Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Wanda M. Morris SERIES: Alibis Collection, #6 GENRE: Short Story PUBLICATION DATE: June 2, 2025 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: The sixth and final story in the Alibis collection. More of a domestic drama; not much of a mystery or thriller. The characters are interesting but the plot has neither depth nor surprises. Not great, not bad. Plot Preview: To the outside world, Hannah and her husband have the perfect marriage. But only Hannah knows the emotional trauma and gaslighting she endures behind closed doors. She has her small acts of rebellion when he isn't home, but if he’s present, he keeps attacking her dignity. When he threatens to take away even the small things that bring her joy, she is forced to amp up her mutiny. The story comes to us in Hannah’s third-person perspective. This is the sixth standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with.” Woohoos: 🥳 ...

AUTHOR: Niall Williams GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 24, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A companion novel to "This is Happiness" (TIH). Same setting and era, different key characters. Even more slow-paced and meandering than the earlier novel. The writing is just as stunning, but the narration didn't work as well for me this time around. Still, a good option for prose lovers. Plot Preview: 1962. Faha, four years after the events of "This is Happiness" . Doctor Jack Troy is still in Faha, but of his three daughters, only his eldest, Ronnie, still stays with him and helps him with his duties. As Advent begins, a teenaged boy from their neighbourhood turns up at their doorstep with a baby in his arms. With no idea about who abandoned the baby, the Troys have to accept responsibility for the little charge, with Ronnie doing so gladly. But the good doctor knows that there needs to be one immediate change in their life if Ronnie wants to ...

AUTHOR: Lisa Zimmermann GENRE: Urban Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: May 31, 2025 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: An urban fantasy with a mysterious prophecy being at the centre of the plot. The idea was great but the implementation was a bit basic. The writing style didn’t work for me, nor did the main characters who read younger than their age. Despite the shortcomings, I was still curious enough to know what happens. A good choice for those who care more about the story than the plot/character development. Plot Preview: Sarah, who is in her early thirties, lives a quiet life as a barista in an English town. When she suddenly starts getting strange hallucinations, she worries about her physical and mental health. Little does she know that a mysterious man named William, who is possibly stalking her, is connected to her visions. Soon, Sarah’s safe and predictable world is thrown into chaos, and the only solution can supposedly be found through a strange prophecy. But Sarah knows only half o...

AUTHOR: Annette LeBlanc Cate GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: January 7, 2025 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A silly little picture book about a mother duck and her ducklings. Cute illustrations, rhyming text, funny scenes. Could have worked as a good resource for beginners to counting, but has a major unaddressed problem. Plot Preview: One night, Mama Duck is fast asleep with her seven eggs tucked firmly under her wings. Unknown to her, the eggs start cracking and hatching, and soon, seven little ducklings, who don’t want to disturb their tired Mama, step into the wild alone to explore their new surroundings. When Mama wakes up in the morning, she is horrified to see the empty egg shells and rushes to find her babies. She is successful in her quest, probably a bit too successful because somehow, she ends up with more babies than there were eggs! What happens next? (I hope spoilers are okay for picture books! But if not, skip the second para below.) If taken at ...

AUTHOR: Chad Zunker SERIES: Alibis Collection, #5 GENRE: Short Story PUBLICATION DATE: June 2, 2025 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: The fifth story in the Alibis collection. Finally a proper pacy thriller in this collection, even though it isn't the most original of plots. Plot Preview: In her new neighbourhood, Kara has just one friend: Mindy. So when Mindy confides to Kara her suspicion that Mindy’s husband might be having an affair, Kara, who stays just across, promises to keep an eye. One night, Kara sees someone sneaking into Mindy’s house, and she does what a good neighbour would: she goes to take a closer look even though her husband Jackson warns her not to meddle. She certainly doesn’t expect to find what she did, and worse, she doesn’t expect to be running for her life. The story comes to us in the alternating third-person perspectives of Kara and Jackson. This is the fifth standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, ...

AUTHOR: Hannah Shaw PHOTOGRAPHS: Andrew Marttila GENRE: Travel, Cats PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2024 RATING: 5 cattilicious stars! 😻😻😻😻😻 In a Nutshell: A meowellous collection of cats from around the world. Excellent photographs and even more outstanding anecdotes of cats and their people. Loved everything about this book. Pawsitively purrfect for ailurophiles! I had not heard of this book until I read ‘Cat Got Your Tongue?’ by this author and saw ‘Cats of the World’ mentioned in her bio. The title immediately caught my eye, and as my library had this in stock, I sprang to get it just as quickly as a cat might jump at a dangling feather toy. What a delight it has been! Hannah Shaw, popularly known as ‘Kitten Lady’ , is a kitten rescuer and feline educator. Her husband Andrew Marttila is a professional animal photographer specialising in cats. They write cat-themed books and also run a kitten welfare non-profit. The two of them travelled to thirty countries across the continen...

AUTHOR: Niall Williams GENRE: Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: September 5, 2019 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A literary fiction about a small Irish town and the changes it sees. A thinly-spread minimal plot, but what amazing writing and interesting characters! A book for those who savour the journey instead of rushing towards the destination. Plot Preview: (Not much of a plot to preview this time.) The story is set in the 1950s in a nondescript Irish village called Faha, so forgotten that electricity has still not reached it. Seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe, who stays with his grandparents, states how nothing ever changed in Faha, including the ceaseless rain. But now, some big changes are coming up. The rain has stopped and electricity is on its way to the village. Noel’s grandparents have taken in a sixty-something lodger named Christy, who will be helping Faha navigate the electrification process. Unknown to Fahaians, Christy also has a personal agenda in choosing to come to ...

AUTHOR: Chris Bohjalian SERIES: Alibis Collection, #4 GENRE: Short Story PUBLICATION DATE: June 2, 2025 RATING: 0.5 stars. In a Nutshell: The fourth story in the Alibis collection. The first chapter is the only one worth reading. Which isn’t a good thing for a story of eleven chapters. No thrills, no major surprises, not much action, not even any alibi. Can be safely skipped. Plot Preview: (Too bored to write sensible sentences, so bear with the below gibberish.) Two skydivers – one fatal incident – one key witness – many contradictions. Two brothers – one dead father – one farm – many arguments. Both the above tracks come to us in alternating chapters and are interlinked. This is the fourth standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with.” In my review for the third story, I declared it “the weakest story of the series so far.” I had to put my foot in my mouth and jinx the ...

AUTHOR & NARRATOR: Bonnie Solomon SERIES: Pearly Gates, #1 GENRE: Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: May 19, 2025 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A fantasy spanning life and afterlife featuring a drag queen at the helm. Creative plot, great found-family vibes, vibrant characters but tough-to-like main character and a bit OTT in language and behaviour. Recommended but not to all. Plot Preview: Pearly Gates, a cosmic entity who was a drag queen in her earlier life, is facing two major issues: 1. Her job as cosmic sanitation worker is in the dumps. ( Pun intended .); 2. Her soulmate Thunder has just ditched her for being emotionally backward. So when a burnt-out spirit guide hands over to Pearly his pending caseload of three struggling humans, she hopes to solve both the issues by helping the humans get their act together, and thus get a more fulfilling career and win Thunder back. Unfortunately, things are much more complicated than they initially appear, and Pearly finds herself battling ...

AUTHOR: R.J. Palacio SERIES: Wonder GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2019 RATING: 5 stars. In a Nutshell: A graphic novel connected to the outstanding ‘Wonder’ world. Impeccable plot, illustrations, and message. Much recommended. Can be read as a standalone. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana. I am sure most avid readers have heard of RJ Palacio’s fabulous book, ‘Wonder’. ( And if you have heard of it but haven’t read it, dismissing it as children’s/middle-grade fiction, rectify your mistake right away and get to the book! ) Auggie’s three classmates – Charlotte, Christopher, and Julian – got their own spinoff novel in ‘Auggie & Me’. In Julian’s arc, we saw a glimpse of his Grandmère, who touched upon an incident from her younger years. This graphic novel takes a detailed look at that memory. By some strange quirk of fate, this graphic novel first arrived in my life a few years ago as an audiobook. I had absolutely ...

AUTHOR: David Lagercrantz TRANSLATOR: Elizabeth DeNoma SERIES: Alibis Collection, #3 GENRE: Short Story. PUBLICATION DATE: June 2, 2025 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: The third story in the Alibis collection and the weakest one so far. The whole story struck a false note in all aspects except for pacing. My feelings are hence quite discordant. Plot Preview: William’s father is a renowned opera singer in Stockholm. Since childhood, William has seen not just his father’s fame but also his secret side: his vanity, his temper, his alcoholism, and his physical cruelty towards women. As an adult, William finally has a life and a love of his own, but even now, his father casts a long shadow over him. When William’s girlfriend Ebba decides that they ought to meet his father and settle the issues of the past, their lives change in an unexpected direction. This is the third standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a...

AUTHOR: Moira Macdonald GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: June 3, 2025 RATING: 3.5 stars In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction about a misunderstanding that lasts too long. Character-driven, with some well-sketched characters in the lead. Interesting story, though it is built upon a plot hole. Slightly slow-paced and repetitive. Recommended but not to all. Better if not read as a romance, and definitely not as a romcom, despite that cutesy cover. Plot Preview: Seattle. April, who works from home in a tech job, finds herself increasingly lonely. In desperation, she leaves an anonymous love note for Westley, an employee of a local indie bookstore whose job is to sort out the piles of used books. However, Westley, who is lost in his own issues, doesn’t even notice the note, and when he sells the book to Laura, a middle-aged single mom who hasn’t even considered dating after the death of her husband five years back, she assumes that he has written the note for her. Thus begins...

AUTHOR: Emily Norris ILLUSTRATOR: Malgorzata Detner GENRE: Music. PUBLICATION DATE: July 15, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A beginner’s set of holiday songs for the piano. Easy enough, but basic music knowledge is required. Recommended to those who can sight-read notes on the two clefs. I had read this author’s earlier book, ‘My First Piano Lessons’ last year and found it very helpful as a beginner’s guide to playing on the piano. This book, the third in her Beginners series, takes the journey to the next level. The book contains music sheets for twenty-five Christmas songs. Many of the songs are classic carols, but there are a few relatively unknown inclusions as well. The carols are fairly divided between religious carols (Come to the manger, The First Noel,…) and generic holiday songs (We Wish You a Merry Christmas, The Holly and the Ivy,…) The overall variety is quite good. The initial hand positions and note letters have been clearly indicated at the top of each song sheet...

AUTHOR: M.J. Buckman GENRE: General Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: July 1, 2025 RATING: 1.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction about a middle-aged library assistant who discovers a new purpose in life after learning about some unknown historical women through letters. This book could have been outstanding given its premise, but the execution was truly lacklustre in every way, whether writing or plot development or character detailing or the “letters”. I am so disappointed at the missed opportunity because with better writing and editing, this would have been an easy recommendation to make. Plot Preview: Helena, who is in her mid-fifties, is a library assistant but not so happy with her job as it isn't exactly what she thought it would be – she truly thought she would get more time to read. When a library patron, eighty-six-year-old Cynthia, comes to Helena with a series of letters collected by her late historian daughter and written by unknown women achievers from across hist...

AUTHOR: Yuu Minaduki GENRE: Manga PUBLICATION DATE: April 15, 2025 RATING: 1.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A yaoi manga about trauma and grief and hope and moving on. Tremendous promise, tremendous disappointment. Lacklustre in almost every way. This is an outlier review. Plot Preview: After the sudden death of his parents and his sister in an accident, Yuichi finds himself the sole guardian of his seven-year-old nephew Ayumu. Seeking a fresh start, the two move into a new neighbourhood with the ocean nearby. Yuichi hopes that the serenity of the location will help them both find peace and bonding. As Yuichi’s skills in the kitchen are less than ideal, the two frequent the neighbourhood deli, run by Ryo. Yuichi and Ryo soon become close, but it is clear that their individual pasts still hold much trauma. Bookish Yays: 🌊 Ayumu. 66.67% of my star rating is for him. 🌊 It’s standalone, unlike most manga. 🌊 The artwork. Quite good. Probably the saving grace for those who enjoy manga-style...