Category Archives: Culture

Strange Karma – Willow Healy

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “As they progressed higher, she caught her first unobstructed glimpse of Ama Dablam, the mountain she had come to climb. Sun sparkled off the hanging glacier, and the mountain’s two side ridges seemed to reach out … Continue reading

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The Black Marketer’s Daughter – Suman Mallick

(reviewed by JD Jung) “And she can never figure out who she is cheating. Is it Iskander, the man she has decided she can only be grateful to? Or is it the man who loves her to distraction and makes … Continue reading

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There Has to Be a Knife – Adnan Khan

(reviewed by JD Jung) < “Those pleasures that I always had access to with her—the tactile, her body, food, her laugh—I knew I would have to keep her away from my darkness to preserve them. I wanted too many shallow, … Continue reading

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Sins in Blue – Brian Kaufman

(Reviewed by Don Jung) “Audiences like their blues singers to be miserable,” said Janis Joplin. Sins in Blue is a story of an unhappy bluesman who is rediscovered by a young college student trying to revive his career. Willie Johnson … Continue reading

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The Museum of Lost Love – Gary Barker

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…the normal state of lovers, of couples, is not together. Together is a transient state. The normal state of things is as much about ending and leaving as it is about beginning and staying. The normal … Continue reading

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The Everything Girl – L.E. Maleki, Holly L. Lörincz

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Staring at the massive set of doors in the dark grey stone façade, I knew once I entered my life would change. I’d be moving away from regular, clearly outlined banking duties to what sounded like … Continue reading

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Are We French Yet? Keith & Val’s Adventures in Provence – Keith Van Sickle

(Reviewed by Don Jung) What would happen if you decided to divide your family life between two countries and live six months of the year in each place? Well, that’s what author Keith Van Sickle has done as he tells … Continue reading

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A Matter of Conscience – James Bartleman

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…Canadians in general are more prepared to help the poor of the Third World than the First Peoples in their own country.” James Bartleman, retired Ontario lieutenant governor and member of the Chippewas of Rama First … Continue reading

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Bella Figura: How to Live, Love, and Eat the Italian Way -Kamin Mohammadi

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “ Now that I was living without all the relics of my former identity, there was a glimmer of something new. The heady possibly of freedom.” Kamin was thirty-two and seemed to have it all: a … Continue reading

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Lagos Noir – Chris Abani (Editor)

(Reviewed by JD Jung) I have never been to Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria and actually, the largest city in the entire African continent. In fact, I have never been anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa. That said, I enjoyed the … Continue reading

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