Underrated Reads

The Body Image Blueprint: Your Go-To Guide for Radical Self-Reverence -Jenny Eden Berk

Posted on January 10, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) The Body Image Blueprint is a self-help book written about body image. It discusses the challenges women face in the world today and covers a broad and unique perspective on our culture obsessed with dieting. Besides the fact that author Jenny Berk is a Certified Eating Psychology Coach, body image mentor,…

Posted in Health and Fitness, Your Best Self | Tagged body image, dieting, Non-fiction, weight loss | Comments Off

Stone Baby: Stories – Michelle Sacks

Posted on January 7, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “… the rest of the continent kept pouring in, sure of nothing but the fact that this pitiful life, this half-life with no jobs, no home, no money, would still be better than before, better than the life they left behind in whatever godforsaken place they’d come from.” That would not…

Posted in African Literature, Immigration, Reviewers' Top Picks, Short stories, World Literature | Tagged drug addiction, immigrants, short stories, south Africa | Comments Off

The Grand – Dennis Wilson

Posted on January 5, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) The Grand begins with Dean Wister, a federal agent who has lost his wife, Sara, to cancer. Before she passes away, she asks Dean if they could go to their favorite place, the meadow, once she is feeling better. Unfortunately, she passes away and does not make it. Dean takes time…

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

The Unrivalled Transcendence of Willem J. Gyle – J. D. Dixon

Posted on January 2, 2018 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Before, when he labored, he slept and he ate, and his mama took care of him. There wasn’t room for much of anything else. Now he has too much time. Now he has a lot to worry about. His life is a maze, he runs through it every day. Will he…

Posted in Modern Literary Fiction | Tagged book reviews, British literature, Edinburgh Scotland, homelessness, mental illness, poverty, recession | Comments Off

Our Best Finds of 2017

Posted on December 31, 2017 by J D Jung

We at UnderratedReads wish you the best in the New Year! We don't want to forget all of the exceptional books that we discovered in 2017, though. To insure that these don't just gather dust, please check out our best "5 bookmark" reads according to our reviewers. There's something for everybody here: crime and suspense, …

Posted in Let's talk, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged best books, book reviews, New Year | Comments Off

Scouse Gothic: The Pool of Life… and Death – Ian McKinney

Posted on December 26, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “They romanticized the sex and violence but failed to appreciate the overwhelming boredom of being a vampire.” Lee Melville is depressed as he just arrived in Liverpool but has actually been alive a couple of centuries. He laments lost loves and knows that he can’t be attached for long. Then he…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology | Tagged book reviews, British crime, suspense, vampires | Comments Off

A revisited Underrated Read – Christmas Eve Can Kill You – William Marantz

Posted on December 25, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) For many of us, ushering in the New Year serves as a letdown, following the joyous Christmas season. For Izzy Miller (aka Muddy Rivers, aka Val Virgo), the season represents the low points of his life. Not only did he feel like an outsider looking in as a Jewish kid, but…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged Canadian fiction, Christmas Eve, crime fiction | Comments Off

Proof of Virtue – Leila Snow

Posted on December 23, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Proof of Virtue is a romance novel written about Emma, a beautiful woman who is left with her brother and sister after her parents pass away. The story is set in the Victorian era where Emma has to work in order to survive and take care of her siblings. What then…

Posted in Historical Fiction, Romance | Tagged book reviews, Historical fiction, Romance, Victorian era | Comments Off

How To Be Owned By A Cat: Simple Action Plan For First Time Cat Owners Who Have NO Idea What They Are Getting Into – Kate C.

Posted on December 19, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) How To Be Owned By A Cat is a non-fiction, short, self-help book. It is for people who are loving the idea of having a cat but are unsure and have questions about how to undergo this desire with the utmost care. This book stands different among its peers because it…

Posted in Non-fiction | Tagged book reviews, cats, pets | Comments Off

F Is for France: A Curious Cabinet of French Wonders – Piu Eatwell

Posted on December 16, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) Did you know that French president Félix François Faure was the only known head of state to have died while having an orgasm? How about that at one time in history male impotence was considered a crime In France? Do you know that there are more bakeries in Paris than bars?…

Posted in History, Non-fiction | Tagged book reviews, culture, France, French history, Non-fiction | Comments Off