Underrated Reads

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

Maximum Taxi – Douglas Bales

Posted on June 1, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “As I come out of the tunnels on my way home, the city lies below me with its lights sparkling. I think about Misty and Mickey and all of the screwed-up people running around the world. It’s a clear, beautiful night and the stars are shining, but the universe is…

Posted in Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged dark humor, drugs, society | Comments Off

Who is bombing Kyiv?! – Marina Alova

Posted on May 22, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “It was disheartening and revolting to witness the country repeating the same mistakes and going around in circles. Slava believed that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it would be impossible to make the same mistakes again. However, not much time has passed, and now Stalin is gaining popularity…

Posted in Slavic Literature, World Issues, World Literature | Tagged propaganda, Putin, Russia, Russian literature, Ukraine, war | Comments Off

The Wishing Pool and Other Stories – Tananarive Due

Posted on May 17, 2023 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) You’ll keep looking over your shoulder as you read these eerie stories of horror, with a little science fiction sprinkled in, in The Wishing Pool and Other Stories. The title piece, “The Wishing Pool” features Joy, a woman returning home to North Florida to visit her father who is suffering from…

Posted in Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology, Short stories | Tagged African-American, aging, horror, race, society | Comments Off