Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Lisa Westberg Peters ILLUSTRATOR: Serge Bloch GENRE: Children's Picture Book, Science RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A great concept but will work better in conjugation with other resources on the topic. This is a picture book that has various poems on physics-based concepts. These come from the relationship between a boy and his dog. The dog’s antics and the boy’s reactions provide little readers with practical instances on topics such as friction, energy, matter, magnetism, and so on. There are extensive notes at the end of the book on each of the topics. I loved the concept of the book. Physics can be a bit intimidating to grasp for beginners, so the idea of using a child and a dog to explain difficult concepts is quite appealing. The poems are written in a straightforward and entertaining way. Most of the physics terms come out wonderfully through the verses. That said, a couple of the concepts (for example, energy and electricity) aren’t explained in their more popula...

AUTHOR: Chiang-Sheng Kuo TRANSLATORS: Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-Chun Lin GENRE: Literary Ficton. RATING: 3.5 Stars. In a Nutshell: Good in bits and pieces, but as a whole, it didn’t work much for me. The writing is a treat to the senses, but the nonlinear flow and abstract hops across people and timeframes made this a tricky read. Story Synopsis: Lin San is an old widower mourning the death of his young wife Emily. In a subconscious quest towards healing the present grief and past hurts, he ends up getting close to the narrator of this story, the piano tuner who remains unnamed for most of the book. However, the piano tuner has secrets of his own, and through his thoughts, we discover a tale of broken dreams and shattered hopes, and the impact these have on their harbourers. The story is written in a random mix of first person (the piano tuner) and third person (Lin San and a couple of other characters.) While the story begins with a focus on Lin San, we realise as it progresses...

AUTHOR: Heather Fawcett SERIES: Emily Wilde, #1 GENRE: Fantasy. RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An entertaining and quirky read that will work well for fantasy readers. Well-carved characters, interesting writing. Gets a bit dark at times. Story Synopsis: 1909. Thirty-year-old Cambridge Professor Dr. Emily Wilde lives life with a single-minded purpose – she wishes to complete her encyclopaedia of Faerie Folk and does all she can to complete this goal, even if it means suffering the company of other people, the most irritating of whom is her colleague and rival Wendell Bambleby. When she arrives in the remote village of Hrafnsvik, she has no desire to mingle with its denizens. However, soon she realises that Hrafnsvik is full of Fae mysteries and to unlock them, she needs the support of its residents. When the ever-charming Bambleby also turns up at the village, Emily knows she has to make some tough choices. The story comes to use through Emily’s (first person) entries in the journ...

AUTHOR: Silvia Moreno-Garcia GENRE: Short Story RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A short survival story based in Mexico in 1917 during the revolution. Good story, bad title. Story Synopsis: Our first-person narrator is a brave young girl who loves adventures and playing with boys. Her elder brother, contrary to her, loves books. Living at a time when revolutionary soldiers have made their routine life difficult, the siblings know to escape into a nearby cave in the mountains when the soldiers come around with their demands. However, one night in the cave, there is a mysterious visitor… Imagine how nice it would have been if reading my synopsis would have made you curious to know who the visitor was. But thanks to the silly title, you can already guess its identity. Sheesh! The “visit” doesn’t even happen until the final section of this tiny 28 page story, so the title somewhat kills the entire suspense. If I hadn’t been waiting for the tiger to pop up, I would have enjoyed the scene...

AUTHOR: Edith Wharton GENRE: Short Story, Classic. RATING: 4 stars. A satirical short story focussing on the pretentious attitude of a group of women in an elite club. ‘The Lunch Club’ was founded by a few “huntresses of erudition” to pursue culture as a group. After a few successful years, they now host distinguished strangers to further their quest for knowledge. The only thorn in the side of this all-women group is Mrs. Roby, whose membership had been accepted on recommendation of an erudite professor, but who was now proving to be a hurdle in the club’s intellectual pursuits. When noted author Osric Dane visits the club as an esteemed guest, the visit turns out quite the opposite of what was expected as Dane too turns out to be a cultural snob. Somehow, the topic of ‘Xingu’ comes up for discussion. Each woman is now determined to prove that she is familiar with the offbeat topic. So what is Xingu? Read and find out. The writing starts off slowly, but Wharton does a splendid job of ...

AUTHOR: Trent Dalton GENRE: Non-fiction Anthology. RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An unusual anthology of love stories. Before you go, ‘What’s unusual about love stories?’, let me tell you that these tales are not fictional but factual, collected from random strangers whom the author met in Brisbane in a two month period after the lockdown was relaxed in 2021. When his friend’s mom passed away, she left author Trent Dalton an old but well-maintained Olivetti typewriter. Dalton wanted to use this gift of love for a special purpose, and what better purpose could there be than to use it to collect more stories of love? Thus Dalton sat with his typewriter on a Brisbane street, asking random passers-by, ‘Can you please tell me a love story?’ Their responses form this book. (I was quite impressed at the multitude of nationalities staying in Brisbane. So many people from so many countries!) The problem with the word ‘love’ is that our minds immediately jump to romance. But the real-life a...

AUTHOR: Shehan Karunatilaka NARRATOR: Shivantha Wijesinha GENRE: Literary Fiction, Low Fantasy. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A stark look at the political and social situation in late 1980s Sri Lanka but in a satirical-cum-fantastical packaging. After a long time, I found a Booker winner that focusses on plot progression as much as writing flourishes. Worth a read even for those wary of such award winners. (Just in case it’s still not clear, I am not a Booker winner fan.) Story Synopsis: 1990, Colombo. Maali Almeida – war photographer, gambler, and closet homosexual – is dead. He doesn’t know how he died, when or where he died, or even if someone killed him. After all, his job puts him into regular skirmishes with the various factions , both legal and illegal, governing over Sri Lanka. All Maali knows is that he is in some kind of divine administrative building that processes dead souls. He is told that he has seven moons to set his affairs in order before he needs to walk towards t...

AUTHOR: Smriti Prasadam-Halls ILLUSTRATOR: Alison Brown GENRE: Children's Picture Book. RATING: 4 stars. A cute story about who gives the BEST hug. The child narrator is on the lookout for the “very best hug”. He tries various animals from koalas to rhinos to seahorses to skunks. Some hugs are good, some are okay. But after a long search, he realises that the best hugs come from much closer to home. While the ending of the story is easy to guess, the journey to the discovery is fun. It was nice to see a wide range of wild animals in the content, ranging from popular ones such as koalas and rhinos and monkeys, to the exotic such as narwhals and porcupines and walruses. Surprisingly there were no pets or farm animals such as dogs, cats, horses or cows. I would have assumed these to be the first choice of a child searching for memorable hugs. Oh well! The content is written in rhythmic prose. While the rhymes are a tad forced at times, they work mostly well for the book. The vocabular...

AUTHOR: Maria McDonald GENRE: Drama. RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: Good premise, but I didn’t enjoy the writing. I am very much an outlier in my opinions. Story Synopsis: September, 2020. After a long stint with the Irish Army, Brian is looking forward to a retired life with his wife Jean in their new home. While clearing out their current army-issued house, he stumbles upon a cabinet in a far corner of the attic, wherein there are three journals, each dating to the early twentieth century. One journal is written by Arthur, one by Edith, and one by Henry. Who are these three people, and how have their journals ended up in Brian’s house? What makes this quest more intriguing is that one of the persons who wrote the journals is a serial killer. The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Brian and Jean, and also of Arthur, Edith and Henry through their journals. Where the book worked for me: ✔ I couldn’t see the ending coming. That was a nice surprise. ✔ The book is prett...

AUTHOR: Huda Fahmy GENRE: Graphic Novel RATING: 3 Stars. In a Nutshell: Good but not outstanding. A decent one-time read. In this collection, Huda Fahmy speaks of her experiences as a Muslim-American woman. The mood across the comics ranges from poignant to funny. That said, only a couple of the comic strips made me laugh out loud. The ‘Muslims in Movies’ series was amusing. But as many of the pages dealt with the non-Muslim American’s response to hijabi Muslims, the experience gets repetitive after a while. I have wanted to read this graphic novel ever since I read Huda Fahmy’s ‘That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story.’ But with high expectations comes disappointment too. This book didn’t create the same impact by far. Better you try TCBA as the author’s personal experiences come out much better in that title. You will also get to know the characters better. The illustrations are in standard Huda Fahmy style – not elaborate but more like doodles. Nothing fancy, but it works for the...

AUTHOR: J.Y. Sam SERIES: The Ingenious Trilogy  GENRE: YA Fantasy RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: WOW! Doesn’t feel indie. Doesn’t feel like a debut work. Doesn’t feel much YA! Enjoyed almost all of it and eagerly awaiting the next in the series. This is the first of a trilogy. Story Synopsis: Milly Bythaway has always been told to hide her genius and dumb down her answers in school so as to blend in the background. Tai Jones lives as a homeless boy after his mother abandoned him. Calista Matheson has always known that she has only beauty and no intellect, until her crush Jake Winters unlocks her hidden potential for computers. After Jake suddenly disappears, Calista falls back on her computing prowess to find out what happened. Meanwhile, a mysterious old scientist contacts Milly and Tai. The teenagers are told a dark secret from their past – one that reveals the source of their intellect, and also brings to light a danger to their lives. The book is written in the limited thir...

AUTHOR: Lesa Cline-Ransome GENRE: YA Historical Drama. RATING: 4.25 Stars. In a Nutshell: Slow but hardhitting. This is one YA book that will work wonderfully even beyond its target age group. Good for literary fiction lovers who like character-oriented fiction. Story Synopsis: Late 1930s. Jackson, Mississippi. Lamb is a young studious girl who is protected at every step by her mother Marion and brother Simeon. Marion is a hardworking seamstress while Simeon is a clever boy who has earned a college scholarship on his own merit. All three of them however have their major flaws. Lamb is naïve, Marion is dominating, and Simeon is impulsive. When Lamb allows a white girl to offer her friendship, their lives will change in an irreparable manner. The story is written in the first person perspective of various characters. Note: Don’t read the blurb if you don’t like spoilers. It reveals almost the entire story! Where the book worked for me: 😍 Have you ever experienced a book that leaves you ...

AUTHOR: Elizabeth Laird ILLUSTRATOR: Mehrdokht Amini GENRE: Children's Anthology RATING: 4.5 Stars. In a Nutshell: An excellent collection of positive folktales. The author states in the foreword that folktales are the ancient wonders of the world. Many of us have grown up reading folktales from various cultures. These stories contain an old-world feel that delivers value and satisfaction beyond time. No wonder then that they are published even today. Here’s one more gem of a folktale anthology available to modern young readers. As the title indicates, this collection contains “folktales for a better world.” The seven stories in this book are all chosen based on their ideology of promoting peace and kindness and humaneness. It is somewhat ironic if you keep in mind that the tales have been chosen from a few of the most troubled countries of the world - Ethiopia, Sudan, Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria. We all know that folktales are sometimes quite dark, and sometimes out...

AUTHOR: Chris Naylor-Ballesteros GENRE: Children's Picture Book RATING: 5 Stars! As amazingly adorable as the first book! 😍 Frank and Bert, best friends extraordinaire, are back. This time, Bert is struggling to ride his bicycle without going all wobbly, and Frank is doing his best to help his big friend perfect his technique. Needless to say, the going is quite tough, and also quite comic. I used to read plenty of kiddie books but decided to take a small break as the content started feeling repetitive. However, when I saw this title on NetGalley, I jumped at it simply on looking at the cover. How I loved these two cuties in the first book ‘Frank and Bert’! I had read it almost exactly a year ago and still remember how much I had laughed at the ending. The duo doesn’t disappoint this time around. The book delivers strong points on friendship, trust, self-confidence, and practice. None of these morals are rammed into the reader but come out through the humorous events on page. Then...

AUTHOR: Sundara Ramaswamy TRANSLATOR: Aniruddhan Vasudevan GENRE: Indian Cultural fiction, Classic. RATING: 3.75 Stars. In a Nutshell: This does have plenty to speak for it. But it is not exactly as promised. I honestly don’t think this book will work for Western readers, even after the meticulous and praiseworthy translation. Indians (especially those from the South of the country) might fare better. Story Synopsis: In a small village in Southern India lies an old tamarind tree, the eye witness to all that happens around it. Damodara Asan, the village eccentric, loves sitting under the tree and narrating interesting incidents to his fascinated audience, the village kids. Through the recollections, we get to see the life in the village and the thinking of the villagers. The story comes to us in the first person perspective of an unnamed narrator, who begins with Asan’s anecdotes and then moves into general incidents that occurred around the tamarind tree. You need to go in the book wit...

AUTHOR: R.S. Maxwell GENRE: Historical Mystery RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: Expected horror. Got a mildly paranormal plot with huge chunks of family drama and romance. Story Synopsis: England, 1940. Ruth Gladstone, a literature student at Cambridge University, is forced to evacuate along with her grandma Edith to a little village named Martynsborough, where they would be staying with Edith’s estranged sister Vera. Ruth expected her country life to be slow and boring; what she didn’t know as that she would be expected to contribute to the daily chores. Furthermore, she soon learns about a ghostly wraith who is once again haunting the villagers at night. While the villagers know to leave the wraith alone, Ruth is enthralled by its presence and wants to know more about it. Along with Malcolm, a neighbour and soldier whose war ended early because of his injuries, Ruth sets about digging the truth behind the wraith’s reappearance after three decades. The story is written in a third perso...

AUTHOR: Laura Lippman GENRE: Short Story, Mystery RATING: 4 stars. An entertaining slow-burner (see what I did there? 😛) short mystery story. Eighteen months ago, Liz Kelsey had promised her cheating husband that she would never spy on him again. However, now she has discovered his secret burner phone, which contains many texts to an unknown number. The recipient is clearly female, and Liz is quite sure it is the same woman with whom he had cheated on her all those months ago. Liz is in a quandary. If she tells her husband about the phone, he will know that she was snooping again. If she doesn’t, he might continue the affair behind her back. What do you think Liz will do? Read and find out. I don’t want to reveal much about the story as it is quite short. It does perfect justice to its title. The writing is slow but interesting. It mainly focusses on Liz’s perspective, with random inclusions of the series of text messages on the burner phone. (Don’t skip reading the texts.) The endin...

AUTHOR: Clare Scopes GENRE: Historical Fiction RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: Could have been outstanding. Ended up as an okay read. The plot was interesting. The writing needs work. Story Synopsis: Twenty-seven-year-old Maggie Goodwin has moved from NY to California to become an animator. However, as the owner of the established Harley Studios tells her, she can’t be an animator because “there are no lady animators’. Starting off instead in the Paint & Ink division, Maggie continues working on her pet project – an animated squirrel cartoon – in her free time. However, when working conditions at the studio start worsening, Maggie is forced to make a choice between her dreams and her friends. Should she stay silent for her career, or should she stand up for what’s right? The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of Maggie. As you can see from the synopsis, the concept is brilliant. I wanted to read more about the struggles of a woman animator in a man’s world. I...

WHAT I WANT TO REMEMBER IN 2023: If I look at my reading journey from 2020 to today, I realise how exponentially I have grown as a reader. From being a dedicated physical book reader to gulping audiobooks and digital books like no one’s business. From being a hobby reader who didn’t open Goodreads, to now compulsively interacting on Goodreads almost every single day and crosschecking every book recommendation here with other reviews and overall ratings there. From not even knowing what is a TBR to having a precise (and highly optimistic) TBR Excel sheet. From not even considering rating a book to reviewing every single book I read, even picture books. From not knowing a single author in real life to even beta-reading for authors who are close friends. In a way, my life has encompassed the bookish world in all its consumer-oriented forms, even writing because hey… review writing is also writing, right? The only thing that hasn’t changed is that I am still not earning a single paisa from...