Underrated Reads

An Exceptional UnderratedRead Revisited:The Fall of a Sparrow – Robert Hellenga

Posted on July 8, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) #CommissionsEarned After reading one of my favorite books, The Italian Lover, I just wanted to grab anything related to it and its characters. Author Robert Hellenga wrote a book about the protagonist’s lover, classics professor Alan "Woody" Woodhull, in a previous novel published in 1999, The Fall of a Sparrow. Woody’s…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged family, Italy, terrorism | Comments Off

Another Exceptional UnderratedRead Revisted: The Sixteen Pleasures – Robert Hellenga

Posted on July 5, 2023 by J D Jung

#CommissionsEarned Last month, I reintroduced you to The Italian Lover, a sensual work of literary fiction. After reading that wonderful book, I just had to grab Robert Hellenga’s earlier novel, The Sixteen Pleasures. This book recounts the beginning of Margo’s adventure in Italy, whereas The Italian Lover picks up the story 25 years later. Margo…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged Aretino, Florence, Italy | Comments Off

An Exceptional UnderratedRead Revisited:The Italian Lover – Robert Hellenga

Posted on June 30, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Margo Harrington, an American expatriate living in Italy, is excited to hear that her memoir, The Sixteen Pleasures, will be made into a feature film. The book details her experiences when she first came to Florence. While working in a convent, restoring irreplaceable books damaged in the flood of 1966, she…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged culture, erotica, Florence, Italy | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Rainbow Rainbow- Lydia Conklin

Posted on June 27, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned I must admit that I am ignorant of many of the gender classifications, so I hoped that Rainbow, Rainbow would educate me. That said, I found these ten stories that center around queer, pansexuality and trans life quite thought-provoking Many of the characters feel uncomfortable in their bodies, but question…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged LGBTQ, short stories, transgender | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: The Riddle of the Sphinx – Alexandre Montagu

Posted on June 23, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned How do I begin a review of a novel that kept me captive from page one and didn’t release me until the very end? I didn’t want to break for work, family, friends, or anything. How can I do this book justice? Dear readers, I will try. Eric (Keyvan) fled…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged Iran, Islamic revolution, LGBTQ, Shah | Comments Off

The Man in the Corduroy Suit (The Discipline Files Book 3) – James Wolff

Posted on June 20, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Retired British intelligence officer Willa Karlsson was rushed to the hospital due to an apparent poisoning. Though the exact toxin cannot be verified, the methods look similar to those previously executed by Russian intelligence. Why would they want her dead? Worse, could she have been a double agent? Before retirement,…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged British literature, espionage, Russia | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Antiman: A Hybrid Memoir – Rajiv Mohabir

Posted on June 13, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) “I wanted to stop hiding. I wanted to tell them that I was queer. Queer sexually, queer religiously, queer by caste, and queer countried.” Rajiv Mohabir never felt that he belonged. As a resident of Central Florida and from a family of Guyanese-Indian immigrants, he felt like an outsider. He was…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged class, culture, Guyanese, immigrants, immigration, India, LGBTQ, political activism, race, sexuality | Comments Off

Your Turn – Lavelle Andrew Miller

Posted on June 8, 2023 by J D Jung

(reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned Why was a well-respected detective with the Metro Nashville Police Department framed for a murder he did not commit, and worse, the crime of killing a fellow police officer? After serving ten years, that former detective, Seven House, was released early from prison. And of course, he is suspicious. Could…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged murder, Nashville, police, prison | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited: Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France (Culinary LGBTQ+ Memoir Book for Francophiles and Foodies) – Craig Carlson

Posted on June 5, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by J.D. Jung) “I spoke of my favorite city and how beautiful it was…How all it needed was an American breakfast joint, and then it would be perfect!” Former Hollywood screenwriter, Craig Carlson, wanted to live his dream and open up an American diner in Paris. He fell in love with the city when…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged cooking, LGBTQ, memoir, Paris | Comments Off