Underrated Reads

I Feel Your Stare: An Autobiography – Cheryl Gillespie

Posted on October 19, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch) #CommissionsEarned It is often said that a wise person walks a mile in another’s shoes. I Feel Your Stare by Cheryl Gillespie takes us on just such a journey. Born with JRA, (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis), Ms. Gillespie succumbed to what most with this affliction end up experiencing – total vision…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged blindness, JRA, memoirs | Comments Off

Dragged into the Light: Truthers, Reptilians, Super Soldiers, and Death Inside an Online Cult- Tony Russo

Posted on October 17, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “The world is always ending, the government is always trying to poison you, and the church doesn’t know the truth.” Furthermore, reptilians (aliens) disguise themselves as human and fight for the New World Order, planning world domination while engaging in pedophilia and cannibalism. Sounds crazy? Author and journalist Tony Russo…

Posted in History, Non-fiction | Tagged conspiracy theories, contemporary culture, cults, New World Order | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: House of Beauty- Melba Escobar (Author), Elizabeth Bryer (Translator)

Posted on October 15, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “I also hate the ladies of Bogotá among whom I count myself, though I do all I can to stand apart. I hate their habit of using the term “Indians” to refer to people they consider to be from a low social class…. I hate so many things in so…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged Colombia, Latin American Lit, mysogeny | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Fire and Vengeance (Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery Book 3) – Robert McCaw

Posted on October 10, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) When I first started reading Fire and Vengeance, I didn’t know what I was in for. What I soon realized was that I was experiencing a thrilling murder mystery amidst the gorgeous Big Island in Hawaii. A volcanic explosion that destroyed a school building with multiple casualties just looked like an…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged crime fiction, Hawaii | Comments Off

Many Are Invited – Dennis Cuesta

Posted on October 6, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned An untimely death at a housewarming party takes place just prior to the millennium, and Silicon Valley IT professional Steve Galanos is trying to make sense of it all. Later, he proceeds to recount events of December 1999 that led up to the tragedy. The ordeal centers around his friendship…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged Big Tech, friendship, jealousy, Silicon Valley | Comments Off

Life Slightly – Nigel Jay Cooper

Posted on September 30, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “An entire life, lived on the outside edges, like a shadow pressing into other people’s problems and dramas.” What happens when you deny your true self in order to avoid conflict and comply with other’s expectations of you? Gavin married his college sweetheart, had a son, but hated the well-paying…

Posted in Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged British literature, denial, LGBTQ, life | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Well of Ice (An Inishowen Mystery Book 3) – Andrea Carter

Posted on September 28, 2022 by J D Jung

(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) “It always amazes me how any version of the same story can circulate in a small town.” If you love an Irish mystery - and who doesn’t? You’ll enjoy this story given to us from across the Isle. Our local solicitor, Sarah Benedicta “Ben” O’Keeffe is trying to keep her…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged cozy mystery, Irish literature, murder | Comments Off

Song Noir: Tom Waits and the Spirit of Los Angeles – Alex Harvey

Posted on September 24, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned My first introduction to Tom Waits was in Jim Jarmusch’s 1985 film, “Down By Law”. I found him quite enigmatic, and as a singer/songwriter was drawn to his authenticity. While reading Song Noir, I realized why. Waits was intrigued by similar literary and cultural genres as I was, specifically the…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Culture, History | Tagged beat generation, film noir, Los Angeles, music, songwriting | Comments Off

The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian mythology that inspired 50 yoga postures – Raj Balkaran

Posted on September 22, 2022 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned For yoga aficionados who wish to dig deeper into the theory of their practice, this is the book for you. Author Dr. Raj Balkaran’s hope is that the book “will not only deepen your inner life, but will also introduce you to and inspire you to learn more about the…

Posted in Health and Fitness, Philosophical reads, Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology | Tagged lore, myth, yoga | Comments Off