Underrated Reads

Five Days That Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the End of World War II – Nicholas Best

Posted on April 30, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Glenda W. Anderson) Another WWII book? Since this reviewer devours this period of history, before even opening the pages, I thought, "Ah, the last days in the bunker, the Russians getting the honor of performing the coup de gras." As if there hasn’t been enough already written and shown forever on History…

Posted in History, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged Audrey Hepburn, book reviews, Hitler, Non-fiction, WWII | Comments Off

The Pursuit of Ordinary – Nigel Jay Cooper

Posted on April 26, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “With me inside him, he didn’t feel dislocated like he used to. It was like he was back in tune with the world, experiencing real, solid emotions for the first time in years.” Joe was walking across the street when he was suddenly hit by a car. Many witnessed this…

Posted in Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged ADULT FICTION, book reviews, British literature, fiction, mental illness | Comments Off

Death of a Movie Star – Timothy Patrick

Posted on April 24, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Every week you tell fifty million people that actors are less than human and deserve to be treated like Shit!” That is what Micah Bailey “the actors’ manager who hated actors”, is noted for doing as he emcees the hit reality game show, Starbash 2020. This is where celebrities, ( mostly…

Posted in More fiction | Tagged book reviews, Hollywood, light fiction, light humor | Comments Off

An UnderratedRead Revisited -Two Legged Snakes: Understanding and Handling Manipulative People – Dr. Ed Slack

Posted on April 19, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Like many Americans, I’ve been disenchanted with U.S. politics and our branches of government. This reminds me of a book I read and reviewed in 2010. Unfortunately, nothing has changed. We’re constantly bombarded by people who are trying to manipulate or deceive us. They can be public figures, such as politicians…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged book reviews, deception, lies, Non-fiction | Comments Off

Why are they still with him? An UnderratedRead revisited: The Trouble with Reality

Posted on April 13, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) I am so perplexed on why so many people refuse to accept facts as reality. This has been eating away at me since the day after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. And why all of a sudden do Donald Trump’s “alternative facts” carry more weight than real facts? Am I the…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged American politics, psychology, reality | 2 Comments

Gables Court – Alan S. Kessler

Posted on April 11, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Samuel Baas is a hopeless romantic. He wants to remain a virgin until he falls in love and marries his soulmate. Moving from New England opens him to wonders and questions his thinking process, like the question, “Is love for someone else?” This story takes on ten years of Samuel’s life,…

Posted in Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged book reviews, fiction | Comments Off

Sugar Skulls – M.R. Tapia

Posted on April 8, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Celestial authorities have coordinated with the Emergency Alert System to issue this warning: Your soul is now properly fucked...” Micah DeAtta, a young drug and alcohol addicted, depressed, deadbeat dad is faced with finality—death itself. Death appears morbidly in decaying human form and provokes Micah’s memories, which are both mostly agonizing…

Posted in Dark/Sordid/Bizarre, Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged book reviews, death, fiction, memories, regrets | Comments Off

Riapoke – Bryan Nowak

Posted on April 5, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) When a mother and son take a trip to Riapoke, they ignore any suspicious and unusual things they see or hear. Little do they know their lives are in danger. Serial killing is a norm in Riapoke and the son, Kyle has to work with his mother to save themselves and…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged book reviews, fiction, thriller | Comments Off

A revisited Underrated Read – My (Underground) American Dream: My True Story as an Undocumented Immigrant Who Became a Wall Street Executive – Julissa Arce

Posted on April 2, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “In less than two weeks there was more than a good chance my secret would finally be exposed---the secret that could ruin my life, that could send me to jail, that could end my career before it ever began. The secret I’d been forced to keep since I was fourteen years…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged DACA, Dream act, illegal immigration, immigration, Mexico | Comments Off

Despair to Deliverance: A True Story of Triumph Over Severe Mental Illness Kindle Edition by Sharon DeVinney Ph.D., Robin Personette

Posted on March 30, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Psychotherapist Sharon DeVinney Ph.D. has been working with Robin since 1993. Robin suffers from anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. She also has suicidal thoughts that she initially does not reveal to Sharon. Despair to Deliverance, a true account co-authored by both Sharon and Robin demonstrates in detail how patients suffer…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs | Tagged bipolar disorder, depression, memoirs, mental illness | Comments Off