Everybody knows that some books are fabulous. Harry Potter, of course....
 |
4.62
|
2,034,263
|
Over 2,000,000 people have read Harry Potter #7 on Goodreads, with an average rating of 4.62. That's amazing.
There's also Game of Thrones...
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4.45
|
1,627,467
|
Over 1,500,000 million people have read Game of Thrones on Goodreads, with an average rating of 4.45.
I'm happy so many people have read and loved Harry and Game. But I've read some unbelievably good books that have been overlooked. Let me share some of my favorites....
Two Wallace Stegner books, Crossing to Safety and Angle of Repose, both rated higher than 4.10, but neither has more than 50,000 readers.
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4.16
|
31,293
|
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4.27
|
45,462
|
An amazing MG book, Ghost, by Jason Reynolds is rated 4.22, but has only been read by a little more than 10,000 readers.
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4.22
|
11,504
|
I can't believe that less than 1500 people have read the complex and intriguing Gold Bug Variations.
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4.11
|
1,471
|
Ellen Gilchrist is a sadly neglected author. Two of my favorite books of hers have less than 1,000 readers each.
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4.25
|
965
|
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4.22
|
652
|
Is there any writer who captures families better than Richard Yates? Yet Easter Parade only has 6500 readers?
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4.03
|
6,542
|
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4.11
|
2,764
|
Why is J.L. Carr's novel, A Month in the Country, finding less than 6,000 readers?
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4.10
|
5,692
|
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4.14
|
15,572
|
Over 200,000 people have read Pearl Buck's Good Earth on Goodreads, but what about...
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4.12
|
10,474
|
Pavilion of Women by Pearl Buck is rated 4.12, higher than Good Earth.
You've read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, but what about The Grass Harp? Capote is a masterful writer of fiction, too.
In Iceland, everyone knows the name Halldor Laxness, but not so many people outside his homeland.
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4.18
|
7,207
|
People raved to me about True Grit for years, but it was only within the last five years that I finally broke down and read it. Now I number among the TG ravers.
 |
4.14
|
31,734
|
 |
4.08
|
114,255
|
 |
4.01
|
39,717
|
I ran across The Radium Girls at a library conference. It's a powerful true story.
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4.22
|
26,275
|
Now this is just sad. The Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction is a collection of brilliant pieces of creative nonfiction. No one who considers herself a writer should miss reading this book.
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4.13
|
483
|
I don't read scary and Robert McCammon is a name I associate with scary. Boy's Life is not scary; it is an excellent novel. It is ridiculous that only a little over 20,000 people have read this book at Goodreads.
 |
4.34
|
20,879
|
 |
4.29
|
3,291
|
 |
4.03
|
8,138
|
Mrs. Bridge is a contemporary classic. How is it that so few people have read it?
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4.05
|
3,437
|
I was completely fascinated with this collection of letters. Others are taken with it, too, with an average rating of 4.35, but why so few people?
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4.35
|
3,628
|
If you love historical fiction, you must seek out this book by French author Zoe Oldenbourg. Trust me on this. It is a travesty that less than two hundred people have found this masterpiece.
 |
4.05
|
177
|
There has never been a better book written that deals with themes of the conflict of spirituality and creativity than My Name is Asher Lev.
 |
4.19
|
32,491
|
 |
4.19
|
3,194
|
 |
4.11
|
1,689
|
I read anything---stories for adults, stories for children---by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, who, sadly, passed away last year. This book is pure fun.
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4.24
|
2,156
|
I'm not a sports reader, as a general rule, but this book tugged at my heart.
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4.16
|
4,835
|
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand has over half a million ratings on Goodreads. Here are a few more nonfiction books that are deserving of more readers:
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4.25
|
31,160
|
 |
4.07
|
14,524
|
 |
4.08
|
83,791
|
 |
4.26
|
22,986
|
 |
4.19
|
15,173
|
 |
4.24
|
41
|
Have you read any of these? What hidden gems do you know about? Share your favorites with me.
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.
Wow! Lots of different picks there! All new to me ones too!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
I love your approach to this week's theme! I have a soft spot for lesser known books, and I'm going to check these out for sure.
ReplyDeleteSo many outstanding books here! I've read quite a few - Crossing to Safety, Angle of Repose, The Easter Parade, Mrs. Mike, Independent People, Pavilion of Women, And the Pursuit of Happiness, The Nine. Most were 5-star reads for me and all are books I would read again. I plan to read Radium Girls for Nonfiction November this year and have a couple of others on my shelf. Excellent post!!
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of great books here, but I've only read one - other than the Harry Potter books. It's Mrs. Mike. I read that one in my teens. Others have been on my list for a long time or a short time. I'll make note of these. I did shelve THE BEST WE COULD DO at the library the other day and thought about grabbing it. Then, I forgot. I'll look for it this week.
ReplyDeleteIt is very odd how some books become well-known and others, just as good or sometimes even better, find it hard to attract readers. I've read one of these - The Easter Parade - and have A Month in the Country and My Name is Asher Lev on my TBR, all three as a result of bloggers praising them...
ReplyDeleteI loved Boy's Life! I recommend it to so many people!
ReplyDeleteI love the wide range of books you included! All of the stats are so interesting, and it is amazing how many great books out there just don't have enough reads and reviews. I added "The Best We Can Do" to my holds list at the library. So much recongition but so few reviews definitely makes me intrigued!
ReplyDeleteI have not read a single book on your list :( I need to widen my horizons! Take care!
ReplyDeleteYour list, as always, wowed me! The two books I knew of and had added to my TBR, yet to get to them though - I am the Messenger (in my bookshelf), and The Best We Could Do(courtesy Bill Gates book suggestions earlier this year)..
ReplyDeleteI was eager to stop by and see what you'd highlighted, and of course you did not disappoint! I've read Ghost, both Stegner books, I Am the Messenger, and of course I had Textbook AKR on my list as well. I suspect I read I Am Asher Lev in high school, because my freshman English class read The Chosen, and I kind of went on a Potok kick. I love Maira Kalman too. I always confuse Boy's Life, which I haven't read, with This Boy's Life, which I have. True Grit is high on my TBR, and it might be because you spoke so highly of it. I tried to read We Wish To Inform You when it first came out, but couldn't make it past the first two pages. Maybe I could handle it better now. As for the rest--you've made my to-read list explode.
ReplyDeleteWow, lots of books. I felt “meh” about I Am The Messenger, but I loved The Narrow Road to the Deep North (and The Things They Carried). Great suggestions! Some of them are already on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
What an amazing list! I have read a few of these books and really liked them a lot.
ReplyDeleteA swim friend at the Y has given me 2 books that I now count as total favorites and I have told all my children they need to read: "Ordinary Grace" by William Kent Krueger and "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger, so good, so good. My favorite old funny book is "The Egg and I" by Betty MacDonald, my favorite scary book "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. I loved "True Grit" also and it made me read other Charles Portis' work. Love your posts Debbie!
ReplyDelete