Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, it’s all about underrated or hidden gems that we’ve read within the last year or so.
Some of these are pretty popular among book bloggers, but I am surprised how these books are not on the bestseller lists in India where I live.
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – It’s one of my favorite books from last year, and I can’t believe it’s not super popular. It’s about a magical circus open only at night, it offers a new take on magic and love, and it’s beautifully written. Plus, the plot and characters pull you in and beg you to read the entire book in one sitting.
- Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare – I admit to loving all of Cassandra Clare’s books, but this one is my particular favorite. These books get slammed by most reviewers, but I like the campy romances, the fantasy, and the quick wit and banter between all the characters.
- The Ghost Runner by Parker Bilal – This is one of the books in the Makana PI series, and I love that this is a crime series set in modern-day Egypt. It’s also pretty well-written, and I immediately wanted to get my hands on the other books in the series, only to find out that they are hardly stocked anywhere where I live, and nobody seems to have even heard of these books.
- Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz – Another crime thriller series that is under the radar and hardly ever features on book blogs. However, it’s pretty popular with the general readership I think, as it seems going out of circulation in my local library. It’s one of those instances where book blogger tastes and book reader tastes don’t align.
- The Sidney Chambers series by James Runcie – I loved these short stories, featuring Sidney Chambers a priest who loves to investigate mysteries. These are the perfect cozy mysteries to while away a winter evening.
- Drood by Dan Simmons – This is another underrated gem of a book. Vast and sprawling, it tells the tale of the friendship between Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. Highly recommend this book for fans of these two writers, and for anyone looking for a spooky retelling of their lives.
- The Thousand Names by Django Wexler – This book was something of a novelty for me, as I don’t read such military-oriented fantasy books, but I loved the Napoleonic references, and I am always a bit surprised that this book didn’t make more waves than it did.
- The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling – I saw plenty of reviews panning this book, but I loved this glimpse into small-town and small-minded England. Unbearably poignant.
- Bucket List of a Traveloholic by Sarika Pandit – A light-hearted easy-reading travelogue that wasn’t packaged attractively enough, or marketed well enough. It’s perfect for armchair travelers, or people looking for inspiration for their next vacation.
- The Mother-in-Law Cure by Farha Z.Hasan – I was utterly charmed by this dark Cinderella-style fantasy story. It was the perfect read, and always I am surprised that nobody seems to know about this book but me. It feels like a very pleasurable secret though to know and love a book that nobody seems to have heard about.
So this is my list of top underrated books I read in the last couple of years. Which books did you read recently that you think were quite underrated?
Ive not read any of these despite them being so popular. I saw a tv adaptation of the Casual Vacancy and it was clear from that the book wouldnt be to my taste.
@disqus_gmoXW9BOB2:disqus I didn’t know there was a TV adaptation of the book. I’m not sure that I’d want to see it though. I prefer reading grim books to seeing grim TV shows 🙂
I first saw your post and was about to say that these are pretty popular books. Then I read your post and realized you were talking about the underrated ones in India. I agree with you about the Bucketlist of a traveloholic as I loved that book.
@Avada@bookishmuggle That book has sparked off a wanderlust in me that is out of control.
Nice list of books. Many new book titles for me to check out!!
Here’s a link to my TTT post for this week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2017/01/top-ten-tuesday-ten-underratedhidden.html
@Lisa @Captivated Reader Thanks for visiting and commenting!
First, I have to say, your blog is BEAUTIFUL. This is my first time on yours, and you have a new follower!
The Night Circus is one of my all-time favorite books, so it makes my heart happy that it’s here on your list. I think a lot of book bloggers have heard of it, but I want more people outside of blogging to read it and love it!
My TTT
@confessionsofcarlisa:disqus Aww, thank you. That’s so very kind of you to say. Your comment simply made me smile 🙂 .
I thoroughly enjoyed The Night Circus, and particularly enjoyed the Odd Thomas movie. I have yet to read it (we all have that horrendously large “to read” list). Maybe this is the year that I get to it! I am glad you liked The Casual Vacancy, but it just didn’t work for me.
@disqus_VgvrqNgGl4:disqus I found those small-town disputes fascinating, and my heart finally broke for those two kids. I find that even if her books don’t work for me story-wise (and this didn’t), her characters always make me feel for them.