Underrated Reads

America’s First Daughter: A Novel – Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

Posted on March 3, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Ishita RC) "Patsy, suffering strengthens our constitutions and builds inner fortifications so that we never fall prey to the same agony twice. We must take upon ourselves a smaller evil to defend against the greater evil. We must take upon ourselves a smaller pain in order to survive." Thomas Jefferson quoted this to…

Posted in Historical Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged American History | Comments Off

New Orleans Noir The Classics – edited by Julie Smith

Posted on February 29, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “A hurricane is supposed to have a beginning and an end. It tears the earth up, fills the air with fling trees and bricks and animals and sometimes even people, make you roll up into a ball under a table and pray till drops of blood pop on your brow,…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Fiction, Short stories | Tagged New Orleans, noir, thrillers | Comments Off

The Drowned Boy (Inspector Sejer Mysteries) – Karin Fossum

Posted on February 22, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Melanie Hamilton) On a warm, Norwegian summer's day, a toddler wanders from his house only to be found by his mother, floating in Damtjern, a near-by pond. Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Sejer's dizzy spells are becoming more frequent and harder to hide as he investigates the tragedy. In The Drowned Boy, Karin Fossum brings…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged downs-syndrome, mystery | Comments Off

After the Kill: A Jake Roberts Novel (Volume 4) – Cary Allen Stone

Posted on February 19, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Cathy Carey) “The victim, a prominent gray haired San Francisco lawyer was face up on his dining room table. His chest was cut on a "Y" incision, autopsy-style, and he was gutted. There were deep, straight- line knife cuts down the inside of both of his arms and legs. His tongue was cut…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged crime fiction, mystery | Comments Off

Hoping to Help: The Promises and Pitfalls of Global Health Volunteering (The Culture and Politics of Health Care Work) – Judith N. Lasker

Posted on February 16, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Ishita RC) "What do they see as the value of having volunteers come to their communities? What, in their opinions, are the qualities of the good volunteers, and what describes the ones who are not so welcome? What are the best kinds of volunteer programs in terms of benefit to their communities?" Overseas…

Posted in Non-fiction, Travel, World Issues | Tagged travel, World | Comments Off

My Electrician Drives a Porsche?: Investing in the Rise of the New Spending Class -Gianni Kovacevic

Posted on February 15, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “If a youthful electrician on a mountain top can have an epiphany that permanently changes the course of his life, then could a middle-aged doctor like me clue into the ramifications of the largest migration of human beings in the history of the world, and attempt to profit gloriously from it?”…

Posted in Business | Tagged investments | 1 Comment

Hope We Never Meet Again – Srinath Krishnamoorthy

Posted on February 12, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Darshith Badiyani ) I must admit that I’m not an avid reader anymore but there are a few books that hold my interest right from the prologue until the very end. Hope We Never Meet Again is one of those few books. When I first heard about the title ‘Hope we never meet…

Posted in Indian Literature, Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged book reviews, Indian fiction | 2 Comments

Disappearing Honeymooner – Pamela Troutman

Posted on February 10, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “My husband has disappeared”….. “Inwardly I groaned. It sounded like an old familiar scenario. Tired marriage. Big bills. Nagging wife and bright, giggly new girlfriend. The husband leaves town and his wife until the girlfriend starts to nag and his money runs out. I was about to tell her to…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged Crime | Comments Off

Elegant Entrepreneur – Danielle Tate

Posted on February 7, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) “Most big ideas stem from personal pain or frustration. Entrepreneurs are professional problem solvers. They have identified something in our daily lives that could be made better and look for solutions. …Entrepreneurs investigate viable solutions and determine if those solutions have real business potential. “ That was the case with Danielle…

Posted in Business, How do I do that?, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged Business, entrepreneur | 1 Comment

After the Goode: A Jake Roberts Novel (Volume 3) – Cary Allen Stone

Posted on February 5, 2016 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Cathy Carey) Cary Allen Stone has again drawn me into the world of Jake Roberts. But this time, I’m secretly rooting for the culprit. After the Goode is not only a detective mystery but a love story as well. Unlike the previous two novels in the series, After The Evil and Mind Over…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Romance | Comments Off