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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: Fiction
The Book of Morfeo – Stefano Benni
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “What you do is supposed to be sacred. It’s supposed to be about healing. You should be taking it seriously, as seriously as death.” Italian writer, Stefano Benni addresses a serious issue that is prevalent … Continue reading
Posted in Humor & Satire, Italian Literature, Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology
Tagged angels, dark humor, death, God, greed, healthcare, magical realism, profits, Religion, short books
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Love, Death & Rare Books – Robert Hellenga
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “I want to live life, not read about it.” That is what people kept telling Chicago bookseller Gabe Johnson, who came from generations of rare book dealers. With the growth of online bookstores, even his … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction
Tagged bookstores, death, love, philosophy
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Accusation (A Raquel Rematti Legal Thriller Book 3) – Paul Batista
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned A-list celebrity Aaron Julian has recently been accused of sexual harassment and assault by multiple starlets. According to his accusers, he made sure that their careers would tank if they didn’t comply with his wishes. … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged #METOO, celebrity, corruption, criminal justice, Sexual abuse, sexual harassment and assault, trust
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Songs by Honeybird – Peter McDade
(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) #CommissionsEarned “Find your focus and the story may write itself: music and drugs, race and gender, a tragic barn fire and a missing body. It’s all much more dramatic than one usually sees in a dissertation….” … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks, Romance
Tagged friendship, history, music, philosophy, Romance, sexism
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Tard – Del Staecker
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “Thou shalt not be a victim, and thou shalt not be a perpetrator. But above all else—thou shalt not be a bystander.” That’s one lesson Richard Bettis learned from Matt. One referred to Matt Mueller … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Philosophical reads, Reviewers' Top Picks, Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology
Tagged corruption, down-syndrome, family dysfunction, fantasy, philosophy, redemption, Religion, sociopaths
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Do You Follow?: A Thriller – J.C. Bidonde
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Twenty-two-year-old Alexa has just been arrested for killing her boyfriend. She insists that the real murderer is her twin sister, Beth. This is where the story begins. The author then takes us back three months … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged mental health issues, mental illness, Psychiatry, psychological thriller, social media
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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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Law of the Jungle – Christina Hoag
(Reviewed by Don Jung) Rowena Aldus is an Oxford scholar whose passion is researching the venom in spiders to use for medicinal purposes in humans. Though she finds this fascinating, she struggles to get funding. Author Christina Hoag details the … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers
Tagged Amazon jungle, crime fiction, short books
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The Unwanted Dead: The Shocking End of Zorba’s Heretical Author – Yorgos Pratanos
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Nikos Kazantzakis, a popular post WWII Cretan writer, died in October 1957. His works included Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ. Many thought he was a Communist and a heretic, and the … Continue reading
Posted in Historical Fiction, World Literature
Tagged Greece, Greek history, journalism
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