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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.
Category Archives: More fiction
Good News – Alexa Yasemin Brahme
(Reviewed by JD Jung) If you enjoy character-driven fiction about identity, ambition, and messy personal growth, Good News delivers a captivating and relatable story. Maggie, a woman in her late twenties pursuing her MFA, feels caught between her artistic dreams … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, More fiction, Romance
Tagged artists., emotion, immigration
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The Shy Assassin – Clara Usón, translated by Lily Meyer
(Reviewed by JD Jung) I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading The Shy Assassin by Clara Usón, but it completely surprised me. What begins as a curiosity about the mysterious death of Spanish “erotic” actress Sandra Mozarowsky … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, More fiction, Spanish Literature
Tagged philosophy, suicide
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Cleaner – Jess Shannon
(Reviewed by JD Jung) If you enjoy dark humor and offbeat protagonists, Cleaner delivers a bizarre ride. The unnamed narrator—a master’s in fine arts graduate who drops out of her PhD program due to financial strain—returns home unable to find … Continue reading
Dollartorium – Ron Pullins
(Reviewed by JD Jung) What begins as a humble, self-sufficient life running a Kansas corn dog stand turns into a sharp, darkly comic satire of greed, hustle culture, and America’s obsession with easy wealth. (more…)Read More →
Posted in More fiction
Tagged greed, philosophy, satire, wealth
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Damn English! – Gary Sherbell
(Reviewed by JD Jung) For those of you who are confused with the inconsistencies and nonsensical idioms and figures of speech in the English language, this book is for you. Gary Sherbell shares his irritation, but in a hilarious way … Continue reading
Posted in More fiction
Tagged English, grammar, humor, language
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The Proud & the Dumb – Bob Freville
(Reviewed by JD Jung) Buy the book! “Don’t get all bogged down in so-called facts. That’s the whole problem.” A gang of racist, homophobic, xenophobic, misogynistic (I could go on and on), white nationalists regularly hang out at the … Continue reading
Posted in More fiction
Tagged hate, mysogeny, novella, short books, Social satire, White-nationalism
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The Delivery – K.M. Halpern
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Was it better to be sad in a world that made sense or happy in a world that did not.” When forty-six-year-old Wilbur came home from work one day, his grumpy, over-bearing wife Sarah informed him … Continue reading
Posted in More fiction
Tagged 1950's, book reviews, humor, short books
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The Gardener: A socially conscious page-turner – Michael Shainsky
(reviewed by JD Jung) “…truth is a bitter enemy of those who profit from lies.” Jose Gonzales is a fifty-seven-year-old widower and gardener who lives in Bakersfield, a large city in the California central valley. He loves books, his flowers … Continue reading
Posted in More fiction
Tagged philosophy, short books
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Tales of Adventure With Nap Lapkin – Lance Manion
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “There was only one place to be if you were a vampire, the Marriott Marquis Times Square. It was time to dispatch Dick Clark once and for all.” Why would secret agent/ “super-spy” Nap Lapkin dub … Continue reading
Posted in More fiction
Tagged dark humor, short books
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The Illustrated Guide To Insanity – F. and Violet Mole
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.” – Mark Twain “All art is neurosis” – Sigmund Freud The essence of these quotes is embodied in the single-frame cartoons in … Continue reading
Posted in More fiction
Tagged humor, insanity, psychology, short books, Sigmund Freud
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