Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Nikhil J. Alva GENRE: Indian Historical Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: March 15, 2024 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a nutshell: An eye-opening historical fiction set around the 1966 rebellion in what is today Mizoram, India. I learn a lot about this not commonly known event of Indian history. Informative without being over the top, interesting characters, strong plot. A commendable debut, indeed.  Plot Preview: 1966. Mizoram, North-East India. The Mizo National Front has launched a rebellion against the Indian government, demanding an independent nation. The Central government is fighting back with all its might. Amid this strife, Captain Samuel Rego (Sammy) is sent back to the land of his birth to interrogate a captive. Little does he know that the prisoner, one of the most feared MNF leaders known by his nickname ‘Che’, is his estranged childhood friend Sena. Sammy also doesn’t know that within just a few hours, both Sena and he will be fugitives from the law. While being hunte...

AUTHOR: Alison Throckmorton GENRE: Humour PUBLICATION DATE: March 26, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A humorous compilation of tips and strategies designed to make you tackle housework without stressing out. An entertaining read not to be taken seriously, as is clear from the title. One of my favourite quotes comes from Claire Oshetsky’s ‘Chouette’: “Housekeeping is nothing more than a losing encounter with entropy.” In a world where every home on social media looks spic and span, seeing the endless chores lying ignored in our own homes can lead to dismay and depression. After all, all of us want a clean house, but none of us wants to work tirelessly for it, right? The root of the problem is perfectionism. But have you ever tried following the concept of ‘good-enoughism’? It works so much better for you and for people around you. The ‘good enough’ part of this title immediately made me grab it. ( Not to forget that the tagline also had a strong appeal! 😁) This is the most p...

AUTHOR: Adam Hamdy GENRE: Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: September 15, 2022 RATING: 4 stars In a Nutshell: Can’t reveal much without spoiling it, so all I’ll say here is: it takes a long while to get going but the ending is worth it. Better suited to those who prefer character-driven reads and aren’t fussy about genres. I am an outlier once again, but on the positive side – Woohoo!!! Plot Preview: Harriet Kealty, a police officer, has just been suspended. As she tries to clear her name, she discovers a second-hand book with an inscription: “Help me, he’s trying to kill me.” Backtracking to the last person who borrowed the book from the library, Harriet discovers that Elizabeth Asha, the woman who possibly wrote the note, died a few months ago, followed soon after by her husband David, who jumped off the cliffs, leaving behind their six-year-old son Elliott. Harriet feels compelled to check on Elliott, when she discovers, to her great surprise, that his new guardian is Ben Elmys, th...

AUTHOR: Katya Balen ILLUSTRATOR: Richard Johnson GENRE: Middle-Grade Novella. PUBLICATION DATE: March 14, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A bittersweet middle-grade novella about a little girl who understands the importance of home and family and how it is sometimes accompanied by sacrifice. Beautiful writing and great emotions, but slower pace. Might work better as a discussion read than as an individual experience. Plot Preview: Ten-year-old Juno is very upset after her mother leaves her with her grandfather for the entire summer while her parents are off doing volunteer work in some other country. Juno thinks it is very unfair that her parents care more for other kids than for their own daughter. When Juno discovers an abandoned doll house in her grandpa’s attic, she sees how beautiful it might once have been, and how lonely its little doll family looks. So she decides to make a new home for them, and in the process, learns some important lessons. The story comes to us in Jun...

AUTHOR: Eva Jurczyk GENRE: Drama. PUBLICATION DATE: January 25, 2022 RATING: 2.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A debut novel that tries to fit into too many genres and tackle too many themes. So it doesn’t work as well as it could have with a more streamlined approach. The plot is decent, but the character detailing is repetitive. Expected more from a ‘book about books.’ Plot Preview: Leisl, who has been working as a deputy director at the titular library department, is suddenly called to fill in as the interim director when her boss Christopher ends up in a coma after a stroke. The issue is that key investors are coming to take a look at a new acquisition: the $500,000 Plantin Polyglot Bible, which is safely locked in the safe whose code is known only by Christopher. After a lot of effort, Leisl manages to open the safe, only to discover that it is empty. When Leisl approaches her reporting head and her colleagues with her concerns and asks them to report the theft to the police, no one take...

EDITORS: Gary D. Schmidt & Leah Henderson GENRE: Middle-Grade Anthology PUBLICATION DATE: April 23, 2024 RATING: 3.1 stars. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade anthology about children who are a “little bit super”, i.e. they have one only little superpower. An interesting and a diverse assortment of stories herein, but as often happens in a multi-author collection, the result is a mixed bag. The introductory note sets the right tone for this thirteen-story collection. I love the theme of having a “little superpower”. Superhero stories are usually about great powers such as invisibility or superhuman strength or flight, so imagine having not-so-super powers: a time travel ability where you cannot control where/when you land, or a power that tells you whether a fruit is ripe, as long as the fruit is an avocado. It’s like the superpower adding a clause saying, ‘Conditions apply.’ That uniqueness is the biggest appeal of this book. The stories are contributed by some of the best contempor...

AUTHOR: Clare Swatman GENRE: Women's Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: February 15, 2024 RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A book that is too realistic to be likeable as it has plenty of judgemental characters who care only about their own life and have no ethics at all. I am conflicted in my opinion because while I see the accuracy of the portrayal of such characters, I am not sure if such a book fits well in the feel-good genre. Plot Preview: After a bitter divorce from her cheating husband Rob, Beth is looking for a fresh start. Unfortunately, with her limited funds, all she can afford is an old, unkempt cottage on the outskirts. Her children Olivia (7) and Jacob (5) aren’t impressed with the house, and are frank about their opinion. When Beth finds a box of letters while clearing out one of the rooms, she discovers that they are all agony aunt letters written by someone named Evelyn Wright. As Beth reads them and relishes the wisdom of Evelyn’s words over the next few days, she decid...

AUTHOR:  Bethany Russo   GENRE: Contemporary Fantasy. PUBLICATION DATE: November 10, 2023 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fantasy about Matthew, Lucifer’s younger brother, who wants his daughter back from the mortal world. The storyline is good, but much darker than I expected it to be, and has some triggering content as well as a writing style that doesn’t work well for me.  Plot Preview:  Eight years ago, Matthew’s life changed when his wife Emily died and his daughter Lucy was forcibly taken away by Gabriel, the archangel, and given to a mortal family without their knowing about the swapped baby. Now Matthew, back from his self-imposed exile spent grieving his dual loss, wants his daughter back. He enlists the support of his elder brother Lucifer. But the process of getting a mortal back to their world and making her immortal again is not easy, and with Gabriel refusing his support, Matthew and Lucifer face a tough task ahead.  The story c...

AUTHOR: Janelle Brown SERIES: We Could be Heroes, #3 GENRE: Short Story PUBLICATION DATE: February 7, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: Not the kind of story I expected in a series titled “We Could Be Heroes”, and that itself shows how preconceived our notions are about certain topics. Fits the theme perfectly, if you look at it the right way. I enjoyed this! (I am an outlier on the positive side, for once! 🥳) Plot Preview: When Polly’s fourth-grader daughter Hannah decides that she wants to invite her new best friend, Katrina’s daughter Sylvia, over for a play date. Polly cannot refuse, despite her reservations about the kind of influence Sylvia will be. Polly is sure that either Sylvia is troubled OR she is trouble, primarily because of her upbringing. But when Polly hears Sylvia’s admissions about her struggles at home, Polly realises that she needs to take some action to save the child from her dismal life. The story comes to us in Polly’s third person perspective. This...

AUTHOR: Katherine Applegate ILLUSTRATOR: Charles Santoso GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: May 11, 2023 RATING: 4.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A beautiful middle-grade fantasy with a strong environment-oriented theme that shows the interconnection of nature and the lack of awareness in humans. Great protagonist, wonderful animals, strong themes about nature. Much recommended! Plot Preview: Eleven-year-old Willodeen loves all animals, but her favourites are the beasts hated by everyone else. Known as “screechers”, these beasts are considered pests by the village of Perchance, and there is even a bounty for those who kill them. Lately, Perchance has been struck by several natural disasters such as forest fires and droughts. But the biggest loss to them has come from the loss of tourist revenue after the famed hummingbears stopped migrating to the village. Willodeen, along with her friend Connor, are keen to investigate why hummingbears are no longer interested in Perchance, and...

AUTHOR: Kate Storey GENRE: Contemporary Family Drama PUBLICATION DATE: February 1, 2024 RATING: 3.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A feel-good contemporary novel about second chances, the power of friendship and the magic of books. Works pretty much as expected. No surprises herein. Unlikeable main character though, so be prepared with tons of patience to tolerate her. Plot Preview: Forty-two-year-old Ella has been in Australia for more than half of her life, having left Greenwich two decades ago after a major argument with her mother Sally, who now lives alone in Ella’s childhood home. When Sally falls at home, Ella is forced to return to take care of her mother, not out of love but out of duty. However, once back home, she discovers something special that her mum has been working on all these years. But is one gesture enough to forgive the hurts of the past? The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of the key characters, mostly from the present timeline. Bookish Yay...

AUTHOR: Michelle Dunne GENRE: Crime Thriller PUBLICATION DATE: March 7, 2024 RATING: 4.5 stars In a Nutshell: Relished a crime thriller after ages! The fun part is that we know the identity of the “criminal” right from the start, but the journey through the plot is still gripping and contains enough surprises. Very dark and disturbing – too many triggers, so make sure you are in a good headspace before you pick it up. Plot Preview: Twenty-seven-year-old Grace Murphy is a barista at a local café in Cork. Grace has only one concern in life now: to take care of her younger sister Amber and provide her with a clean house and hot meals, two things they never had as kids. Everyone in the neighbourhood knows of their troubled childhood, including Det. Garda Jerry Hughes, who keeps an eye out for the sisters. What no one knows, however, is that Grace has a man cable-tied to a chair in her house, and he is not in good condition. The story comes to us from the third person perspectives of Grace...

AUTHOR: J.M. Briscoe GENRE: Sci-fi Thriller. SERIES: Take Her Back, #1 PUBLICATION DATE: November 5, 2021 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary sci-fi mystery that’s the first of a planned series. The blurb reveals almost half of the suspense. The other half stays hidden, and will probably be revealed (at least to some extent) in the next book of this intended trilogy. Slow pacing, not so likeable characters, cliffhanger ending. So I didn’t have as much fun with this read as I had hoped, though I did like it. Plot Preview: In 1995, nine-year-old Bella D’accourt is stunned when her mom takes her to a stranger and declares, “Bella is defective. You need to take her back.” This is when Bella learns that she was the result of a controversial “designer baby” eugenic program. In 2018, Bella realises that someone from her past has discovered her identity and she is on the run. However, it is not easy to escape when you have a twelve-year-old daughter. Ariana has never been happy a...

AUTHOR: Lisa Unger GENRE: Short Story, Drama SERIES: We Could be Heroes, #2 PUBLICATION DATE: RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: An interesting short story about a suicide hotline employee battling past demons in myriad ways. Interesting, though somewhat predictable. The setting and the message are the highlight of this tale. Plot Preview: Charlie Kroft is one of the best call handlers at a suicide hotline, where callers hope to find a reason not to give up on life. One night though, just as her shift is about to end, there is a call from an ‘Unknown Caller.’ His words leave Charlie with a sinking feeling, as her mind recollects the painful memory from her past, gong to the events that motivated her towards this job. The story comes to us in two timelines, both in first person, with the past timeline written entirely in italics. This is the second standalone story in the 'We Could be Heroes’ series, described on Amazon as “a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that exa...

AUTHOR: Shari Green GENRE: YA Novel-in-Verse PUBLICATION DATE: March 5, 2024 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A YA novel-in-verse about a young girl’s wishful thoughts and experiences in socialist East Germany in the late 1980s. I don’t think it worked well as a novel-in-verse, but as a novel, it is amazing. Plot Preview: 1989. Sixteen-year-old Helena has just one dream: to become a music conductor. Does she really have only one dream? No. But this is the only dream she can dare to speak about openly in a nation where everyone and everything is watched by the dreaded Stasi. When some key people in her life take up greater roles in the protests against the government, Helena has to decide whether staying quiet is stifling the song of freedom. The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Helena. The Berlin Wall, which separated East Germany (GDR) & West Germany (FRG) in more ways than just physical, was metaphorically broken on 9th November 1989, when civilian protests...