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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: Reviewers’ Top Picks
I Buried Paul: A Novel: Bruce Ferber
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned This is the story of forty-nine-year-old Jimmy Koslowski and his uncertain life as a struggling musician. It starts off with his family, where his father is an orchestra leader, and his older brother is a … Continue reading
Posted in Modern Literary Fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged Beatles, music, rock music
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The Krubera Conspiracy – Jeff Buick
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned The country of Georgia is home to the Krubera Cave, the world’s deepest cave at 7,308 feet beneath the earth. Here is the setting for this spy thriller as the brother team of Damon and … Continue reading
Posted in Adventure, Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged CIA, corruption, espionage, Georgia, Krubera Cave, Russia
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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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Taking Down Backpage: Fighting the World’s Largest Sex Trafficker – Maggy Krell
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “While a commercial sex transaction may seem consensual on the surface, the lopsided power dynamic, the history of trauma and abuse, and the lack of options often make the consent illusory. And sex without consent is … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Non-fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks, Social Justice
Tagged human trafficking, Non-fiction, rape, sex trafficking, Sexual abuse
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Five-Alarm Fire (Cat Caliban Series Book 5) – D.B. Borton
(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) I have a friend named Dori. We don’t see each other or speak to each other often, but when we do get together, something special happens. We get into a rapid-fire back-and-forth that turns into … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks
Tagged cozy mystery, light humor
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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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