The Scale of Time: From the Beginning – Joseph Lanzara

Posted on September 30, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “The underlying mission of this book is to render, with accuracy, unimaginably long lengths of time and incredibly vast distances in space, conceivable at a glance.” You’ll note that instead of listing just the author’s name, I have included the phrase as he has it on the front of his book.…

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Tales from Beyond the Closet – Dalton Primeaux

Posted on September 25, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) These sordid tales of horror are weird. Not in a Trump/Vance creepy way, but in an eclectic, frightening, and entertaining way.   The kind of weird I like. There are stories encompassing sci-fi and lots of horror: a haunted wooden coffee table, a strange boba shop, wicked wigs, killer vines, and retaliating…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden

Posted on September 21, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) It’s 1961, almost twenty years after the war, and it would appear as if the Netherlands has recovered. However, scars linger beneath the surface in unimaginable ways. Isabel, who is almost thirty years old, doesn’t have much of a social life. She’s rigid, and lives alone in the house she grew…

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But Not for Me – Allison A. Davis

Posted on September 17, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) It’s August 1958 and black renters, homeowners and business owners are getting kicked out of the Fillmore district of San Francisco due to redevelopment and urban renewal. Developers are using unfair tactics to enforce eminent domain. Leitisha Boone, owner of the restaurant and jazz club, the Blue Moon, is under such…

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From Savagery – Alejandra Banca, Katie Brown (Translator)

Posted on September 14, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Being a migrant means feeding yourself on loss, on what could have been, the infinite possible nuances of that history which will forever remain hidden but present.” Seven million Venezuelan’s left their country since the mid-2010s due to violence, scarcity and desperation. The twelve fictional stories in From Savagery, remind us…

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On Heroism: McCain, Milley, Mattis, and the Cowardice of Donald Trump – Jeffrey Goldberg

Posted on September 9, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Why do so many politicians and public servants continue to support a man who has little regard for the military, no regard for the Constitution, and holds dictators in such high regard? Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in chief of The Atlantic gives us clues. There are some though, who refuse to compromise…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The House on Fortune Street – Margot Livesey

Posted on September 4, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Is it possible to emotionally escape the experiences of our childhood in order to live our lives fully as adults? Can we ever break away from our own self-absorption in order to get close to those we hold dear? These topics have been explored endlessly by numerous writers, but none have…

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Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy – Brian Tyler Cohen

Posted on August 30, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “You can’t understand the Trump phenomenon unless you understand the role that independent media on the right has played in terms of social media, in terms of amplification of his message, in terms of getting his fake news across.” Democrats have yet to create a strategy to compete with the right-wing…

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Father and Son: A Memoir – Jonathan Raban

Posted on August 26, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Ann Onymous ) Raban the son endured a stroke, Raban the father endured the battlefield. “I was transformed into an old man quite suddenly, on June 11, 2011, three days short of my sixty-ninth birthday.” As a stroke survivor myself, I was very intrigued when I read the description of this book. Jonathan…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Purple Don: Mystery Thriller Suspense Novel (Illuminati) – SLMN

Posted on August 23, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung)   The Purple Don is a gripping and eerie murder mystery that takes readers deep into the world of crime, power, and deception. At the heart of the story is Joey Diamonds, the son of a Mafia crime boss who faces the ultimate betrayal when his father disowns him upon discovering…

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