Category Archives: Our Best

Our favorite underrated reads

The Riddle of the Sphinx – Alexandre Montagu

Posted on April 15, 2019 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   Eric (Keyvan) fled Iran as a child during the Islamic revolution and grew up in Paris. He later studied Comparative Literature at Princeton. That is one scenario. What would have happened if he was forced … Continue reading →

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Sydney Noir (Akashic Noir Series)- John Dale (Editor)

Posted on January 8, 2019 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Noir is as much a part of Sydney’s character as frangipanis and cockroaches, rusted iron lace and sandstone terraces, torrential rain and potholed roads.” “Crime and Sydney have always been inseparable: a deep vein of corruption … Continue reading →

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A Rebel in Gaza: Behind the Lines of the Arab Spring, One Woman’s Story – Asmaa al-Ghoul (Author), Selim Nassib (Author), Mike Mitchell (Translator)

Posted on October 26, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I think the real occupying forces are the internal ones, Hamas, Fatah, the parties…then comes the major occupation: Israel. We can’t get rid of the latter without first of all getting rid of the former. To … Continue reading →

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From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia – Michael McFaul

Posted on August 15, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Cathy Carey) “I have spent the greater part of my life trying to deepen relations between Russia and the United States. But in 2014 all these efforts seemed for naught. Heightening my sense of frustration, I was banned … Continue reading →

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Overcoming Anxiety & Depression: A step-by-step guide to overcoming anxiety and depression, lower stress and learn how to practice self-love and self-compassion … Affirmations, Happiness, stress management) – Lydia Francis

Posted on July 2, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) This is going to be a very short review. This is a very short book! My review copy was in PDF format. Take away the title page, the index, the forward and a last “keep in … Continue reading →

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The Ghetto Swinger: A Berlin Jazz-Legend Remembers – Coco Schumann (Author), John Howard (Translator)

Posted on May 18, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I am a musician, a musician who was imprisoned in a concentration camp, not a concentration camp inmate who also plays some music. The camps and the fear fundamentally changed my life, but it was shaped … Continue reading →

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Songs to New York – Myrtle Brooks

Posted on May 15, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff)     “Does she live in the subway?” “Non,  non, mon fils. She rented an apartment across from the park because the Washington Square Arch reminds her of L’Arc de Triomphe.”           … Continue reading →

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A Tongue in the Sink: The Harrowing Adventures of a Baby Boomer Childhood – Dennis Fried

Posted on May 13, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) I swear I am going to die laughing if I have enough wits about me as I breathe my last to remember one particular sentence in this book! I’m not going to tell you which one, … Continue reading →

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Verklempt – Peter Sichrovsky (Author), Ari Roth (Foreword), John Howard (Translator)

Posted on May 6, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Thomas remained a man without a past, without memories, without old photographs and without stories from earlier years.” He is just one of the many Jews who chose to live in a land where their parents … Continue reading →

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Five Days That Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the End of World War II – Nicholas Best

Posted on April 30, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by  Glenda  W. Anderson) Another WWII book? Since this reviewer devours this period of history, before even opening the pages, I thought, “Ah, the last days in the bunker, the Russians getting the honor of performing the coup de … Continue reading →

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