Underrated Reads

Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky: Lessons We Can All Learn from an Unexpected Leader – Jessie Asya Kanzer

Posted on November 7, 2023 by J D Jung

Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned As a great admirer of the Ukrainian president, I was intrigued when I discovered the book, Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky: Lessons We Can All Learn from an Unexpected Leader. I didn’t know what to expect but I am happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed. Author Jessie Asya Kanzer immigrated…

Posted in Non-fiction, Your Best Self | Tagged ethics, identity, President, truth, Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Confessions of a Gentleman Killer – Johnny Payne

Posted on October 31, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “If I didn’t kill them afterward, you’d say I was the perfect client, boyfriend, husband, or lover. And believe me, that’s the man I want to be, the man I tried to be. And failed.” It’s 1849 London and after two years and fourteen killings, Kilcairn is reevaluating his life. The…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged crime fiction, dark, Historical fiction, London, serial killers | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited:Blind Dates: Weird Stories – Harambee K. Grey-Sun

Posted on October 29, 2023 by J D Jung

Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Being close to Halloween, I was in search for a good horror read. So, when I started reading these stories, I was expecting them to center on blind dates gone tragically wrong. Or maybe the traditional “woman gets picked up by sociopathic man who then strangles her”. I was wrong…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged eclectic, horror, love, short stories, speculative fiction, supernatural | Comments Off

January – Sara Gallardo, translated by Frances Riddle

Posted on October 24, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) January (Enero) first published in Spanish in 1958, follows the daily life and thoughts of sixteen-year-old Nefer, who finds she is pregnant after a rape. Nefer works on the family farm, and lives in the shadow of her sister and the other girls in the Argentine village. There seems to be…

Posted in Latin American Literature, Lost and almost forgotten | Tagged abortion, Argentina, class, culture, rape, short books | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited:The Wishing Pool and Other Stories – Tananarive Due

Posted on October 18, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) You’ll keep looking over your shoulder as you read these eerie stories of horror, with a little science fiction sprinkled in, in The Wishing Pool and Other Stories. The title piece, “The Wishing Pool” features Joy, a woman returning home to North Florida to visit her father who is suffering…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged African-American, aging, horror, race, short stories, society | Comments Off

C’mon, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock -David Fantle and Tom Johnson

Posted on October 12, 2023 by J D Jung

(Review and poem by Betty Jo Tucker) #CommissionsEarned Summer Stock, a movie I love, now a book on the making of. Ring cowbells and shout hooray What a great read to have today! Questions answered? Oh, yes indeed. Everything fans and readers need. A book of details surprising that make a reader want to sing.…

Posted in History, Non-fiction, Poetry | Tagged movies | Comments Off

The Moscow Affair: A Nicole Graves Mystery – Nancy Boyarsky

Posted on October 9, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Private investigator Nicole Grave’s fiancé , Reinhardt, has disappeared. Actually, it’s not that unusual. First, he worked as a chief inspector for the London Metropolitan Police. He then took a rather secretive job, where his absences were sudden and for undetermined periods of time. Maybe he is now an operative…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged espionage, Moscow, murder, Russia | Comments Off

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

Posted on October 2, 2023 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…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged cyber-crime, disinformation, espionage, media, military, Putin, Russia, Soviet Union, war | Comments Off

All Who Wander – Joe Clifford

Posted on September 21, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “I’ve spent years in therapy pushing dark memories into a black corner where, without light, I though the wild things could not grow. I was wrong. Left alone and ignored, I’ve provided ideal conditions for them to flourish.” And allow others to manipulate us with their “truth”. In All Who Wander, we…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged family dysfunction, psychological drama | Comments Off

The Inimitable Jeeves, Deluxe Edition – P.G. Wodehouse

Posted on September 15, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned I must admit that I was not familiar with the celebrated British humorist P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) until now, when I thoroughly enjoyed the recent release of The Inimitable Jeeves, Deluxe Edition. This sidesplitting story, taking place in WWI era London, features Bertie Wooster as its narrator: a young, predictable, wealthy…

Posted in Historical Fiction, Humor & Satire, Lost and almost forgotten | Tagged English literature, humor, Jeeves, valet | Comments Off