Underrated Reads

Ilium: A novel – Lea Carpenter

Posted on January 16, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “The game of espionage, at its essence, is observation, seduction, patience. And a fluid relationship with your sense of self. To commit espionage at the highest levels you have to be willing to forget who you are in order to inhabit someone else." Our protagonist, a young and single British woman…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged CIA, espionage, M16, Mossad | Comments Off

Where have we been?

Posted on January 12, 2024 by J D Jung

(by JD Jung) You may wonder why we don’t post reviews more often. Yes, we realize that "Content is king", and we know that you want to see it all the time. However, there is so much out there to get our eyes on. We are constantly searching for those literary gems…

Posted in Let's talk | Tagged book reviews | Comments Off

Broadcast Blues (Clare Carlson Mystery Book 6) – R.G. Belsky

Posted on January 2, 2024 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Clare Carlson, news director for Channel 10 News in New York City is experiencing a mid-life crisis. She’s about to turn fifty years old, three times married, and still looking for Mr. Right. Let’s also not forget that she is trying to repair a relationship with her adult daughter. Added to…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged crime fiction, murder, New York City | Comments Off

Happy 2024

Posted on December 31, 2023 by J D Jung

( by JD Jung) We at UnderratedReads wish all our readers a safe and Happy New Year filled with health, love, justice, and tolerance throughout 2024 and beyond. We have discovered so many magnificent books during 2023, and since we only post reviews of books that we recommend, all books on our site are…

Posted in Let's talk | Tagged 2024, book reviews, health, justice, love, New Years, tolerance | Comments Off

Enjoy Me Among My Ruins – Juniper Fitzgerald

Posted on December 29, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “After a divorce and a doctorate, a global pandemic and a murder, after a smattering of death threats, a lot of books, and even more booze, I found myself offering up my past with a kind of addict’s dissociation. “ Juniper Fitzgerald became pregnant while in graduate school and working…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs | Tagged addiction, memoirs, prostitution | Comments Off

The Vacation House – Jane Shemilt

Posted on December 26, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) 2003 -Thirteen-year-old Sofie and her family toiled at a vacation house on the island of Paxos, Greece. This house was owned by a wealthy British family and frequented every summer by them and their friends. When Sofie is sexually assaulted by two teenagers from this group, life unravels for her entire…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged class, Greece, London, Sexual abuse | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Visualize Yourself: Designing the Outcome of Your Life, One Issue at a Time – Aileen Nealie

Posted on December 22, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Pat Luboff) “This is you breaking free from your current reality. Dare to expand. Dare to grow. Design your path. You have a say in everything.” Reading Visualize Yourself by Aileen Nealie is like giving your mind a long, cool drink of the purest water on a blazing hot day. In our current…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged depression, love, mental health issues, relationships, spirituality, visualization | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Vices -Lawrence Douglas

Posted on December 15, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “It would be years before I would be prepared to accept his self-assessment [as a sick person], and even then, not fully. …he was handsome, wealthy, the youngest tenured professor at one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges, and already internationally known for his work; many people would have happily…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged family, fiction, lies, mystery, Religion | Comments Off

Many People Die Like You – Lina Wolff, translated by Saskia Vogel

Posted on December 11, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Those who enjoy eclectic short stories that explore human nature are sure to relish the stories in Many People Die Like You. From bizarre relationships to unexpected power dynamics, this collection of fourteen stories takes readers on a journey through unconventional narratives that readers will not expect. The book opens…

Posted in Dark/Sordid/Bizarre, Scandinavian Literature, Short stories | Tagged relationships, short stories, Spain | Comments Off

Violets – Kyung-Sook Shin, translated by Anton Hur

Posted on December 4, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “San’s attraction did not originate this summer. But rather it has lain in wait for millennia before bursting forth all at once. “ San was no stranger to abandonment. Her father left right after she was born, which made her mother the first divorcee in the village. In turn, her…

Posted in Culture, Far Eastern Literature, World Literature | Tagged culture, Korea, mysogeny, Seoul | Comments Off