Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Katharine Mitropoulos ILLUSTRATOR: Laura Watson GENRE: Children's Picture Book RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A delightful story with practical life lessons and adorable illustrations. Frog loves games and challenges. When he hears of an obstacle course in an upcoming neighbourhood fair, he decides to practice hard for it. He builds his own obstacles, but just as he is about to practice, a neighbourhood animal asks Frog for his help. This happens multiple times and the whole day goes by with Frog not having practiced obstacles at all. Frog is quite frustrated with his situation, until his mom makes him realise a couple of important things. Picture books are read either for education or for entertainment, but the best picture books find ways of combining both. This is one such case. Through Frog’s efforts at building up his skills, we see many amusing scenes, with the instances of “Ready…Set….FROG!” being the funniest. And through his actions and his disappointments, we...

AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Gaëlle Geniller GENRE: Graphic Novel. RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A stunning graphic novel depicting the coming-of-age of a young dancer in 1920s France. Works beautifully as an alternate-history story where people are a bit more open about gender inclusivity. Definitely worth a read at least for the illustrations. Story Synopsis: Twenty-year-old 'Rose' has spent his whole life amid the dancers at Le Jardin, a cabaret managed by his mother. Rose identifies as a man but he loves to don feminine apparel and dance away on the stage. The book depicts his uncertainties, stage fright, social anxiety, and self-acceptance. While I usually talk about illustrations at the end of my reviews, this book deserves a change in the typical order. Though it has plenty to offer, its best feature is the visual extravaganza on every page. Never have I seen such soul-satisfying artwork! Right from the flowers in the background to the outfits to the outdoor scenes,...

  AUTHOR:  Lisa Fox GENRE: Speculative Fiction Anthology RATING: 3.8 stars. In a Nutshell: A speculative fiction anthology dealing with some essential ‘core truths’ of what makes us what we are. Quite impressive for a debut work.  This collection of eighteen stories, while based in speculative fiction, still spans a range of subgenres such as fantasy, sci-fi, magical realism and horror. The author’s introductory note makes the theme clear right at the start. The stories focus, as the title indicates, on ‘core truths’. Each of us has a core truth within us, which defines our personality, guides our actions and motivates us towards certain choices. When life tests us, it is these core truths that determine our reaction, especially when the situation is not in our control. The central character in each story thus has to confront a tough decision. We discover how they respond to the quandary facing them. Just as in life, not every ending is a happy one. Unfortunately, not eve...

AUTHOR: L.V. Russell GENRE: Gothic Horror. RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A Gothic historical fiction. Had great potential; fulfilled only a part of it. The ending elevated my experience somewhat. Story Synopsis: Theodora Corvus has stayed in her crumbling family home since years with only her grandmother for company. But after she loses her job as governess at Kingsward Manor, her grandmother finds her a similar position in the distant Broken Oak manor. As governess to eight-year-old Ottoline - daughter of the enigmatic Lord Cassias Thorne, Theodora finds herself in a house that has many hidden secrets and lurking shadows. The biggest mystery seems to be the location of Lady Thorne, who is said to be away at the coast. If so, who is wandering through the house at night and making all those noises? The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of Theodora. Bookish Yays: 😍 The ending. I had guessed a part of it, but didn't see many things coming. The executio...

AUTHOR: Lucy Strange. ILLUSTRATOR: Pam Smy GENRE: Middle-grade historical fiction. RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A hard-hitting yet touching story about children who worked in mines in the nineteenth century. Emotional and tense. Powerful in impact. Great illustrations. Story Synopsis: Nine-year-old George isn’t too happy when he has to stop attending school and work in a mine just as his dad and uncle do. But with the family’s financial situation being precarious, he has no choice. His dad tries hard to make his son’s time at work pleasant. However, just a few days after George begins work, a summer storm leads to a flood in the mine. When George and the other kids are trapped inside, a strange figure seems to be guiding them to safety. The story comes to us in the first person perspective of George. I had read this author’s ‘The Mermaid in the Millpond’ and had been impressed by how well she wrote a story about a dark historical reality combined with a mythical element. She has...

AUTHOR: Alex Hay GENRE: Historical Crime Fiction, Heist. RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Ocean's Eleven (or rather, Ocean's Eight) meets Downton Abbey. Good premise, but tries too hard. A praiseworthy debut though. Story Synopsis: 1905, London. When Mrs King is suddenly dismissed from her position as housekeeper at the de Vries home, she isn't worried because she has an ace plan up her sleeve. On the night of the de Vries's ball coming up about three weeks later, Mrs King, along with her carefully chosen group of six women, will strip the de Vries mansion of its valuables. Is this just a revenge for being fired, or does Mrs King have some ulterior motive? How will this heist proceed? The story comes to us from the limited third person perspective of several key characters. I've always enjoyed heist movies but hadn't ever considered if heist fiction would generate the same high in me. So when the opportunity to read this historical heist novel came up, I cou...

AUTHOR: Katherine Greene NARRATOR: Angie Hickman GENRE: Small-town mystery. RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: A slowburn mystery set in the Appalachian region of Virginia. Great atmosphere, poorly-sketched characters, repetitive writing, below-average suspense, disappointing resolution. Story Synopsis: Blue Cliff is a town steeped in superstition, as residents believe that the local hickory woods are haunted. It is also infamous as the town where three children were found dead in the woods five years ago. Jasper Clinton was convicted for his crimes almost immediately, but now another child has gone missing. Cheyenne Ashby left her hometown of Blue Cliff to escape its dark history and her superstitious mother. But with her mother’s health on the decline, their old family friend and police chief asks Cheyenne to return. Her childhood friend Natalie is no longer on speaking terms with her. But when reality starts becoming more bizarre, Cheyenne and Natalie realise that they must team up to ...

AUTHOR: Sonal Ved GENRE: Food nonfiction, History RATING: 3.25 stars. In a Nutshell: More suited to food history lovers than to general foodies. Read only if you like history. Luckily for the book, I do. No one is more surprised than I am that, after not having read a single food book all these years, I have now read two in 2023 itself. And in both cases, the title was the reason. The samosa is a favourite snack of mine, and when I saw this amazing title, I jumped at the book without doing any due diligence. I am sure many of my Indian friends will feel the same about such an appealing book name. Sadly, the title is quite click bait in intent and misleading in effect. To know what the book is about, you need to focus more on the tagline: “The Story of Where 'Indian' Food Really Came From.” This represents the book precisely. People always talk about Indian dishes and Indian food. Even I claim that “Indian food” is my favourite across whatever cuisines I have tried. But the fact...

AUTHOR:  Christina B. Bianco    GENRE: Children's Picture Book. RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A sweet kiddie book about a magical cleaning fairy, but will work even better with some finetuning.  Written from the first person point of view of a little girl, the narrator tells us of how a fairy named Dorothy stays in the loft of their new house and magically cleans up all their mess at night, while her parents are clueless about who’s handling the clean-up chores. By itself, the story is quite sweet. Who among us wouldn’t want a Dorothy at our place to deal with the endless cleaning and dusting and washing up? I am sure parents will empathise with this point even more.  Dorothy is shown to be quite handy at most of her tasks, though she does goof up at times by not understanding modern devices such as dryers and phones. Kids will enjoy seeing her antics. I hope kids also realise how she doesn’t discriminate between chores and handles all work with a smile on her...

AUTHOR: Jaimie Admans SERIES: The Ever After Street, #1 GENRE: Romance. RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: Just what you would expect from a romance novel, plus a gorgeous, fairy-tale-like setting. Story Synopsis: Thirty-five year old Sadie has spent most of her life following the wishes of her aunt Ebony, who has raised her after her parents’ death. ‘The Cinderella Shop’, run by Ebony and where Sadie works as a seamstress, is on Ever After Street, a cosy location where all shops are made around fairy-tale themes, and there’s even an old castle nearby. When her aunt forbids her to go to a special farewell ball at the castle before it is sold to a supermarket, Sadie sneaks her way there in secret, never expecting to meet a charming man who blows her off her feet. The next day, she discovers that the man is none other than a real estate agent named Witt, who is in charge of selling the castle. Even worse, he doesn’t recognise her at all as the belle at the ball. However, he has come to thei...

AUTHOR: L.V. Pires SERIES: The Towry Family, #2 GENRE: Gothic Horror  RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: Almost as horrifying as the first book of the series, though I couldn’t connect as much with the characters this time around. Works as a sequel and not a standalone novel. Story Synopsis: Anne is now a resident of Whitehall Manor, and trying to restore the historical house and open it for events in a bid to clear the Towry name. Her now-fiancé Terran is there to lend a hand. However, it's soon clear that Whitehall Manor isn't rid of all its ghosts, literal and metaphorical. The story comes to us mostly in the first person perspective of Anne, with some historical letters filling in the rest of the gaps. Bookish Yays: 👻 Though the horror elements take some time to begin, they are quite macabre and left me jittery. 👻 The above also means that I kept flipping the pages as fast as I could. Quite a short book at 236 pages (eighty-six pages shorter than Book One of the ser...

AUTHOR: Tillie Olsen GENRE: Short Story, Classic. RATING: 3.5 stars. A short story about a mother’s feelings of guilt over the way she raised her daughter. Written in the first person point of the mother, the story begins with her reminiscing after someone, presumably some guide or counsellor, has asked for the mother’s help in talking to Emily and understanding her better. As this request flutters into the mother’s mind while she stands ironing, she goes over past memories, looking back at Emily’s childhood as the first of five children, born during the time of the Depression. As Emily’s father had walked out just a few months after her birth, it was up to the young mother to do her best, even when it went against her gut feelings. The entire story focusses just on the feelings of the mother, divided over the events of the past and wondering if there was anything she could do differently. She also recollects the Emily of today, self-sufficient and strong despite her tough early year...

AUTHOR:  Suzy K Quinn GENRE: Romantic Comedy-Drama. RATING: 4.75 stars. In a Nutshell: The greatest, sweetest, cutest, saddest, “awesome-est” love story ever told! I am in luvvvvvv! PSA  – This isn't the kind of romcom you think it is.  Story Synopsis: If you see the blurb on Goodreads and Amazon, you will notice that the plot has been kept absolutely vague. So if the author wants you to discover the story for yourself, who am I to spill the beans and spoil the fun? No synopsis this time. My lips are sealed. Now, the problem is that without a synopsis, I am having a tough time writing my usual detailed Bookish Yays and Nays. So with such a hazy “synopsis”, all you will get is equally fuzzy reasons. Hopefully, they will be enough to convince you. Bookish Yays: 😍 Callum. I can’t and won’t tell you who Callum is. But just know, he deserves one entire YAY! 😍 The plot. Guessable, and yet, so very original!  😍 The blurb says: ‘YOU WILL CRY WHEN YOU READ THIS!’ I hardly...