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UnderratedReads is devoted to discovering underrated books and under-represented authors. We highlight hidden gems from around the world–honest reviews only, never pay-to-play.
Author Archives: J D Jung
In Celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month
( by JD Jung) To commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) in the United States, we at UnderratedReads want to re-introduce you to a sample of the exceptional “underrated” books written by Latin American authors that … Continue reading
Posted in Let's talk
Tagged book reviews, Colombia, Cuba, immigration, Latin American Lit, latinx, Mexican literature, Mexican-American, Mexico, Peru, South America
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Beware the Mermaids – Carrie Talick
(Reviewed by Don Jung) What happens when you are content with your current life, but circumstances force you to make unexpected changes? Fifty-seven-year-old grandmother, Nancy, thought she was happy, but then caught her husband with another woman on their yacht. … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged boats, divorce, friendship, infidelity, sea, women's fiction
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The Dark Remains – William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin
(reviewed by JD Jung) October 1972, Glasgow –Detective constable Jack Laidlaw is reassigned to the Glasgow crime squad. Though he has a sixth sense on what is happening on the streets, the higher ups feel he needs “handling”, as he … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged British crime, Glasgow, noir, Scotland
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The Total FilmMaker – Jerry Lewis, Foreword by Maltin Leonard
(Review and poem by Betty Jo Tucker) Way back in the 1950s and 60s, I was an avid Jerry Lewis fan. I enjoyed watching his silly characters doing nonsensical things in movies like “The Delicate Delinquent,” “The Nutty Professor” and … Continue reading
Posted in Non-fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged comedy, film, Filmmaking, Jerry Lewis, movies
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Here, Right Matters: An American Story – Alexander Vindman
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Regardless of any impact on the president, the domestic and foreign policy consequences, or personal costs, I had no choice but to report what I’d heard. That duty to report is a critical component of U.S. … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, Bios and Memoirs, History, Immigration, Non-fiction, Politics and Social Justice, Reviewers' Top Picks, World Issues
Tagged Donald Trump, ethics, immigration, impeachment, military, Russia, Soviet Union
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Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys – Joe Coulombe with Patty Civalleri
(Reviewed by Don Jung) Becoming Trader Joe is a true story about a marketing genius who went against conventional mega grocery store chains to create his own style of branding, with a name with unusual food products. Joe Coulombe started … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Business, Non-fiction
Tagged Business, marketing, Trader Joe
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The Final Days of Abbot Montrose: An Asbjørn Krag Mystery – Sven Elvestad and Stein Riverton
(reviewed by Ann Onymous ) Retired Detective Asbjørn Krag and his police colleague Keller are trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Abbot Montrose. But with no photographs, no one really knows what the Abbot looks like. He … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Scandinavian Literature, World Literature
Tagged crime fiction, Norwegian literature
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An UnderratedRead Revisited: Dancing to “Almendra” – Mayra Montero, translated by Edith Grossman
Comprar este libro It’s October 1957 in pre-Castro Cuba, and Havana is filled with gangsters, casinos, and corruption. Twenty-two-year-old entertainment reporter Joaquín Porrata is fed up with working for a newspaper where he’s only allowed to interview “comedians and whores.” … Continue reading
Posted in Revisited
Tagged crime fiction, Cuba, Havana, Historical fiction, Latin American Lit
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Glimpses of Eternity: Sharing a Loved One’s Passage From This Life to the Next – Raymond Moody, Jr., MD, PhD with Paul Perry
(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “… these shared death experiences open up an entirely new avenue of rational enlightenment on the question of life after death. They also open a new avenue for scientific studies. And as these studies are completed, … Continue reading
Posted in Non-fiction, Philosophical reads, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged afterlife, death, near death experience, shared death experience
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She Shits Bricks and Other Short Stories – Samson Tonauac
(reviewed by JD Jung) We’ve all been through a lot this past year and a half. Not just with COVID-19, but with social unrest, political chaos, and dealing with people who won’t accept basic facts as reality. Everyday life has … Continue reading
Posted in Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology
Tagged compulsion, corruption, dark humor, futuristic, greed, money, reality, science fiction, sex, short books
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