Underrated Reads

Kings Of This World – Peter Bailey

Posted on November 13, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Kings Of This World is a sci-fi story about Matthew and Jeremy. Matthew wakes up one day noticing that everyone in London has gone crazy. Everyone is basically behaving abnormal, conducting actions that one would not encounter on a normal basis. Things like people having sex on the street, taking a…

Posted in Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology | Tagged aliens, book reviews, science fiction | Comments Off

Interpretation: (An Artificial Intelligence Dystopian Nightmare) – Dylan Callens

Posted on November 10, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) I truly think Interpretation is one of the best science fiction novels I have read. It is a dystopian science fiction novel about Carl Winston. He has a son, Liam whom he adores. Everything seems to be going as normal until Carl takes his annual government test. His answers are considered …

Posted in Reviewers' Top Picks, Sci-Fi/Speculative/Fantasy/Mythology | Tagged book reviews, dystopia, science fiction | Comments Off

How to be a Gentleman: What Every Modern Man Needs to Know about Manners and Behaviors to Attract Women Now (The Modern Ladies & Gentlemen Guides Book 1) – Niel Schreiber

Posted on November 7, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) "...a real gentleman holds his own and knows when to show strength of character and decisiveness with the aim of self-preservation, while still maintaining his chivalry and honor intact. A gentleman knows his own worth very well and has enough confidence not to get taken advantage of." Being a gentleman…

Posted in More non-fiction, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged dating, etiquette, men, short books | Comments Off

Self’s Blossom – David Russell

Posted on November 6, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Self's Blossom is a romantic novel about Selene. She is on vacation in Central America when she meets Hudson, and that is when her journey begins. Her friend Janice is criticized when she tries to provide some advice to her, but there is more than what meets the eye with Selene.…

Posted in Romance | Tagged book reviews, fiction, Romance | Comments Off

What Lies Within – Clare de Lune

Posted on November 3, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) “…I learned how a body could become a beautiful contribution to the power of cosmetics…the most exquisite, deepest shade of blood red lipstick you’ve’ ever seen, rich soaps made from the finest fats…all those parts put to wondrous use for our benefit. And for those who used them. Little did…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers, Dark/Sordid/Bizarre, Reviewers' Top Picks | Tagged book reviews, fiction, horror, New Orleans, psychological thriller, San Francisco, suspense | Comments Off

Zero Avenue: A Crime Novel – Dietrich Kalteis

Posted on November 2, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by JD Jung) 1970s Vancouver- The young punk scene is vibrant and on the rise. Twenty four year- old singer/guitarist Frankie Del Rey just wants to make enough for her band, Middle Finger, to record an EP. So to make money, she runs drugs across town and even across the Canadian-U.S. border for grower,…

Posted in Crime, Mystery and Thrillers | Tagged book reviews, Canadian literature, crime fiction, punk rock | Comments Off

Mygale – Thierry Jonquet (Translated from the French by Donald Nicholson-Smith)

Posted on October 30, 2017 by J D Jung

Ah, revenge can be so sweet. Now mix it with obsession and a touch of madness, and it turns utterly twisted and bizarre. Such is the case with the intense and fascinating novel, Mygale, written by the late French crime novelist Thierry Jonquet. Richard Lafargue, a successful, well-respected plastic surgeon carries a dark secret. He…

Posted in Revisited | Tagged book reviews, dark, fiction, French literature, horror, noir | Comments Off

How Dare We! Write: A Multicultural Creative Writing Discourse – Sherry Quan Lee

Posted on October 27, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) How Dare We! Write is a non-fiction book which caught me by surprise. The work is a collection of writing exercises written by teachers, community leaders, career writers that are bilingual, and multicultural. The editor expresses the notion of which, the writing world does not accept authors that are of color,…

Posted in Non-fiction | Tagged culture, identity, race, writing | Comments Off

That Crazy Perfect Someday – Michael Mazza

Posted on October 25, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Don Jung) Record- breaking surfer, Mufuri Long, has the goal of winning the Olympics in the future year of 2024. The trials and training that goes into this sport is splattered with her father’s depressive attitude on life as she tries to balance her goals with helping her father. The detailed writing gives…

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

Surviving Schizophrenia: My Story of Paranoid Schizophrenia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Depression, Anosognosia, Suicide, and Treatment and Recovery from Severe Mental Illness – Richard Carlson

Posted on October 22, 2017 by J D Jung

(Reviewed by Jeyran Main) Surviving Schizophrenia is a memoir written by Richard Carlson, who was twenty one when he was diagnosed with this mental illness. The book revolves around his illness and recovery. It took ten years for the professionals to identify that Richard had a problem and that he needed to recover from it.…

Posted in Bios and Memoirs | Tagged book reviews, memoir, mental illness, Schizophrenia, short books | Comments Off