSLATOR: Jeremy Melloul GENRE: Graphic Novel RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting graphic novel that retells ‘Red Riding Hood’ from the point of view of the wolf. Different in plotline, but as dark as (or possibly darker than) the original. Quirky and deep. Story Synopsis: A little wolf wears his beloved red cape and trots off across the forest to deliver some yummy dead rabbits to his grandma. His mother warns him not to stride away from the path, but kids being kids, the wolf goes meandering here and there and everywhere, until he finds himself lost. As he plops down on the forest floor crying his heart out, a sweet girl approaches him and offers to help him. But as we all know, the forest can’t be home to any sweet girl. This graphic novel was originally published in French under the title ‘Le Petit Loup Rouge’ in 2014. This English translation by Jeremy Melloul comes out in October 2023. ‘Red Riding Hood’ has never been among my favourite...

AUTHOR: Jaime Jo Wright GENRE: Christian Mystery-thriller. RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Christian + mystery-thriller – a combo I never thought possible. Slowburn but intriguing. A good story that delivers the chills while staying true to the Christian aspects. (i.e. thrills without blood and gore!) Story Synopsis: 1915. Kipper's Grove, Wisconsin. A few months ago, Greta Mercy’s elder brother lost his life during the construction of the Barlowe Theatre. Now one of her younger brothers Leo has gone missing after breaking into the same building. Orphaned Greta knows that she can’t afford to invest much time in locating Leo as she has two more young brothers to care for, else they will lose their home and be shifted to the poorhouse. But how can Greta let go of Leo without doing anything? Present Day. When Kit Boyd agrees to help her best friend Madison have a ghost walk in the Barlowe Theatre for a television show that deals with the supernatural, she never thought that Madis...