Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Meg Shaffer GENRE: Fantasy-Romance PUBLICATION DATE: April 7, 2026 RATING: 1 star. In a Nutshell: A book-about-books fantasy featuring the titular book witch. After the super-interesting start, this absolutely didn’t go the way I expected it to. Too much of insta-love. OTT dialogues, absurd plot twists, and immature characters. I enjoyed this author’s first two novels but simply couldn’t connect with this one. This is an outlier review. Plot Preview: Despite her youth, twenty-five-year-old Rainy March has been a book witch for more than a decade. She follows all the rules of the profession seriously, including the one about ensuring that fictional characters and the real world do not intersect. But when she is sent on assignment into the book series starring the Duke of Chicago, her favourite book character, she forgets all the rules and ends up in a relationship with him. When this is discovered by the head witch, Rainy is forbidden from interacting with the fictional characte...

AUTHOR: Rocío Bonilla SERIES: Babymoni GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: April 21, 2026 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A lovely picture book containing a story-within-a-story and raising some pertinent questions. Adorable characters and illustrations in two styles. Might be a bit tricky plot for younger kids to comprehend independently, but it can be an excellent resource for discussions. Definitely recommended. Plot Preview: Minimoni’s class is putting up a year-end school play on the story of “St. George and the Dragon”. However, as Minimoni and her friends read the story, they realise that it contains several problematic elements. Is there any point in enacting these old stories that don’t fit into modern values? This story was originally published in Catalan/Spanish under the title “Quina animalada d’història, Minimoni?” in 2025. This English translation was published in 2026. This is the second book I’ve read featuring Minimoni, and it ended up much better t...

AUTHOR: Kate Quinn GENRE: Urban Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: February 26, 2026 RATING: 2.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary magical realism novel featuring a magical library. Starts fabulous, but after a point, turns tedious. Annoying lead character. Great world-building, poor character development, decent plot development. Too many coincidences. Too much social commentary, even though it’s for a worthy cause. Feels like YA at times, though it is an adult book with dark themes. I love this author, but I might stick to her historical fiction works now onwards. Recommended to NA readers. Plot Preview: Twenty-six-year-old Alix, once a foster child and now juggling three dead-end jobs to barely eke out a living, usually takes refuge in her favourite place, the Boston Public Library, and dives into a fantasy novel to help her escape, at least in her thoughts. But today when she visits the library, she stumbles through a hidden door into a section she had never seen before. In this magical...

AUTHOR: Jane Davis SERIES: The Chiswell Street Chronicles #2 GENRE: Historical Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: March 2, 2026 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical literary fiction about a bookseller couple. Based on a true story. Character-oriented storytelling. Excellent research, sensible writing, admirable depiction of 1780s-90s England. A book about books, but the books alluded to were too esoteric for me. Somewhat conversation-dominated at times, which doesn’t always work for me. The second book of the Chiswell Street Chronicles duology, and better read in series order. Definitely recommended. Plot Preview: 1780. London. Dorcas and James Lackington are ready to put their dream into action: to create a reading space where no one will feel out of place by their gender or occupation or social class. They believe that books are the best way out of poverty, which is also proven by James’ rise to his position as a successful independent bookseller. So they launch a daring soci...

AUTHOR: Lisa Papp SERIES: Madeline Finn, #4 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 12, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: The fourth and final book of the Madeline Finn series. The content and the tone are different this time, as can be guessed from the title. Not directly faith-oriented, but it does include the ritual of the blessing of animals. The story and the message are still lovely though, as are the illustrations. Recommended. Plot Preview: It’s a special day. Madeline and her mom are taking Star and Bonnie to the annual Blessing of the Animals. The reverend at the park offers a special blessing to all the animals turn by turn, which leaves Madeline feeling awed. Madeline knows that there are more animals who deserve the blessing, but they are all at the animal shelter. With a long line of animals still at the park awaiting their turn, the reverend cannot leave. So she passes on to Madeline a special gift and message, and Madeline is happy to pass i...

AUTHOR:  Eva Glyn SERIES: Bookish Escapes, #3 GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: January 16, 2026 RATING:  3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction set on a floating library travelling across the Croatian islands. Character-oriented, slow-paced. Good use of the found family trope. More focus on the humans behind the library than the library itself. Some great themes, but slightly repetitive at times. A few scenes felt unnecessary. Not much romance, which I appreciate. A nice choice for fans of the genre.  Plot Preview: Thirty-five-year-old Ana Meštrović has accepted a new government contract to use her catamaran as a library carrying books across various islands of Croatia. She needs to make this project a success so that she can prove to her parents that she can have her own career independent of their oyster farming business.  Two new crew members will join Ana for this summer project: fifty-three-year-old British national Lloyd – the l...

AUTHOR: Lisa Papp SERIES: Madeline Finn, #3 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2020 RATING: 5 howls-of-happiness stars! In a Nutshell: The third picture book in the Madeline Finn series, and just as beautiful and impactful. I’ve run out of adjectives to praise this series, so just go for it. Plot Preview: Star has a test, and Madeline is doing everything she can to prepare him for it. On the big day, Madeline and Star are off to Walker Oaks, a retirement community, where Star will be tested on his potential as a therapy dog. The tests have a smooth start, and Madeline’s mom is confident that Star did well. But Madeline herself can't help but think about an elderly man in a wheelchair who never smiled or looked their way. Can Star do better with him? Can she help in any way? The story comes to us in Madeline’s first-person perspective. By now, I expect the sun and the moon and the *Star* from this book series, and it delivers every time! Yet again, the...

AUTHOR: Lisa Papp SERIES: Madeline Finn, #2 GENRE: Children's Picture Book PUBLICATION DATE: March 1, 2019 RATING: Ten loud-yelps-of-joy stars! In a Nutshell: OMG, this picture book, y’all! I loved it so much! Amazing in every way – story, graphics, emotions, and message. The first picture book ever to make me cry. Much, much recommended! Second in the Madeline Finn series, but works as a standalone. Plot Preview: Ever since Madeline’s life changed after meeting Bonnie the library dog, she has been begging her mother for a puppy of her own. Mum has finally said “Yes!” Thrilled, Madeline and her mother go to the library to select one of Bonnie’s puppies as a pet. Instead, one of Bonnie’s puppies ends up choosing Madeline, and she happily names him Star. When Mrs. Dimple, the librarian and Bonnie’s owner, tells Madeline about animal shelters as being the other place where pets come from, Madeline and her mom visit the shelter. There, the little girl is distressed to see the lonely a...

AUTHOR: Deborah Hext GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: July 28, 2025 RATING: 1 star. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fantasy about the magic of storytelling. Had excellent potential, but the execution needs much more finetuning. The story-within-a-story part is somewhat decent, but the plot development, the writing style and the fantastical content could have worked far better for me. Plot Preview. Cornwall. Present day ( I think... There’s mention of social media. ) Thanks to her late Storyteller father, eleven-year-old Tamsyn has always known the power of stories. Living with a foster mom and her other wards isn't the same as being with her own parents, but they are all still a close-knit and loving group. Tamsyn uses her storytelling skills to enthral her foster siblings. When a stranger arrives at their doorstep claiming that the magic of the world is being destroyed and Tamsyn is the only one who can save them, the young girl learns for the first time that stories co...

AUTHOR: Sue Heath GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: August 1, 2025 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction implementing the found family trope in a library setting. Nice range of characters in terms of age and personality. A plot that befits the genre. Story-within-a-story, though the sub-story didn’t work well for me. Overall, good for fans of feel-good fiction. Plot Preview: When there’s an inter-library writing competition announced, Hattie, a widow and a regular patron of the library these days, is immediately interested. Contest rules specify that there needs to be a group of four members penning a novella-length work. Librarian Will, newly back in town for a family matter, isn't given a choice; Hattie forces him to join in. Avril, who has some struggles at home and is worried about her future, and Stuart, newly retired and wondering what to do with his time, form the rest of Hattie’s team. Each of them is a relative stranger to each other, and ha...

AUTHOR: Devoney Looser GENRE: Literature, Biography PUBLICATION DATE: September 2, 2025 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A nonfiction investigation of the ‘wildness’ contained in Austen’s writing, her life, and in the extraneous ventures capitalising on her name. Thus divided into three sections, the first section was easily my favourite. The second was a bit boring and the third went the mixed way. Might work for some Austen fans, though this Austenite was only partly impressed. Given that 2025 has the 250th birth anniversary of the evergreen Jane Austen, there are plenty of books coming out this year celebrating Austen and her timeless works. As a huge fan of all of Austen’s writing, I feel like I have a bonanza of Austen nonfiction to choose from. I have read three such titles so far. I loved ‘ Jane Austen’s Bookshelf ’ and found ‘ The Wicked Wit of Jane Austen ’ decent enough. This book, however, wasn't that easy to rate. I absolutely loved some chapters and was thoroughly bore...