Rosh's Reviews

  AUTHOR:  Linda Green GENRE: Feel-good Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: February 26, 2025 RATING:  3.75 stars.   In a Nutshell: A contemporary women’s fiction about two women, one of whom has all the problems and the other has all the answers. Interesting premise, fast pace, not-so-likeable characters who grow on you as the book proceeds, heartwarming moments, some thought-provoking topics and themes. A nice option for those who like stories with modern-day problems.  Plot Preview: Halifax, UK. Fifty-two-year-old Michelle Banks feels the pressure of the entire family going. Though a working district nurse, Michelle is also forced to assist her elderly parents and mother-in-law, her two kids (one of whom has anxiety issues and the other is falling prey to peer pressure), and even her husband Marc who, though working from home, doesn’t do anything productive around the house. The only one Michelle can rely on without fail is her trusted Alexa, who helps her w...

AUTHOR: Mandy Robotham GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: January 16, 2025 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical fiction set in 1950s London. This continues Harri Schroder’s story from ‘The Hidden Storyteller’, but it can be read as a standalone. Excellent characters, decent plot, great use of the place and period, slow pace. Though not a bad read, I liked its predecessor better. Plot Preview: 1952, London. Helen Dexter, aka ‘Dexie’, is a woman police officer trying to prove her capabilities to the male officers around her. However, she is stuck with basic policing duties and making tea for her male colleagues. Things change when a German officer from Hamburg arrives on some secret assignment. Inspektor Harri Schroder is the first policeman to treat Dexie as a fellow police officer, and she is immediately intrigued. When Harri learns the details of his assignment – tracing an ex-Naxi officer masquerading as an English businessman, he asks for Dexie to be assigned ...

AUTHOR: Aaron N. Hall GENRE: YA Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: February 25, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A YA Fantasy that feels like a spoof adventure-quest. Whimsical characters. Light moments interspersed with serious themes. Loads of clever humour. The target audience is a bit hazy. Recommended. Plot Preview: Fifteen-year-old Dashing Junior, aka DJ, is the son of the legendary Sir Dashing, a brave and feted knight of Beregond city in the territory of Uh. After retiring from his valiant quests, Sir Dashing has spent the last sixteen years offering his advice and wisdom to the city. In gratitude, it wants to knight him. But as the same person can’t be knighted twice, the powers that be decide to honour his son DJ with knighthood. The problem is that DJ has not done anything knight-like, and is probably not even capable of doing so. Everyone knows this, including DJ himself. So to prove his worthiness for the knighthood, DJ decides to set off on a quest across the territory of Uh ...

AUTHOR: Matt Mikalatos ILLUSTRATOR: David Shephard GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: April 1, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A graphic novel that narrates stories from the Bible, using Cleopas’s encounter with Jesus on the way to Emmaus as the foundation. Innovative in concept and execution. Excellent (and racially-authentic) illustrations. Might be a bit tricky for the target audience of middle-graders as the narrative isn't linear. But adult supervision will help. Recommended. Children are always attracted to books with illustrations. So using a graphic novel to teach them stories from the Bible is a wonderful idea. But this book doesn’t just stop at this basic intent. Rather, its presentation sets it apart from other similar works. The story uses Cleopas’s trip from Jerusalem to Emmaus as the setting. As the Gospel of Luke mentions only Cleopas by name in its references to this journey that takes place on the day of Jesus’s resurrection, this book adds some fiction...

AUTHOR: Mandy Robotham GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: February 29, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical crime fiction set in Germany in the years after WWII. Outstanding in the historical content, good in the crime parts. Has a returning character from another book, but can be read as a standalone. Much recommended to historical fiction lovers, even those tired of WWII fiction. Plot Preview: 1946. Hamburg. After seven years, freelance reporter Georgie Young is back in Hamburg. Now thirty-four, she has been sent to find stories that show the post-war horrors of the city and the positive impact of the British occupiers in setting things right for their erstwhile enemies. But her personal agenda is to report the truth about Hamburg and its denizens, both actual and immigrant, without any bias. When she learns of a serious crime – a young woman murdered and found nude with a word carved into her skin, Georgie teams up with Inspektor Harri Schroder to solve the ...

AUTHORS: Albert & Anna Choi ILLUSTRATOR: Bettina Brasko GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: January 7, 2025 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A sweet picture book about a little kid who is now a Big Kid. Some funny moments here, but not sure of the repeat reading value. The illustrations are a winner. This is the third standalone book in the Little Aiden series. The first two books – ‘Little Aiden: A Feelings Book for Toddlers’ and ‘Little Aiden: A Love Book for Toddlers’ were more about affirmations of parents’ love for children, and were written from the parents’ perspective. This book is more about the unexpected comicality of toddlerhood, and comes from Aiden’s first-person POV. The latter subtly reminds us that Aiden is now grown up enough to speak for himself. Aiden, who is now a toddler, considers himself a Big Kid, and goes to tell us about all the new Big Kid things he can now do, such as peel a banana or create art. But as all parents of toddlers know, ...

AUTHOR: Abby Jimenez SERIES: The Improbable Meet-Cute, #2 GENRE: Short Story PUBLICATION DATE: January 23, 2024 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A romantic short story that is sweet as well as emotional. Loved how intricate it was for its length. Hit just the right spot for my current mood. Worth a read. Plot Preview: Holly, a hospice nurse, is on her toughest assignment: watching her grandmother die. Just coming out of a tough breakup, she is more affected by the emotional intensity of the situation. So when a lovey-dovey card is stuck to her windshield on Valentine’s Day, she is quite amused, even though the note wasn’t meant for her. Thus begins a cute exchange of anonymous notes with the “worst wingman ever”, of some selfless acts, and of some life-changing advice. But all good things have to come to an end, right? The story comes to us in the first-person perspectives of Holly and her anonymous “wingman.” This is the second standalone story in the 'The Improbable Meet-Cu...

AUTHOR:  Lynette Rees GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: February 19, 2025 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical saga about a kind-hearted teenaged boy and his struggles. I wish I had known that this was part of an ongoing series. It has its positives, but on the whole, I struggled to connect with the characters as I had no familiarity with them. Some of the writing choices also weren’t for me. But I feel this might be a decent option for historical saga readers, as long as you know that it is part of a larger series.  Plot Preview:  1886. Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Sixteen-year-old Jimmy Corcoran knows that someday, he will marry Enid Hardcastle. To that end, he even takes up a job at Mr. Baxter’s workshop making and repairing shoes. However, one day, Enid suddenly disappears from Jimmy’s life and no one, not even Mags, the woman who takes care of him as a mother, knows what happened. Devastated, Jimmy puts all his focus on his job, in the hopes tha...

AUTHOR: Fernando Llor ILLUSTRATOR: Carles Dalmau GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: February 25, 2025 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: A scifi action graphic novel about a comic artist fighting an alien invasion. Wacky characters and wildly adventurous storytelling. Works in bits and pieces, but doesn’t come together in a cohesive whole. This is partly because the story went in a direction I don’t prefer reading. Plot Preview: Maya is a comic book artist frustrated about deadlines and about not doing the kind of comics she loves. Her best friend Juu is also frustrated, but with his lacklustre love life. One day, when Maya has just returned home after doling out dating advice to Juu, she receives an unexpected visitor: a tiny alien named Soma who has crashlanded in her living room to warn her that his people are planning an invasion against Earth However, as his spacesuit is destroyed, he needs Maya’s help to stop the attack. ( He has his reasons for helping humankind .) This gr...

AUTHOR: Eowyn Ivey GENRE: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism PUBLICATION DATE: February 4, 2025 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An poignant literary fiction set in Alaska. Haunting plot, flawed characters, atmospheric writing, intense emotions, slow pace, magical realism. Not a ‘Beauty & the Beast’ retelling as some sources claim. Much recommended but not to those who prefer likeable/perfect characters. Plot Preview: Twenty-six-year-old Birdie is a single mother to six-year-old Emaleen. Her waitressing job in an Alaskan lodge helps them survive, and the lodge owner even allows Birdie to live with Emaleen in one of the cabins. But while Birdie loves her daughter, she still has a reckless side to her that makes her yearn for more wild adventures. When Arthur, a local recluse who barely speaks to anyone, brings Emaleen back to safety when she goes wandering into the woods one day, Birdie finds a new hero, and a new dream. Ignoring the advice of those around her, Birdie decides to ...