Books that you love that most people haven't read

[ufcasey]

I think almost everyone who is a reader has a couple of books that they like to recommend to everyone because most people haven't heard of them, nevermind read them. So I thought it would be fun if we could list some of our personal, not-well-known favorites to get some of these fantastic books the exposure they deserve! I broke mine down into genre categories to help people find the kinds of books they like to read, along with links to Goodreads and a little blurb about why I like it. But feel free to just list out the book titles of your favorites if you want, don't feel like you have to all that. We're readers after all, so we can find and read up on them on our own

Non-fiction:
Just Mercy A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson – I am not a big reader of this genre, but man this book really captured my attention from start to finish. I strongly feel this should be required reading for anyone who carte blanche supports the death penalty, believes in the infallibility of our police and justice systems, or thinks racism/class-ism/discrimination against individuals with low intelligence or mental health issues are all a thing of the past.

Cross-genre series:
The Queen of the Tearling series by Erika Johansen – once you get to the second book (which is better than the first) you’ll see that this series combines fantasy with modern day dystopia in such a unique way. I can’t wait for the third book to be released (later this year) to see how it all plays out.

Fantasy series:
Tairen Soul series by C.L. Wilson – this series has steamy romance, lots of action, great world-building, and a main character who can turn into a giant flying cat (ok, that sounds absolutely ridiculous, but trust me, it really is a million times better than it sounds). Also, try not to let the horrific book covers turn you away either. Seriously, hideous book covers.

NA series:
Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott – the second book is pretty good but the other three books in this series are simply fantastic. It follows each member of a rock band but the stories are pretty different and don't suffer from unnecessary/silly drama. Also, the audiobooks for all four are really good if that’s your kind of thing.

PNR series:
Riley Jenson series by Keri Arthur – I’m absolutely obsessed with this series, and I just finished all 9 books recently. I’ve described it as the slutty cousin to the Kate Daniels series. The first two books are a bit overly smutty perhaps, but the series gets a lot more plot depth as it goes on, so just try to move past that if it bothers you at first. Books 4 and 7 are my favorites, but the series has to be read in order.

YA paranormal series:
Soul Eater by Eliza Crewe – seriously Meda is the best sarcastic, funny, morally ambiguous heroine I have EVER read. She alone gets 5 stars, but the series overall is equally wonderful too.
Relentless by Karen Lynch – maybe it gets a little Vampire Academy-esque in the second book, but I personally enjoyed this series more. The first book is free too for Kindle, Nook, etc. so give it a try!
Elemental by Brigid Kemmerer – each book focuses on a different boy/girl pairing, kind of like Black Dagger Brotherhood, only this is YA and no vampires. Also, I found it refreshing that one of the books features a boy/boy relationship and it’s really well done IMO.

Audiobooks you really should listen to instead of reading the book:
Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole – this is a epistolary historical fiction/romance written entirely from letters, telegrams, and postcards. Since there is no real “dialogue”, listening to this book is ideal. Also, some things just come across better in audio format – Scottish accents, endearments that don’t sound nearly as cheesy when heard rather than read, and there's a more obvious distinction between the “voices” of the characters since there are in fact multiple people who do the audio narration of this book.
Feed by Mira Grant – This is a zombie book but with more emphasis on a kind of journalistic slant, so there's not much horror. Which is good, because horror books and zombie books are not my thing. But if you read this book, when you get to chapter 25, immediately stop and get the audiobook if you are reading it instead of listening to it. Because let me tell you, there is a scene in chapter 25 that MUST be listened to. Must, must, must. I cannot stress this enough. Reading it does it NO justice and the audio narrator does it PERFECTLY. That one scene in that chapter alone makes me recommend this book to people, but only the audiobook of it.

Favorite audiobook narrator:
Rebecca Lowman – some book narrators just can’t do the voice of the opposite sex without sounding ridiculous. Rebecca Lowman does THE BEST male voice. Listen to Landline by Rainbow Rowell if you don’t believe me (also, that’s a fantastic book). I’ve listened to several other books based solely on the fact that she’s the narrator.

Ok, I'll stop there. LOL! Oh, but if you have a goodreads account, feel free to friend me Ok, done.

[dorothyinAus]

A few of my more esoteric favorites:

Mama's Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes (the basis for the movie I Remember Mama)
Life with Mother Superior by Jane Trahey (the basis for the movie The Trouble with Angels)
Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith (Yes, she wrote something other than A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)
The Erast Fandorin series by Boris Akunin (Erast is my book crush and I hate that I cannot find anyone else who has read them!)
Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery (everyone reads Anne, but no-one takes about Emily)
The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Hayward (a childhood favorite no-one else has ever heard of)
Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series (this is a recent discovery, but they are fantastic and I wish more people read them -- the Michael Pritchard read audio books are great as well)
The Silent Gondoliers by William Goldman (this is a great little book, but near impossible to find)

Most of my books are hard to find, out of print, or older books. Many people I've noticed pass up non-classic literature older books as not worth reading, which is truly a shame, because there are some great finds hiding in those older books. I also notice that many people tend not to read things that are not bestsellers or the books everyone else is talking about. If the book is more than 20 years old and not a bestseller, it's a struggle to find anyone who has read it, or even heard of it.

[Nonny]

This is a hard question.  I tend to not recommend books that I think people will have a hard time finding, and many of my favorites are fairly mainstream things that lots of people have read.  (For example, I recommended the hell out of Station Eleven I loved it so hard, but it's a popular title.)

One of my favorite series is a trilogy called Legends of the Wolves by Alice Borchardt (who is Anne Rice's deceased sister). It's a werewolf series set in the dark ages, except in this case the main guy werewolf is a wolf who turns into a man, not a man who turns into a wolf.  It's a fun twist on an old classic.

I'll have to think about this more and come back to it.

 

[monkeyfeet]

I agree hard question.
One of my favourites that I recommend is common around these boards and in that genre, but I and those I recommend it to had/have never previously heard of The Name of the Wind.

[Wallflower]

What a great thread!

A couple of classics that I always recommend - How Green Was My Valley (Richard Llewellyn), and I Heard the Owl Call My Name (Margaret Craven). And I've personally gotten at least 3 people addicted to the Louise Penny mysteries. Although, for mysteries, I'd love to get people reading the Cadfael books (Ellis Peters).

[snshne322]

I know a lot of my NBC friends have ready it but I always recommend Marianna by Susanna Kearsley. I've even told them if they don't like it, don't tell me because I have such love for this book. No one IRL seems to have heard of her.

[ThirdandLong]

Judging by the lack of pins on Pinterest (Ha! A good measuring stick, yes?)...

The Elemental Trilogy by Sherry Thomas ~ sassy, funny dialogue & interesting fantasy plot. Loved the series!
Razorland Trilogy by Ann Aguirre ~ humanistic monsters around every turn & a strong female lead to fight for freedom
Anything written by David Eddings ~ love the Belgarath series, love the Sparhawk series. All high fantasy.

[Wallflower]

Apr 15, 2016 8:25:45 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

I know a lot of my NBC friends have ready it but I always recommend Marianna by Susanna Kearsley. I've even told them if they don't like it, don't tell me because I have such love for this book. No one IRL seems to have heard of her.

Marianna isn't my favorite of hers, but I did like it.  Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses are my favorites.  I love seeing another Kearsley fan!!

[snshne322]

Apr 15, 2016 8:27:08 GMT -5 Wallflower said:

Apr 15, 2016 8:25:45 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

I know a lot of my NBC friends have ready it but I always recommend Marianna by Susanna Kearsley. I've even told them if they don't like it, don't tell me because I have such love for this book. No one IRL seems to have heard of her.

Marianna isn't my favorite of hers, but I did like it.  Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses are my favorites.  I love seeing another Kearsley fan!!

I get that a lot. I think that's why I tell people not to tell me if they don't like it.  It's like peoples 3 or 4th favorite of hers. I just love how obvious, yet not obvious. the ending is. 

I think I've read most of her works now.  I definitely like The Winter Sea, but The Shadowy Horses didn't do much for me.  I feel like it needed 100 more pages to really finish it up!

[snshne322]

ufcasey, I'm glad someone loves slutty Kate Daniels other than me. I kind of love the casualness of it, because I like that it takes the stigma off sex (though I know she gets some shit in the books). It's more how I wish we were as a society in that regard. I know that sounds weird and I don't necessarily think we need clubs for it, but that it's not treated as this big thing, you know?

[aurora]

Apr 14, 2016 22:58:34 GMT -5 dorothyinAus said:

A few of my more esoteric favorites:

...
Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery (everyone reads Anne, but no-one takes about Emily)
...

I read the Emily of New Moon series a long time ago. I remember enjoying it but don't remember any details (nor of Anne, really).

[aurora]

Good question! A few of my lesser-known recommendations:

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood - a modern retelling of events around the Odyssey but from Penelope's perspective.
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - a fun mystery from Egypt that works really well as an audiobook
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - this was one of the books I ended up picking for last year's book challenge and I was surprised at how engaging it was and how much I learned about Australia
The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi - really beautiful and heartbreaking story about a girl growing into a woman in Afghanistan. I'll definitely be reading her next book.

[ufcasey]

Apr 15, 2016 8:25:52 GMT -5 ThirdandLong said:

Judging by the lack of pins on Pinterest (Ha! A good measuring stick, yes?)...

The Elemental Trilogy by Sherry Thomas ~ sassy, funny dialogue & interesting fantasy plot. Loved the series!
Razorland Trilogy by Ann Aguirre ~ humanistic monsters around every turn & a strong female lead to fight for freedom
Anything written by David Eddings ~ love the Belgarath series, love the Sparhawk series. All high fantasy.

The elemental series I almost recommended myself but I felt like I already had a way too long post as it was lol.The others I already had on my TBR list (except for Sparhawk), I'll have to make sure to read them sooner than later

[ufcasey]

Apr 15, 2016 8:33:56 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

Apr 15, 2016 8:27:08 GMT -5 Wallflower said:

Marianna isn't my favorite of hers, but I did like it.  Winter Sea and Shadowy Horses are my favorites.  I love seeing another Kearsley fan!!

I get that a lot. I think that's why I tell people not to tell me if they don't like it.  It's like peoples 3 or 4th favorite of hers. I just love how obvious, yet not obvious. the ending is. 

I think I've read most of her works now.  I definitely like The Winter Sea, but The Shadowy Horses didn't do much for me.  I feel like it needed 100 more pages to really finish it up!

I just finished reading Mariana a couple of days ago and I really liked it - except for the ending. I mean, it fit, but I wish the build up to it was better if that makes sense. The only other book I have read of hers is Winter Sea, I've been meaning to read the follow up (sort of?) to it, The Firebird.

[suzannesugarbaker]

Good question!

I definitely agree about the Stage Dive series from Kylie Scott. The title of the first book is Lick, so I personally was a little put off but that, but I am so glad that I read it. I've really enjoyed them.

Good to know about The Queen of the Tearling. I got it when it was on sale and haven't read it yet.

Anyhow... here are some that may be lesser know that I have enjoyed.

NA:
The Air He Breathes by Brittainy Cherry. I thought this one was heart-wrenching but so good!

The Nocte Trilogy by Courtney Cole

The Artists Trilogy by Karina Halle


Fantasy/Sci-Fi:
The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima. I know it was popular on NBC. Not sure about here, but most people I meet IRL haven't heard of it.

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

I'm sure I'll think of more later!

[ufcasey]

Apr 15, 2016 8:37:54 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

ufcasey, I'm glad someone loves slutty Kate Daniels other than me. I kind of love the casualness of it, because I like that it takes the stigma off sex (though I know she gets some shit in the books). It's more how I wish we were as a society in that regard. I know that sounds weird and I don't necessarily think we need clubs for it, but that it's not treated as this big thing, you know?

I 100% agree! I like that it's no big deal but she does treat her relationship(s) with a certain level of respect. And then there's Quinn and I just love how that he basically represents how conservative society treats sex and how he does and does not come to terms with Riley. I seriously love the hell out of this series!

[Wallflower]

Apr 15, 2016 10:32:56 GMT -5 ufcasey said:

Apr 15, 2016 8:33:56 GMT -5 snshne322 said:

I get that a lot. I think that's why I tell people not to tell me if they don't like it.  It's like peoples 3 or 4th favorite of hers. I just love how obvious, yet not obvious. the ending is. 

I think I've read most of her works now.  I definitely like The Winter Sea, but The Shadowy Horses didn't do much for me.  I feel like it needed 100 more pages to really finish it up!

I just finished reading Mariana a couple of days ago and I freaky liked it - except for the ending. I mean, it fit, but I wish the build up to it was better if that makes sense. The only other book I have read of hers is Winter Sea, I've been meaning to read the follow up (sort of?) to it, The Firebird.

Shadowy Horses comes between The Winter Sea and the Firebird, so I'd go to that one next.

And I'm with you, I liked it but felt like the ending just jumped up at you, and bam, the book ended.

[revjen]

A Modern Witch by Debora Geary. She's writing now under Audrey Faye and I'm digging her sci-fi series now too.

I agree with Letters from Skye.

I think that one of my favorites that no one has ever read is Losing Julia by Jonathan Hull. It rips my guts out every time I read it but it's so good.

[aurora]

OK, I'm stumped: what does "NA" stand for?

[revjen]

Apr 15, 2016 12:35:25 GMT -5 aurora said:

OK, I'm stumped: what does "NA" stand for?

New Adult.  I think it's the 20-22 age range.

[ufcasey]

I'm pleasantly surprised by how many of the books listed are available as ebooks at my library!

Also just wanted to 'ditto' the recommendations for The Name of the Wind, The Artists Trilogy, and The Seven Realms.

Oh, and NA stands for New Adult which is basically a sub genre of romance with characters who are 'new adults' (aka college age).

[labellabarv]

I'm a sucker for YA/NA so many of mine chosen books are from those categories:

Every Day- David Levithan
We Were Liars- E. Lockhart I know this one was mentioned a lot a year or so ago, but I'm not sure how many actually read it (I LOVED it!)
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour- Morgan Matson
Lovestruck in London- Rachel Schurig (this was actually either free or under $2.00 on kindle so I took a chance and really loved this book)
Please Ignore Vera Dietz & Reality Boy by A.S. King
The Wedding Dress- Rachel Hauck- I listened to this on audio and loved the audio and story

[marigoldgirl]

Apr 15, 2016 15:47:11 GMT -5 labellabarv said:

I'm a sucker for YA/NA so many of mine chosen books are from those categories:


We Were Liars- E. Lockhart I know this one was mentioned a lot a year or so ago, but I'm not sure how many actually read it (I LOVED it!)

Just read this one recently. I loved it. It surprised me. 

[charlatti]

Haven Kimmel's books aren't super well known, I don't think. I really love The Used World and The Solace of Leaving Early.
The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt -- nothing to do with actual samurais, but a really good book.

[mrspez07]

Here's some of my little-known 5-stars on goodreads. I tend to be surprised by non-fiction.

Non-fiction
The Unlikely Deciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein - a photographic comparison of many of the people in the town of Oxford, Iowa. I loved it.
Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman

Fiction
Lisa Unger- good suspense books. Some better than others
The Alienist by Caleb Carr - 1st in a series about one of the 1st profilers/phychoanalysist (fiction), takes place in turn of the century NY with some famous people making an appearance.
The Dirty Girls Social Club series - Alisa Valdes (1st book in the series is by the same name). Fun chick-lit and also smutty too.
Cross Currents by John Shors



Also, what does PNR stand for? I think I'm close in my head but not quite.

[revjen]

Apr 16, 2016 19:44:44 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

Also, what does PNR stand for? I think I'm close in my head but not quite.

Paranormal Romance

[ufcasey]

Apr 16, 2016 19:44:44 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

Here's some of my little-known 5-stars on goodreads. I tend to be surprised by non-fiction.

Non-fiction
The Unlikely Deciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein - a photographic comparison of many of the people in the town of Oxford, Iowa. I loved it.
Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman

Fiction
Lisa Unger- good suspense books. Some better than others
The Alienist by Caleb Carr - 1st in a series about one of the 1st profilers/phychoanalysist (fiction), takes place in turn of the century NY with some famous people making an appearance.
The Dirty Girls Social Club series - Alisa Valdes (1st book in the series is by the same name). Fun chick-lit and also smutty too.
Cross Currents by John Shors



Also, what does PNR stand for? I think I'm close in my head but not quite.

PNR = paranormal romance (which can also be a little urban fantasy-ish too). Generally this means the main characters are not entitely human (werewolf, vampire, etc.) but the plot is set in this world and this time period, and romance is involved.

Which Lisa Unger book do you recommend? My library happily has over 25 ebooks/audiobooks from her

[dorothyinAus]

Apr 16, 2016 19:44:44 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

Here's some of my little-known 5-stars on goodreads. I tend to be surprised by non-fiction.

Non-fiction
The Unlikely Deciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein - a photographic comparison of many of the people in the town of Oxford, Iowa. I loved it.
Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman

Fiction
Lisa Unger- good suspense books. Some better than others
The Alienist by Caleb Carr - 1st in a series about one of the 1st profilers/phychoanalysist (fiction), takes place in turn of the century NY with some famous people making an appearance.
The Dirty Girls Social Club series - Alisa Valdes (1st book in the series is by the same name). Fun chick-lit and also smutty too.
Cross Currents by John Shors



Also, what does PNR stand for? I think I'm close in my head but not quite.

The Alienist is one of those books many people have told me I'd enjoy, and I went so far as to buy it, but I haven't actually opened it yet.  I don't really know why, I think the dark feeling of cover(s) really intimidates me.  Is it terribly dark to read?

[mrspez07]

ufcasey
Favorites by Lisa Unger- Beautiful Lies and Black Out are the two I ranked highest on Goodreads. BL highest.

dorothyinAus
It is about serial killers, so it's pretty dark. It can be long-winded with a lot of theorizing and psychological background, but I find I can't put it down as it starts rolling. Both books I've read are like a plodding horse that gets spooked and is racing thru town by the end, I think the building story is his style.