Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Etaf Rum SERIES: Good Intentions Collection, #5 GENRE: Short Story PUBLICATION DATE: April 27, 2023 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A thought-provoking short story about the insecurities and resilience of motherhood. The epistolary format adds to the experience. Plot Preview: Our unnamed narrator is a daughter, living miles away from the mother who has taught her everything she knows, right from basic chores such as cooking and cleaning to behavioural patterns such as staying quiet when your husband hits you and sacrificing your needs for the sake of your family’s. After marriage, the daughter begins to wonder if this is all there is to life. And if she can aim for more. As she writes to her mother about her thoughts over the years, she comes to understand intergenerational trauma, and how someone has to take a step to break the vicious cycle of quiet acceptance. The story is written in the first-person perspective of the daughter, as a letter addressed to her mother. This i...

AUTHOR: W.A. Polf GENRE: Short Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: August 3, 2024 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story collection about “ordinary people confronting extraordinary circumstances.” Literary in feel. Diverse in content. But some stories didn’t suit my reading preference, and the slice-of-life writing style isn’t a favourite of mine. This collection has fifteen short stories across 300 pages. While there is no author’s note introducing his intent or the theme, the blurb states that these stories involve “ordinary people confronting extraordinary circumstances”, where the characters lead us to wonder if we shape the future, or is it the other way around. This theme is adhered to diligently in the stories, though it isn’t always done justice to. The title comes from the epic quote by Heraclitus (also mentioned at the start of the book): “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” It’s a great way of rep...

AUTHOR: Denny S. Bryce NARRATORS: Chanté McCormick & Joniece Abbott-Pratt. GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: July 23, 2024 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction based on the actual Rhinelander vs. Rhinelander case of 1925. I loved the historical details, but some writing choices didn’t work for me. Don’t expect a legal drama because of the title and blurb, else you will be disappointed. Plot Preview: 1924. New York. Alice Jones, born to working class English immigrants, believes that she has found true love with the wealthy real-estate scion Leonard ‘Kip’ Rhinelander, four years her junior. Alice considers herself “white”, so when, after their elopement, Kip’s parents threaten to cut him off from his inheritance for marrying a coloured woman, Alice is stunned. As events continue to spiral, Alice finds herself in a court battle against her new husband. 1943. Roberta is an ambitious journalist. When she is given the task of speaking to her estranged aunt ...

AUTHOR: Kelly Byrne GENRE: Contemporary Magical Realism. PUBLICATION DATE: August 9, 2024 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A family-drama with a decent dollop of magical realism. The premise was great, but the execution was a little too longwinded and confusing for me. This writing style doesn’t usually click with me, so take this review with a pinch of salt. Plot Preview: After her father passes away, forty-year-old Emma’s life goes topsy-turvy in ways she never expected. Strange letters and flower bouquets keep popping up around her, her father has somehow reincarnated as a willow tree, and even more baffling is the reappearance of her mother Cassie, whom Emma had presumed dead all these years. Cassie is back in town with some mysterious agenda just as Emma’s beloved pet dog Bob is ill with a strange illness. As Emma and Cassie strive to make sense of their new normal while also attempting not to kill each other, many old mysteries and family secrets come tumbling out. The story c...

AUTHOR: Karen A. Wyle GENRE: Picture Book Biography PUBLICATION DATE: August 4, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A picture book about the life of blind Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo. Good story, interesting art choice. An inspiring story for little readers. This picture book details the life story of Spanish composer and pianist Joaquin Rodrigo. Rodrigo was born sighted, but an attack of diphtheria when he was three left him completely blind. After his parents moved to the city and enrolled him in a special school, Rodrigo’s aptitude for music was discovered, and he trained in the piano and the violin. His talent led to a long and successful career in music and also movies, where he worked as a composer. He is most known for his guitar compositions, though he never mastered the instrument. It is easy to guess why the life of this composer would be inspiring. The world is quite insistent that our success is determined by our physical abilities, and having any kind of disabili...

AUTHOR: Kristin Harmel SERIES: Good Intentions Collection, #4 GENRE: Short Story, Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: April 27, 2023 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A beautiful story about a mother’s love and sacrifice. Thought-provoking, sentimental and bittersweet. The ending didn’t work for me, though I am sure many readers will love it. Finally, this collection is swinging upwards! Plot Preview: WWII-era France. Marie Vachon has been taking care of a little Jewish refugee named Josiane. After the death of her only son during the war, Marie immerses herself fully in taking care of the new child in her life. After three years, both Marie and Josiane love each other in a parental bond. Then comes the end of the war, and the news that Josiane’s mother is safe, and wants her child back. But is it that easy to give up on a piece of your heart? The story comes to us in Marie’s third person perspective. This is the fourth standalone story in the 'Good Intentions’ series, described...

AUTHOR: Sarah Beth Durst NARRATOR: Caitlin Davies GENRE: Cosy Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: July 9, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A cosy fantasy with an unlikeable protagonist who redeems herself along the way. A whole load of cosy, a little less of fantasy. Interesting (but flat) humans, outstanding non-humans, decent but straightforward storyline. A nice light option for those who prefer cute fantasies and can read without overanalysing. Plot Preview: Kiela hates dealing with people. Thanks to her job as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium in the capital of the Crescent Island empire, she avoids people at all costs, with her sentient spider plant Caz being more than enough company. But when the rebellion strikes and the library is up in flames, Keila has no choice but to escape with Caz and whatever books she can carry. The only destination that seems safe is her late parents’ home in the faraway island where she had spent her childhood years. She hasn’t been to this...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Cai Tse GENRE: Middle-grade Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: August 13, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade graphic novel about two lion dancers who realise the value of team spirit. Excellent information on lion dancing. Great lessons on working as a team. Good characters. Straightforward story. Wonderful illustrations. Recommended. Plot Preview: Wei had always dreamt of becoming a champion lion dancer just like his dad. He enjoyed training as the ’lion head’, with his best friend Hung performing as the ‘lion tail.’ However, after Wei’s dad suddenly passed away, the friendship as well as the dream shattered. Now, two years later, Wei is stuck in a rut of frustration. Though great in studies, he has no talent for any sport. When he discovers the existence of a junior lion dance training group nearby, he reignites his old passion. The only problem is that Hung is also part of this group. Now Wei and Hung need to overpower their animosity and l...

AUTHOR: Maria Augusta von Trapp GENRE: Memoir PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1949 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A memoir penned by Maria Von Trapp, whose life later inspired ‘The Sound of Music’. Written in 1949, much before the Broadway musical and the movie. Offers a decent glimpse of Maria and the Trapp family, and also indirectly shows us the liberties taken by Broadway/Hollywood in their portrayal. A good option for those who want to know more about how a rich Austrian naval captain’s family ended up becoming tour singers in the US. Most English-movie watchers might have at least heard of ‘The Sound of Music’, even if they haven’t watched it. I had first seen this movie in my childhood and immediately fell in love with the music. ( It broke my heart to discover that the couple from my favourite song ‘Sixteen Going On Seventeen’ didn’t proceed to a happy ending. ) It was only many years later that I discovered that the movie was based on the actual family from Austria. I have ...

AUTHOR: Obediah Keane SERIES: Port Harker, #1 GENRE: Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: April 30, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A quirky satirical novel about a person who realises too late that he had messed up something important when he was alive. Entertaining with some thought-provoking points. The ending dragged out a little, but overall, a fun read. Plot Preview: Harry is quite upset at being summoned by the Grim Reaper 18 months earlier than the time his doctor gave him. However, his anger soon turns to worry when cosmic justice deigns him to have failed in his human role, and declares that his youngest will die in three days because of Harry’s ignorance. Harry is ready to do whatever it takes to save his beloved daughter, even if it means making desperate deals and impossible promises. The story comes to us from the third-person perspective of various characters, though a major chunk of the narration is from Harry’s POV. Bookish Yays: 👻 The storyline is quite interesting. Th...

AUTHOR: Charmaine Wilkerson SERIES: Good Intentions, #3 GENRE: Short Story PUBLICATION DATE: April 27, 2023 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story about a woman who suddenly discovers that her identity isn’t what she has been told. Thought-provoking. Does not follow the typical path of such stories. Leaves some questions unanswered. A good mood-read. Plot Preview: About a year after her mother’s death, as Dina is making plans for her fortieth birthday, her stepfather reveals to her something that changes her entire perception of her childhood. As she struggles to make sense of what she knows through her memories and what she can recollect through some old photographs, Dina is forced to confront some hard truths about her past, and about what makes a mother a mother. The story comes to us in Dina’s second-person perspective. This is the third standalone story in the 'Good Intentions’ series, described on Amazon as “a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, f...

  AUTHOR: Nikki May GENRE: Literary Fiction, Retelling. PUBLICATION DATE:  July 18, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A loose retelling of Jane Austen’s ‘Mansfield Park’ . A decolonised narrative spanning two decades in Nigeria and England. Interesting characters, amazing writing, dark and light themes interspersed. You don’t need to read the original as this one can be appreciated much better as an independent novel. Recommended! Plot Preview: 1978. When ten-year-old Funke loses her mom in a car accident in Lagos, she is sent to live with her mom’s estranged family in England. Her mother’s sister isn’t so receptive to the idea of raising a mixed-race child, but Funke finds a friend in her cousin Liv.  As the years pass by, Funke and Liv go through varied ups and downs, both haunted by the words and deeds of their mothers – one from the past and one in the present. Can the two girls learn to stand for themselves in a world where they are first judged by gender and skin...