Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Saadia Faruqi GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: February 27, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade novel about a young Pakistani-American girl who learns about the traumatic Partition days from her grandmother. Liked the partition-related segments – some of the scenes were heartbreaking. But the writing was somewhat mixed. Regardless, I appreciate the effort of bringing this part of Indo-Pak history to a new audience. Plot Preview: Twelve-year-old Mahnoor has wanted to become a journalist for as long as she can remember. She loves facts and research, and can’t stand anything that stems from opinion instead of reality. When she hears that her paternal grandmother – her ‘Dadi’ – is coming over from Pakistan to stay with them, she is not happy about having to give up her room and become Dadi’s “babysitter.” But once they begin talking, Mahnoor realises that Dadi’s memories of the Partition would be the perfect subject for the documentary she has to make...

AUTHOR: Mariam Gates ILLUSTRATOR: Alison Hawkins GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: April 30, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A sweet picture book that explains how having multiple emotions at once is perfectly okay. Great idea, good execution. Olive is a little girl with a lot of feelings. When she was a baby, her feelings were neatly compartmentalised. But now, she feels multiple feelings at once, and she knows that it is perfectly okay. This picture book tackles the complicated concept of experiencing diverse emotions at once. When Olive says that her feelings are jumbled up, we see that she always has at least two dominant feelings. But these are never from the same side of the emotional spectrum, such as happy + excited, or nervous + upset. Rather, her sentiments are usually opposite, being a combination of a positive and a negative mood. This contradiction shows children how it is perfectly normal to feel opposite emotions at once. So many situations i...

AUTHOR: Lisa Scottoline SERIES: We Could be Heroes, #1 GENRE: Crime Drama RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A standalone short story (more like a novella) featuring a pigeon-loving grandpa who finds a new agenda to become passionate about. Good plot, interesting characters, multiple emotions. Enjoyed it! Plot Preview: Pigeon Tony, a senior citizen of Italian origin, loves being with his Italian friends (some of whom are also Tonys with a different nickname) and flying his pet pigeons. His English might still not be so good, but he loves America as it has saved him from his own past. But now, Pigeon Tony finds that his young neighbour, a boy named Enzo, is being forced by drug dealers to act as their courier, he knows that he can’t allow crime to enter the community. But what can a senior citizen do? This is the first standalone story in the 'We Could be Heroes’ series, described on Amazon as “a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus th...

EDITORS: Astrid Ohletz & Lee Winter GENRE: Sapphic Romance Anthology. RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: An anthology of lesbian romances set around Christmas. A good collection for the right reader. Unfortunately, many of these weren’t my kind of romance stories, so please take this review with a pinch of salt. This anthology has eleven stories of Sapphic love connections written by lesbian fiction writers. I never pick up a romance anthology because the genre is a mixed bag for me. What made me opt for this book was one magic phrase in the blurb: “Curries in India.” A lesbian love story set during an Indian Christmas? The curiosity of this Indian Christian was immediately piqued! What worked for me is the intent and the approach of the collection. The collection is diverse in terms of inclusivity as well as cultural setting, with the stories being set in Australia, England, India, Jamaica, South Africa and Germany amid other locations. Most of the stories, except one (which is ab...

AUTHOR: Angela Bell GENRE: Historical Fantasy RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Historical + Adventure + Clean Romance + Christian. If all these points are appealing to you, this entertaining book delivers exactly as it promises. If faith-based content isn’t your cup of tea, stay away. I loved the characters and the story. What a charming debut novel! Plot Preview: 1860, England. Clara Stanton, lovingly called ‘little Atlas’ by her grandfather, actually feels like weary Atlas, always worried about protecting her beloved but eccentric family from her ex-fiancé who is intent on proving them to have hereditary insanity. When her inventive Grandfather Drosselmeyer takes on a skilled vagabond named Arthur as an apprentice, Clara is sure “Arthur” is a spy working for her ex. She has no idea that “Arthur” is actually Theodore, looking for a fresh start away from his past. Before she can confirm her fears, her grandfather disappears in his secret flying owl machine, with a note asking Clara t...

AUTHOR: Deborah Ellis SERIES: The Breadwinner, #5 GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: The fifth book of the acclaimed ‘Breadwinner’ series, set in the year 2021 when the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan. An interesting continuation to Parvana’s story. Not a happy book. Can be read as a standalone, but better if you go through the series in order. Plot Preview: 2021. Parvana is married to Atif and the mother of eleven-year-old Rafi. She runs a small safe house for girls, women and orphans who need help. Parvana’s sister Maryan and Rafi are preparing to emigrate from Afghanistan to the US to further their musical ambitions, and the book begins with them setting off for the airport. Unknown to them, that is the very day the Taliban will grab power once again, and their world will soon erupt in chaos. Will Maryam and Rafi make it safely to the USA? What will happen to Parvana’s home when the Talibs return? Will Atif be able to take care of his family? The st...

AUTHOR: Joseph O'Connor SERIES: Rome Escape Line Trilogy, #1 GENRE: Historical Fiction RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction based on the heroic acts of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty and his “Choir” who helped smuggle Jews and other Allied prisoners out of Italy into the Vatican during WWII. Great research, but a tedious writing style that I simply couldn’t get into. This is an outlier review. Plot Preview: 1943. Rome is occupied by the Germans, whose local boss is the dictatorial Obersturmbannführer named Paul Hauptmann. Providing help to allied prisoners and Jewish refugees in the independent Vatican nation are an Irish priest and his eclectic group of friends, who have only their objective in common. This is based on true incidents, and is written in various points of view in varied grammatical voices. Yet again, I raise a question I have asked multiple times previously. While rating such historical fiction works, are we rating the life of the person whose story w...

AUTHOR: Alex London GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy. RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fantasy focussing on alternate HEAs for the princesses. Tries a bit too hard, but encompasses some thought-provoking themes and valuable life lessons. I found it somewhat repetitive and haphazard, but it might work better for the right age group. Plot Preview: When “Sleeping Beauty” Princess Rosamund awakes from her hundred-year sleep to a sloppy kiss from a stranger who calls himself her prince and wants to marry her, she runs. Without consciously realising it, she bolts through a ‘Door of Opportunity’ and reaches the premises of The Home Educational Academy, or HEA. Under the leadership of fairy godmother Verna, HEA runs a Princess Protection Program, to allow princesses to escape their destinies and choose their own happy ending. Rosamund soon adjusts to life in this strange new world, along with a few other princesses (and one prince) as her fellow students. However, not everything...

AUTHOR: Kirsten McDougall GENRE: Dystopian Satire. RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A dystopian cli-fi satire that is wacky in myriad ways. If you go in with the right expectations, you might enjoy the book. Just be prepared for a slow start. Not a thriller! Plot Preview: Wellington, sometime in the future. Thirty-seven-year-old Alice, who has an IQ of 159 (missing the ‘genius’ mark by just 1 point), is stuck in a dead-end job and frustrated of the change wrought about by the climate change. The situation is worsened by the wealthy immigrants – ‘wealthugees’ – who are flocking to New Zealand and affecting the local economy by purchasing land and driving up prices, making the situation worse for residents. But Alice is a slacker, and does nothing to change the situation except complain. When one hot wealthugee asks Alice to take care of his fifteen-year-old daughter Erika for a few days in exchange for a large sum, Alice readily quits her job. But she doesn’t realise that Erika is ...

AUTHOR: Selma Benkiran ILLUSTRATOR: Valeria Loskant GENRE: Children's STEM Picture Book, Inspirational RATING: 4.75 stars. In a Nutshell: An amazing picture book for older children that goes much beyond what the title promises. Informative and inspiring in all the right ways. Much recommended! Plot Preview: Young Lilo loves spending his summer vacations with his grandparents, but this year’s summer brings with it a special surprise: his parents are taking him on a month-long trip to the rainforest. Lilo is over the moon with joy, but his excitement soon peters out as he realises that there is no one to water his beloved plants when he goes on vacation. Taking advice from his friends as well the adults in his life, Lilo tries out some ways of creating a self-watering system. But every idea fails miserably. Lilo, however, is blessed to have some trustworthy adults around him, and with their ideas, he keeps working towards his goal. Will he succeed in creating a watering system for...

AUTHOR: S.A. Dunphy SERIES: DI Tessa Burns, #2 GENRE: Irish Police Procedural RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Book Two of the Tessa Burns series. Didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one, partially due to my reading preferences and lack of familiarity with the topic. Regardless, it is still an interesting continuation to the series. I am curious to see what’s next for Tessa, though not as excited as I was after the first book. Plot Preview: Tessa and her team have been called to an unusual location: a cargo ship that left from Norway a few weeks ago has run aground off the Irish coast. What makes it horrifying is that the captain is found with his throat slit, and the rest of the crew is missing. Tessa has been summoned because of another reason: three little children have been found in the ship’s galley kitchen, terrified but unharmed. Even when taken into care, they refuse to speak a word. As the team investigates the identity of the children, several facts come to light, which ma...

AUTHOR: Dani Atkins GENRE: Contemporary Romance RATING: 2.5 stars In a Nutshell: There are some beautiful moments herein, but on the whole, it was a mixed read for me. If you are prepared for a whole load of suspension of disbelief, this will work better for you. And if you enjoy cutesy + emotional books, this might even be a winner. Plot Preview: Somerset. When Amelia is found unconscious with no discernible pulse on the mudflats outside her home, it is almost a miracle that she survives. When her younger sister Lexi rushes over from New York, she finds Amelia in the hospital but with false memories of being happily married to someone named Sam. Neither Lexi nor their mother have any knowledge of a ‘Sam’ in Amelia’s life. Determined to help her sister, Lexi ropes in a local vet named Nick, who bears a striking resemblance to the non-existent Sam and gets him to recreate some of Amelia’s dream dates with Sam, in a bid to help her “remember”. But ( as you might have rightly guessed ),...

AUTHOR: Laurie Frankel NARRATOR: Patti Murin GENRE: Contemporary Fiction. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary drama that highlights a special family, and what makes it a family, and even what IS a ‘family’. Dragged a little bit in between, but overall, I loved how thought-provoking this read was. Definitely recommended! Plot Preview: India Allwood has always wanted to be an actor. Her dreams start to come true at sixteen when she joins a drama course, and then gets a role on Broadway and later, as the lead of a TV superhero series. Her new movie is a story of adoption, the kind of story that has been depicted multiple times before. So when a journalist asks India’s opinion about it, she honestly states that the movie isn’t good. This creates an uproar, and India is soon at the centre of a media storm, battling all kinds of accusations about her position on adoption. This is when India’s ten-year-old twins, Fig and Jack, step in to help by calling up the family. Who else is...