Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: Hidden Gems

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup of book bloggers hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! This week, we're talking about books that are great that don't get as much love as they should. I used Goodreads to get a sense of what's less rather than more popular, so here are ten books you may not have heard of that are pretty great!



The Big Rewind: I loved this debut light-hearted murder mystery with a romantic twist. It was delightful and I will continue to talk about how much I enjoyed it forever!

Valley of the Moon: Time-travely romantic drama does not sound like the kind of thing I would like at all, but I found it charming and a very pleasant read!

The Creation of Anne Boleyn: Like so many other lady people, I've been fascinated for years by Anne Boleyn and this nonfiction examination of the stories told about her was really interesting!

City of Thieves: This coming-of-age buddy adventure story set during the siege of Leningrad from one of the Game of Thrones showrunners is short and in many ways predictable but so well-told it packs a powerful punch anyways.

The Guineveres: I thought this novel about the lives of four young women, all named Guinevere, that end up in Catholic convent for different reasons was lyrical and powerful and was disappointed that it never took off the way I thought it would because it's great!

A Leg To Stand On: I am always here for Oliver Sacks, and this book, about his own experience of suffering an alienation from his leg after a horrible hiking accident, has the kind of wisdom and compassion that are a hallmark of his writing.

The Man Without A Face: This nonfiction work by Masha Gessen about the rise of Vladimir Putin feels incredibly prescient and relevant to our times.

So Big: Giant is Edna Ferber's novel that got made into the big splashy Hollywood movie (I haven't read it yet, but I have a copy waiting!), but this one won the Pulitzer and its testament to inner strength and finding the joy in life is beautiful and powerful.

The Butcher's Daughter: If you like Tudor-era historical fiction but want to get out of the palaces and into the villages, this smart, insightful book about a young woman who becomes a nun and then has to figure out what's next after the Reformation would be an excellent choice.

Stay With Me: You read the back, about a woman in Nigeria whose traditional in-laws push her husband to take a second wife when she fails to get pregnant, and think you know where this is going. But it twists and turns far deeper than ever expected.

10 comments:

  1. Nice post. I read City of Thieves and agree it was good, but so violent, at least for me.

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    1. That one part in the cabin is pretty harsh, but I loved the friendship between the leads and the way the little romance angle played out!

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  2. I have indeed never heard of any of these! lol

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    1. If you're a Kindle reader, The Big Rewind is on sale right now for 99 cents if you want to try it out!

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  3. I totally agree with The Guineveres! And I saw The Creation of Anne Boleyn on another list, will have to check that one out as I'm a big fan of The Tudors!

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    1. Creation of Anne Boleyn is great for a Tudor fan!

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  4. The Guineveres sounds really interesting, and I imagine the book on Putin would be too given the times!

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    1. The Putin one was SO interesting to read in our current political environment!

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  5. Stay With Me and Valley Of The Moon are on my TBR list. I’m glad you liked them!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. Stay With Me is a book I didn't rate especially highly when I first read it, but has lingered with me for months!

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