An UnderratedRead Revisited: Russia’s War on Everybody: And What it Means for You – Keir Giles

(Reviewed by JD Jung) When I started reading Russia's War on Everybody: And What it Means for You, I thought “I know all of this.”, as I considered myself relatively informed on the subject. However, I am so glad that I continued to read this fascinating, but troubling book. There is so much I was…

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One of our best revisited:The Riddle of the Sphinx – Alexandre Montagu

(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 to stay in Iran? So much of one’s life (or death) is determined by a…

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An Exceptional UnderratedRead Revisited: Visualize Yourself: Designing the Outcome of Your Life, One Issue at a Time – Aileen Nealie

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “This is you breaking free from your current reality. Dare to expand. Dare to grow. Design your path. You have a say in everything.” Reading Visualize Yourself by Aileen Nealie is like giving your mind a long, cool drink of the purest water on a blazing hot day. In our current…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Vacation House – Jane Shemilt

(Reviewed by JD Jung) 2003 -Thirteen-year-old Sofie and her family toiled at a vacation house on the island of Paxos, Greece. This house was owned by a wealthy British family and frequented every summer by them and their friends. When Sofie is sexually assaulted by two teenagers from this group, life unravels for her entire…

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The House of Hidden Meanings – Ru Paul

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Much as we seek power in every corner of our lives, it’s always already in us; it’s impossible to be powerless if you recognize that you yourself are power.  Life is power.   Finding that power within yourself---that’s the hard part.”   I can’t remember reading a memoir that I just…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Ilium – Lea Carpenter

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “The game of espionage, at its essence, is observation, seduction, patience. And a fluid relationship with your sense of self. To commit espionage at the highest levels you have to be willing to forget who you are in order to inhabit someone else." Our protagonist, a young and single British woman…

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The Last Shadow – Michael Allen Zell

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   Retired New York cop Julius Mosley found a new life in New Orleans. As a martial arts instructor, he is able to find an inner peace that was not available to him in New York. However, when his best student, Maya Gaines, unknowingly gets caught up with crime boss Vinh…

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The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden

(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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Wait: A Novel – Gabriella Burnham

(Reviewed by JD Jung)     “They threw me out of the country like I was a nothing.” Wait delves into the intricate layers of family, identity, and the harsh realities faced by undocumented immigrants in the United States. Through the lens of protagonist Elise, who is American, we are drawn into a world where…

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

(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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