Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Ryoko Iwata GENRE: Graphic Novel, Humour PUBLICATION DATE: April 7, 2015 RATING: 3.75 stars. I picked this up because of three reasons: the catchy title, the 4+ Goodreads rating, and the short length (just 96 illustrated pages). Ryoko Iwata brings together an eclectic collection of facts and trivia about coffee. A one-time read, it is quite appealing to coffeecionados. It hardly takes any time to go through, so coffee lovers, feel free to give it a shot. On a sidenote, it contains a teeny snippet about Black Ivory Coffee that is just yuck! Enough to make one give up coffee for life! 🤢🤢

AUTHOR: Howard Schultz GENRE: Business, Memoir PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 1997 RATING: 3.25 stars. Howard D. Schultz served as the chairman and CEO of the Starbucks Corporation from 1986 to 2000, and then again from 2008 to 2017. USA TODAY has called him “the Bill Gates of Coffee.” This book was written in 1997, just a few years before he first stepped down from the active role of CEO of Starbucks and became its Chairman. Schultz comes from humble origins and is a self-made billionaire courtesy his stint with Starbucks. He wasn't the creator of the coffee megabrand but took it over and expanded it to the worldwide scale it runs on today. The book does make you wonder where Starbucks would have been if he hadn't envisaged bigger dreams for a company he wasn't even part of. Schultz is a marketer at his core, and hence he speaks like a marketer. He has a little bit of pomposity and comes off as very self-congratulatory. Nevertheless, the book makes for interesting reading, t...

AUTHOR: Giovanni Di Gregorio ILLUSTRATOR: Alessandro Barbucci TRANSLATOR: L. Benson SERIES: Les Soeurs Grémillet, #1 GENRE: Graphic Novel. PUBLICATION DATE: July 15, 2020 RATING: 3.5 stars. Sometimes, books that are picked up on a whim turn out to be pleasant surprises. This was one of them. The Gremillet sisters are a trio with each individual having strong and distinct characteristics. Sarah, the eldest, is the nurturer. Cassiopeia, the middle sibling is the dreamer, and the youngest Lucille is an animal lover. They have tussles with each other like typical sisters do, but what unites them is their quest to find out about Sarah's Dream. The whole story goes by in a jiffy. The illustrations are absolutely awesome and the ending is quite unexpected. Overall, a very interesting read. I just wish the eldest had been given some fancier name. Next to Cassiopeia and Lucille, Sarah sounds positively bland. However, that's a minor quibble. The story and the writing definitely make the...

AUTHOR: Yamile Saied Méndez GENRE: YA Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: September 15, 2020 RATING: 3 stars. Furia is a debut YA novel by Yamile Saied Mendez. It tells the story of Camila Hassan, a seventeen year old from Argentina who wants to be a footballer. Coming from a family of an abusive father, a suppressed mother and a popular brother, Camilla turns into the fierce "la Furia" on the football ground. Her talent is doubtless; her circumstances are what she had to conquer in order to fulfill her dreams. I had heard much about this book but after completing it, I'm left with mixed feelings. Camilla is a confusing character. I have seen reviews saying that this book is about female empowerment and that Camilla is a role model for young girls. To a certain extent, I would agree with that sentiment. She is strong, talented and determined, and has a pretty clear idea of where she wants to be. However, I didn't connect with the methods she uses to reach her goals...

AUTHORS: The Hive GENRE: Anthology PUBLICATION DATE: October 28, 2020 RATING: 4 stars. "Tea with a Drop of Honey" is a collection of 28 stories of love, hope and inspiration. Like the tagline itself says, these are "Stories to Soothe You". With 28 skillful raconteurs contributing to this book, the writing seemed as impressive as always. The book cover provides you a glimpse of some of the old-world charm you can expect, but the stories don't restrict themselves to what the cover indicates. I was pleasantly surprised by the vast range covered by the tales. I somehow had this picture of the book being an Indian fiction version of Chicken Soup for the Soul. But the stories are an eclectic motley, ranging in themes from family to friendship, lockdowns to holidays, romance to breakups, reality to fantasy, archaic times to postmodern scenarios. In that sense, it went far beyond what I had expected from this collection. First time ever that I enjoyed Tea more than Chic...

AUTHOR & NARRATOR: Christopher Lloyd GENRE: Children's Nonfiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 4, 2018 RATING: 5 stars! What a fabulous listening experience this has been! I never thought listening to an encyclopaedic book would be so much fun. Christopher Lloyd, the author, has done a great job narrowing down the entire 13.8 billion year history of planar earth into one book. His writing is simple, straightforward and detailed without being cumbersome on the reader. The book is enlightening, and I hope to get my hands on the hard copy soon. Christopher Lloyd, the narrator, has done a brilliant job rendering his writing into speech. His voice is well-defined, his speech clearly enunciated, and his narration well-enthused. My mind didn't waver from the narration at all. This was a 5/5 from me. I look forward to the next book in the series as mentioned by the author in the outro. "Absolutely Everything Else" sounds like a delightful continuation and here's a guaran...

AUTHOR: Suraj Yengde GENRE: Memoir, History PUBLICATION DATE: July 22, 2019 RATING: 4 stars. If you try searching for the genre of this book on Google or Goodreads, the answer that is thrown up is "Autobiography". But when I picked up this book, I found that it isn't as much of an autobiography as it is a call for action, a manifesto if you will. I had seen an interview of Dr. Yengde where he says, "I challenge every Indian to take their own shit in their hands and hold it for a few seconds. You won't be able to do it. And you expect others to get into your shit and clean it for you." That was one heck of a statement and he blew me away with his candour. This book came on my radar soon after. Dr. Yengde knows his content well, no doubt about that at all. Caste Matters gives a great deal of information into the historical caste system, and how it is practised even today. This book is a treasure trove of insights: known, forgotten and suppressed. The passion t...

AUTHOR: George M. Johnson GENRE: Memoir PUBLICATION DATE: April 28, 2020 RATING: 4 stars. Just look at the title and the cover. It is impossible to resist the challenge it throws at the reader. The book just screams: Pick me up if you dare. The moment I saw the cover and title, I knew I'd read this book. George M. Johnson is a New York-based writer-cum-activist. There are two things that go against him in general public opinion: he is black, and he is gay. This book narrates the struggles he has faced all through his life, the trauma, the repercussions, the challenges, and the opportunities. As the tagline suggests, the book isn't just a memoir but also a manifesto. The author confesses his deepest, darkest fears and secrets and also declares how he overcame them. In many of the chapters, he includes advice to young people facing the same issues on how to deal with this identity crisis. So, how does it fare against the expectations it creates? The book is powerful and impactfu...

AUTHOR: Toshikazu Kawaguchi TRANSLATOR: Geoffrey Trousselot SERIES: Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1 GENRE: Magical Realism, Japanese. PUBLICATION DATE: December 6, 2015 RATING: 3.25 stars. This book has a very interesting premise where coffee comes not just in the title but plays an important role in the story. It talks of a unique cafe in Japan, where drinking a special coffee from a particular seat in the cafe allows you to travel in time. The book goes into the time travel aspect without going all technical about it. Whatever comes across as a loophole in typical sci-fi time travel books is explained away with a rule. The book is a decent read, while not being outstanding. The stories are really appealing but the writing style should have been crisper. The author meanders along the side lanes of the story while you are desperately waiting to get onto the expressway. The biggest confusion for me was with the names of the characters. There are so many names beginning with the letter ...

AUTHOR: Isabel Wilkerson GENRE: Nonfiction PUBLICATION DATE: August 4, 2020 RATING: 5 stars. When my daughter asked me what book I was reading and I replied "Caste", her next question was "Is it by an Indian author?" We all have this idea that India alone grapples with caste-based problems, that the US and other countries primarily face racial or religious issues. This book convincingly proves that idea a delusion. Let me borrow the introductory paragraph from an article published on "The Print" website on 23rd August 2020, the article that first introduced me to this book. /quote/ Oprah Winfrey’s book clubs are legendary. So, when Oprah sent out a new book to 100 American CEOs and 400 leaders soon after the transformative #BlackLivesMatters protest and called it the most important book club selection ever, the world had to pay attention. And when that book mentions ‘India’ 136 times, it becomes mandatory reading for us. And yet Caste: The Origins of Our D...

AUTHOR: Leslie Tall Manning GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 2, 2019 RATING: 3.75 stars. Knock On Wood tells the story of William Baker, a lad whose life undergoes a drastic turnaround after an accident. What impact would a devastating experience have on the mind of the sufferer and the people around him forms the essence of the story. Knock on Wood is told from multiple perspectives: William, his brother, his mother, his close friends, his employer,... All help in taking the story forward. The characters are clearly etched out and each has a distinct personality that is consistent throughout the book. This is a big achievement considering the number of characters the story has. The start is fabulous but then the story dips into too many characters and descriptions before again regaining its momentum. At a mammoth 530 pages and 106 chapters, it is not an easy ride. And in spite of the length, the ending seems abrupt. But on the positive side, the chapters are shor...

AUTHOR: Kameel Vohra ILLUSTRATOR: Alvin Adhi GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: September 17, 2020 RATING: 4.25 stars. Such a sweet little book! Just a few pages long and it still manages to pack a punch. The book teaches an important lesson to children how not to judge based on appearances and how our assumptions are often wrong. The words are very simple and thus easy to read for early readers.  The illustrations are also very cute. I appreciate how the author deliberately chose to have two lead characters of colour. That choice itself broke a stereotype of having white lead characters.  Definitely recommended for all little ones! I received an advance review copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHOR: Amanda Lovelace SERIES: things that h(a)unt #2 GENRE: Poetry PUBLICATION DATE: September 17, 2019 RATING: 4 stars. I've read "Break Your Glass Slippers" by Amanda Lovelace and fell in love with her unique poetic style. So when I saw this title amid the Goodreads search results, I knew I'd enjoy it. The ghost in the title refers to Amanda Lovelace's deceased mother, with whom she had a turbulent relationship. All her angst and trauma seems to come pouring out in the poems. It is a beautiful and heartrending book.  Read "Break Your Glass Slippers" too if you want to discover more of fabulous Amanda Lovelace poetry.

AUTHOR: Gita V. Reddy GENRE: Indian cultural fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: August 27, 2020 RATING: 3.25 stars. The Morning Star narrates the story of Sudha, a married woman who unexpectedly finds herself in charge of the future of a newborn baby girl. The death of the baby's mother and the heinous intentions of her alcoholic father make Sudha take drastic steps to ensure the little one's wellbeing. How far can Sudha go for someone else's child? Will her family bear the brunt of her decisions? The title refers to the baby girl, named after the Indian name for the morning star, Arundhati. In Indian mythology, Arundhati was the wife of the sage Vashista, and they were considered an ideal couple, their marriage a symbol of love and loyalty. Sudha's love for the baby Arundhati makes her take all decisions with a fierce singlemindedness that at times goes against her own family's wishes or needs. The book starts off as a family drama, slowly turning into covid fiction and fi...

AUTHOR: Edith Wharton GENRE: Drama, Classic. PUBLICATION DATE: October 25, 1920 RATING: 3.75 stars. Everyone has read books on the British elite. Here's one classic about the American elite. No matter which country, the thinking, the pseudo morality and the snobbery remains the same in the prudish elite of old who delight in gossip and scandals of others while trying to protect their own name. A very good read in spite of its age. I liked that it was from the pov of a male character unlike most other books in this genre. The book provides an insight into the farcical lives of the Americans of those days who wanted to be independent of the British but ended up having the same attitude towards tradition.

AUTHOR: Nesrine Sleiman ILLUSTRATOR: Pixel Ink Studio GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: September 24, 2020 RATING: 2.75 stars. Lemar is an excited girl as she is going to get a pet for her birthday, which is on the next day. She finds a gem in her garden, and at night, goes to sleep, wondering if it is magical. So, is the gem really magical? Are all the creatures she sees real? The book is interesting enough to appeal to children but the end will leave them a bit unhappy as an important plot point isn't resolved at all. There are many animals introduced in the book and that's a good way of getting children to know about fauna. The illustrations were average, I didn't find them much appealing. Overall, a decent book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHOR: Elena Paige GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy. PUBLICATION DATE: September 19, 2019. RATING: 3.25 stars. I was quite excited when I was opting for this book as the title, the story and the Goodreads rating were all quite appealing. My feelings about the book were quite contradictory to the general opinion on Goodreads and hence I asked my 12 year old daughter (an advanced reader) to give her opinion on the book. Thus this feedback has two distinct parts. My daughter's opinion: She enjoyed the book to a great extent. She found the visuals of the book quite awesome such as the description of 66 Lilly Pilly and its magical inside. She also admired the fact that the author didn't resort to stereotypes while describing the magical creatures. The fairies, the elf, the goblin: none fitted the typical mould of these characters. What most resonated with her was the lesson that other than being selfish or selfless, there was a third possibility: self-care. She was disappointed at the e...

AUTHOR: Neil Gaiman SERIES: London Below, #1 GENRE: Urban Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: September 16, 1996 RATING: 4.75 stars. I never thought Neil Gaiman could surprise me any more. I never thought it possible to be a bigger fan of the man. I was totally wrong, and boy, am I glad about it! 🤩 What writing! What imagination! What a vocabulary! He floors you away with the fantastical phantasmagoria he creates in Neverwhere. The story, the plot progression, the atmosphere, the words, the characters....ooh, especially the characters! I could reread this book yet again just to relive the thrill of reading through Vandemar and Croup's interactions! They are among the best bad guys I've seen in fiction. My only crib was that I couldn't read as far as I usually do; every sentence in the first half has so many hidden nuances that I had to go slow and steady. But it really picks up pace in the second half and you end up on a high. Now let's hope the planned sequel about the Seven Si...

AUTHOR: Jean Lafille GENRE: Children's Picture Book. PUBLICATION DATE: April 26, 2020 RATING: 3.75 stars. A slightly different tale of how a young girl is depressed after moving to a new house. While her parents try the usual way of satisfying her with material gifts, what she really wants is something else. The book highlights the importance of sharing your feelings with your parents and why you must not keep anything bottled up. "Treat parents as your friends and they will definitely help you" is the clear message. It was a good story with colourful illustrations and can be independently read by children 5+. I received an Advance Review Copy of the book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUTHORS: Arthy Muthanna Singh & Mamta Nainy GENRE: Children's Nonfiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 1, 2019 RATING: 3.25 stars. The title of the book isn't exactly accurate. Not all the places mentioned are strange or mysterious. Some are just interesting. Pros: * Fabulous information about some really great unknown places of India. Anytime interested in history or fun facts will find a treasure trove of information in this book. Cons: * Pictures of the places would have been so helpful. The book contains only a couple of crude illustrations in every chapter. Considering the fact that this is a children's book, this problem is greater. Especially after the cover so cutely illustrates many of the places mentioned. * The content has no logical flow in many places. It looks like it has been haphazardly put together. Better organising and editing of the content was really required. Overall, a decent read if you are looking for knowledge. But not interesting enough for kids.