Tough Rugged Bastards: A Memoir of a Life in Marine Special Operations – John A. Dailey

Posted on July 26, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) Tough, Rugged Bastards by John A. Dailey is a memoir about the author’s experience helping to form and lead DET 1, a Marine special forces unit that was created after the 9-11 attacks. The book is refreshing and checks some important boxes for me (unlike many other warfare and combat…

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Liars: A Novel – Sarah Manguso

Posted on July 22, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   When Jane met her future husband, John Bridges, she was ecstatic. Since she was a writer, she was attracted to him being an artist and photographer. What she didn’t realize was that the demands of being a wife and mother take its toll, and the responsibilities and career aspirations are…

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Rakiya -: Stories of Bulgaria – Ellis Shuman

Posted on July 19, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) Rakiya is a very interesting collection of eleven short stories that feature various characters in bizarre situations that cover some of the history of Bulgaria. Each story has a protagonist that struggles to find answers to their circumstances. Each is also well written with some of the characters coming back in…

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Blood and Mascara – Colin Krainin

Posted on July 17, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…all the women he had known and loved, the idea of them was there in front of him…and once he had come to love then, had he not carried them about within him forever after, like open wounds?” May 1997 -Private investigator Calvin “Bronze” Goldberg is obsessed with women and is…

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The Coin – Yasmin Zaher

Posted on July 13, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…in my family, America was both the key and the curse.” Our narrator, who is from a wealthy Palestinian family moved to New York after her parents died. She was left with an inheritance of which she could only access a small portion. That is, she is only provided with a…

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The Blind Devotion of Imogene: The Misadventures of Imogene Taylor – David Putnam

Posted on July 10, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung)   It’s 1973, and seventy-five-year-old Imogene Taylor has just been released from the Chino Institute for Women after serving time for second-degree murder. As she returns to her home in California’s Inland Empire, readers are immediately drawn into a world marked by dark humor, quirky characters, and her constant reminiscing about…

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Bad Tourists – Caro Carver

Posted on July 7, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) In this riveting novel, three friends in their forties—Darcy, Camilla, and Kate—embark on an extravagant trip to the Maldives to celebrate Darcy’s lucrative divorce. Since their backgrounds and personalities are very different, we wonder how and why they became friends. We learn soon enough. Twenty-two years ago, Kate witnessed the aftermath…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America – Jeffrey Rosen

Posted on July 3, 2024 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. But what did the “pursuit of Happiness” mean to the founding fathers? American legal scholar, Jeffrey Rosen uncovers what the "pursuit of Happiness" truly meant to them and others, offering a compelling exploration…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop’s Battle for America’s Soul – Michael Fanone and John Shiffman

Posted on June 29, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “What sort of American tries to overthrow democracy? What kind of man becomes so consumed by a false belief that he drives across the country, storms the Capitol, and assaults police officers?” Those are pressing questions from Metropolitan Police Dept. (MPD) Officer Michael Fanone, who was almost killed by rioters as…

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

Posted on June 25, 2024 by J D Jung

(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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