The Stone Building and Other Places – Asli Erdogan (Author), Sevinç Türkkan (Translator)

Posted on February 21, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “When they’ve had their fill of despair, of stories, crimes, sins, confessions- each one the same as any other –they leave the back alleys behind and revert to their destiny, picking up where they left off. To invent the hell of human freedom—moving beyond good and evil…far from absolute good and…

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Truth Has a Power of Its Own: Conversations About A People’s History – Howard Zinn, Ray Suarez

Posted on February 16, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “I think we should be de-emphasizing the attention paid in traditional history to great military heroes, to presidents, to Supreme Court justices, to members of Congress, because our history generally has been history pulled from top down…” The late historian Howard Zinn introduced us to new heroes such as Dorothy Day…

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Ms. Never – Colin Dodds

Posted on February 14, 2020 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Ms. Farya Navurian who suffers from depression, is the daughter of a famous astronaut. She falls in love with Bryan, a divorced telecom CEO. His job is not all that it seems, and as they begin to get to know each other, they share secrets that could cost them their lives.…

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Exposed in Edinburgh: The House Sitters Cozy Mysteries – Scarlett Moss

Posted on February 10, 2020 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) This is a delightful mystery of two Texans going to housesit in Edinburgh, Scotland, and discovering the cultural heritage of a faraway distant land. Alen is a sheriff and his wife Joan, a 911 dispatcher who both decide to retire. They sell their house and all their belongings to start anew…

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Impeaching the President: Past, Present, and Future – Alan Hirsch

Posted on February 6, 2020 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) I just finished reading Impeaching the President: Past, Present, and Future right as Trump was being unjustly though predictably acquitted of both impeachable offenses. Political science professor Alan Hirsch takes an in-depth look at the impeachments of Andrew Johnson in 1868, Richard Nixon in 1974 and Bill Clinton in 1998 from…

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The Man in the Cellar – Palle Rosenkrantz

Posted on February 1, 2020 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Heidi A. Swan) I was captivated by the voice of the author from the very beginning. It is a translation of the best-selling novel by the Danish novelist, Palle Rosenkrantz, and was written over one hundred years ago. If you like Agatha Christie or if you liked the recent film “Knives Out”, there’s…

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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Sydney Noir (Akashic Noir Series) – John Dale (Editor)

Posted on January 27, 2020 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Noir is as much a part of Sydney’s character as frangipanis and cockroaches, rusted iron lace and sandstone terraces, torrential rain and potholed roads.” “Crime and Sydney have always been inseparable: a deep vein of corruption runs beneath the surface of even its most respectable suburbs.” Even though I did visit…

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The Berlin Woman – Alan Kaufman

Posted on January 21, 2020 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “She turns her giving of love available to transact with, as a form of punishment, a torment, an affliction, an act of revenge. She replays overtures of love with suffering and pain.” So why is writer Nathan Falk so obsessed with the icy, callous but beautiful Lena? She’s also an author,…

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Lives on Fire – Rosie Scott

Posted on January 17, 2020 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) When I travel to a new city, I love to pop into independent bookstores. So, when I ran across Hard To Find Bookshop, a second-hand bookstore in Auckland, New Zealand, I just had to enter this unusual building. This book cover caught my attention,so I bought Lives on Fire, a short…

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A Killing Game (A Curtis Westcott Crime Thriller Book 1) – Jeff Buick

Posted on January 13, 2020 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) I started reading A Killing Game during a long flight to New Zealand. The problem was that upon arrival, I didn’t want to go out and see the sights. I just had to stay in my hotel room and finish the book. And I admit that it was well worth it.…

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