Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Emily Gunnis NARRATOR: Clare Corbett GENRE: Historical Mystery-Drama. RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical mystery developing over multiple timelines and culminating in the present. Has its merits but also has loopholes. A fairly entertaining read, though not a mind-blowing one. Story Synopsis: In 1975, while summoned to a domestic dispute, constable Jo Hamilton mistakenly started a fire at the location. The two little girls at the house, Holly and Daisy, are saved, but their parents are killed. The girls are sent to the local children’s home named Morgate House, an old Victorian residence at the edge of a cliff. Jo tries to keep tabs over the girls, but Daisy is soon adopted. In a few years more, Holly goes missing, the mystery of which has stayed unsolved all this while. Now, forty years later, some bones have been discovered at a digging site, and Jo, now a superintendent just a few days away from retirement, knows in her guts that they belong to Holly. Can the i...

AUTHOR: Andrew Sean Greer GENRE: Sci-fi Short Story. RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story inspired by Homer's Odyssey, but set on a distant planet. Good enough. Have you ever read a story that you liked enough, where the characters were appealing enough, where the setting was intriguing enough, where the prose was compelling enough, and yet, when it comes the time to review it, you don't have anything much to say? Yeah well, that's going to be me for this review. Inspired by Homer's Odyssey, this story talks of two strangers whose life paths collide due to an accident. The bond between them develops, but can it be strong enough to contain the wanderlust of one of them while the second is content to be at home? Everything about this story is at the 'good enough' level, but somehow, nothing went beyond that scale. There were enough details to make me read it without distraction, but not enough that would make it last in my mind. Last para done, story ...

  AUTHOR:  Harry Woodgate ILLUSTRATOR:  GENRE: Children's Picture Book RATING: 3.7 5 stars. In a Nutshell:  A lovely story about a shy boy who is intimidated by their “lion” whenever they have to perform in front of others. Loved the intent, liked the content, adored the illustrations.  Story Synopsis: Little Timmy loves to perform. They spin around in their homemade costumes, singing at the top of their voice and becoming whoever they wish to be. The problem is that this performance is restricted to the confines of their room. Though they dream of performing on stage someday, they know the dream will never come true because of a giant hurdle: a lion. Whenever they try to do anything new, the lion pops out of nowhere and roars away their confidence. When the teacher announces the upcoming class play, Timmy is too dejected even to sign up. Their friend Nia decides to help them out.  The problem of shyness is a fairly common one, in adults as well as kids. In...

AUTHOR: Ai Jiang GENRE: Literary Horror Novella RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An evocative literary novella, focussed on the living who can’t let the dead go. Allegorical, insightful, melancholic. A mood read, but what a treat if it comes to you at the right time! Story Synopsis: HOME, a mysterious town somewhere in Canada, is known for its special houses where the spirits of the dead can be summoned to the residences of their loved ones, who are desperate to have them back in their lives. Wenqi is a new resident in this strange place, having moved into a house with her parents, who long to meet their dead son. Liam is a “lingerer”, one of those persons who wait for a house in much-in-demand HOME to become vacant so that they can move in somehow and meet their departed loved one. “Mrs.” is a resident of a house near Wenqi’s. No one knows her name, or any other personal details. Through these three characters, we get a glimpse of HOME and its grief-stricken residents. Bookish Y...

AUTHOR: David Sedaris GENRE: Essay, Humour. RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: An essay by an acclaimed humour writer, detailing some memorable experiences, “themes and variations” while interacting with readers during book tours. A quick, fun read. As a reader, you might have attended book-signing events, and while in queue, you might have wondered what to say to the author. Now here’s an essay that shows you the same event from an author’s point of view. When David Sedaris was a boy, he had a bad experience at a book signing event, where the visiting author didn’t acknowledge him or even glance at him while signing the book. He was so affected by this that many years later, when it was his turn to be on the other side of the signing table, he decided that he would make every reader feel special. What resulted from this decision was some intriguing reader interactions, amusing anecdotes, and unbelievable revelations, ranging from hilarious to outright bizarre. This little 19-page es...

AUTHOR: Bruce Harris GENRE: Short Story Collection RATING: 3.6 stars. In a Nutshell: A multi-genre single-author story collection. Has some interesting tales, but the stories are too disparate in genre and theme, so I couldn’t get into a proper reading groove. This collection of nineteen stories spans multiple genres such as science fiction, contemporary drama, humour, and crime. There’s no author’s note to help us understand the intent behind this pooling of such discrete tales. The blurb refers to this as a “collection of prize-winning stories that celebrate life’s absurdities and contradictions.” Too vague a description, though it does suit some of the stories. There were many enjoyable stories herein. But the main problem I faced was of not being able to settle into a rhythm because of the lack of a connecting theme. Reading a sci-fi humour immediately after a parenting drama is weird. Maybe if I had stuck to reading only one story each time I picked up the book, the result woul...

AUTHOR: Kerry Fryar Freeman GENRE: Contemporary cosy mystery. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary mystery-drama set in the Arizonian city of Sedona. Interesting storyline, quirky characters, fast pace. I went in blind and came out amazed. Don’t be fooled by the cover; this isn’t a light-hearted read, though it has its fun moments. Story Synopsis: Sedona in Arizona has been a tourist attraction since long for its Hopi legends, its healing pines, and its magic crystals. However, Cal has moved to Sedona for a different reason: her grandma is suffering from cancer, and they have heard that Sedona’s dry air can offer relief. Cal freelances as an editor at a local magazine about crystals. But as her grandma’s healthcare costs increase, she looks for a better paying job. Thankfully, the newly-opened Belle Butte Touring Company has a vacancy for a guide. Cal begins her adventurous new work enthusiastically, but she soon realises that her new workplace holds as many secrets as Sedo...

AUTHOR: Jennifer Lane GENRE: YA Mystery. RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: An atmospheric YA novel with toxic friendships and witchy histories. Takes a bit too long to get going. Pretty good overall, though it could have used some elements even better. Story Synopsis: Long Byrne is a town with a dark history. 400 years ago, two sixteen-year-old girls Rose Ackroyd and Jane Hollingworth were declared “witches” and hanged. To commemorate the grim occasion, the college Cate attends is planning to put up a play about the girls. As a farm girl who loves to write and is passionate about the topic of witches, Cate immediately signs up as the scriptwriter, with her talented best friend Tawny auditioning for an acting part. But when new student Bryony also gets an acting part and becomes too close to Tawny, Cate begins to question her intentions. Add in some strange, inexplicable occurrences, and Cate isn’t sure whom to trust, including her own senses. The story comes to us in the first pers...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Yann Damezin TRANSLATOR: Aqsa Ijaz & Thomas Harrison GENRE: Graphic Novel, Retelling RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A graphic novel version of the old Arabic legend about the unfulfilled love of Layla and Majnun. Outstanding illustrations. The textual content was a mixed bag for me. Story Synopsis: The narrative tells us of an Arabic poet named Qays, and his ladylove Layla. They fall in love while very young. Qays’ love soon turns into an obsession, and he begins composing poems about his intense feelings. His community gives him the name “Majnun”, meaning “The Madman.’ Majnun is unaffected by his new name, as his thoughts are entirely centred on his beautiful Layla. However, Layla’s father hears stories of his craziness, and decides that he cannot spoil his tribe’s name or his daughter’s future by marrying her to Majnun. To avoid the scandal, he forces her to marry another noble. Meanwhile, Majnun, almost entirely mad, goes off to the desert yearning for...

  AUTHOR:  Rose English ILLUSTRATOR: Pablo Rodriguez GENRE: Christmas Picture Book, Retelling. RATING: 3  stars. In a Nutshell:  A sweet story about a magical grandfather clock who sets to teach a young boy an important life lesson. This is a picture book retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Good intent, but will work even better with some finetuning.  Story Synopsis:  Written from the first person point of view of Grandfather Time, the magical narrator tells us of a little boy named Eb, short for Ebenezer, who is selfish and doesn’t share his toys. To teach him the value of caring and sharing, Grandfather Time calls upon the ghosts Past, Present, and Future. These three special characters then set out to show Eb the error of his ways. At my grandparents’ house, there used to be a huge grandfather clock. Whenever I visited their place in my childhood, I was fascinated by this beautiful giant as it seemed so mysterious and exotic. One thing that alw...

AUTHOR: Christina Baker Kline GENRE: Short Story. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A great short story about overcoming grief and having second chances with family. Steady pace, interesting characters, nice setting, great writing. Story Synopsis: After a car accident changed her life, Jess took to the road. Since four years now, she has been living in her van, travelling wherever her heart desires and trying to forget the grief of the past. Many know her through her Instagram persona that depicts a woman enjoying the thrills of a nomadic life, which barely resembles her actual lifestyle. Then one day, someone from the past re-enters her life, and Jess is forced to take some tough decisions. The story comes to us from Jess’s first person perspective. This is a surprisingly impactful short story. Just about 43 pages long, it stills pack in a lot, including parenting issues, grief over broken relationships, loss of a child, “vanlifing”, forgiveness, and second chances. Despite the plet...

AUTHOR:   Mark Robson NARRATOR: Anna Wilson-Hall SERIES: Tex Deacon Series, #1   GENRE: Crime Thriller-Drama. RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A dramatic thriller peeking into the mind of a psychopath. Turned out much different from what I had thought, so I was the wrong reader for this. To those interested in true crime, this might be an impressive novel as the crime details are rooted in actual cases. Story Synopsis: Cumbria, England. Karl Jackson has headed the chemistry department at the local school since almost two decades. He is married and has a nineteen-year-old son. This is what the public knows. What they don’t know is that Karl is also a serial killer, who has used his “genius” and his knowledge of chemicals as deadly weapons multiple times.  Tex Deacon is a Detective Chief Inspector with many years of experience in murder and killer profiling. After his beloved wife’s death due to an unexpected illness a year ago, he hasn’t been able to ove...

AUTHOR: Annalisa Crawford GENRE: Short Story Collection, Literary Suspense. RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: An impeccably-written atmospheric story collection. Mixes suspense and literary with a dash of paranormal at times. Nothing scary. Loved it! Annalisa Crawford is one of the few indie authors who are on my tried-and-tested-and-found-to-be-reliable list. Having already read and loved her collection titled “The Clock in My Mother's House and Other Stories”   and her novella “Cat and The Dreamer” ,  I ventured into “The Boatman” with high hopes and higher expectations. As you can see from my rating, I wasn’t disappointed. This is a collection of three somewhat-interlinked stories. Each story has a woman in the central role, with the first two tales being in their first person narration. This book was previously published as “Our Beautiful Child” in 2014. I read the revised edition published in October 2023. For a change, I wasn’t bothered by the lack of an author’s note...