Top Ten Tuesday: Underrated

Oh, I'm stealing this one from Elizabeth, because she was right, I was shocked at how many of my most beloved books don't have more than even 1,000 ratings on Goodreads! The Top Ten Tuesday feature is from Broke and Bookish, and today's list: Top Ten Books We Enjoyed That Have Under 2,000 Ratings On Goodreads.


So, I'm going to skip the really old or obscure ones--I mean, Rumer Godden doesn't need my boost, even on her "backlist," and the translation of that French nun book from the 1950s was terrible.  Let's just go with the stuff that I am truly shocked to learn is not being scored by 100 new people every day!

1) Lifelode, by Jo Walton.  Really, there isn't enough love for Jo Walton by definition, because All The Love would not be enough love.  But this one is definitely underrated.  There's a lot going on here with time and memory and alternate family situations.  But what it comes down to is just a beautiful glimpse of a moment, and the lives of some incredibly real people--some likable, some not--doing the best they can.

2) Sorrow's Knot, by Erin Bow. The Scorpion Rules is getting great buzz, but don't be afraid to go back to this fantasy novel with a Native American feel, because the friendships here are incredible.


3) Scarlett Undercover, by Jennifer Latham.  If Veronica Mars was Muslim and maybe a little supernatural.  But that dark noir bite? Is so hard to find.

4) I'm going to put a bunch of K.J. Parker novellas here, because I'm not going to choose between Blue and Gold, The Devil You Know, and Downfall of the Gods. (Oh, who am I kidding? Go read Blue and Gold.) Suffice it to say, all three of these books are clever and snarky and twisty, and clearly underrated, if only in that they're not often enough rated.

5) Shadowboxer, by Tricia Sullivan. Once again, I assume that because the word of mouth reached me, it reached everyone. The combination of cultures and mythology and way more about Muy Thai fighting than I ever believed I'd love to know.

6) Ursula Vernon--really, everything she writes.  I mean, maybe it's just that kids' books don't get many reviews on Goodreads, but seriously, Danny Dragonbreath, Harriet Hamsterbone, and my personal favorite, Castle Hangnail, are exactly what your children should be reading.  (Yes, Danny can be annoying when he finds girls weird. Even though he learns, some kids aren't aware of the boy/girl thing yet. Still.)

7) The Wolf Road, by Beth Lewis. I mean, okay, this just came out, but the far-future old-West feel is amazing, and Elka is one of my favorite not-quite-likeable characters ever.

8) Point of Honour, by Madeleine Robins! All the Sarah Tolerance books, people! Fallen woman turned private detective (living in the guest house behind her aunt's bordello) in the 1800s. Sarah is a badass, and if you guys don't start reading these there won't be more--please, for me!

9) Gena/Finn, by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson. Maybe this one just hit me really close to home, but in the age of internet friends, it means so much to have a picture of what that kind of a bond can be.

10) The Golden City, by Kathleen J. Cheney. This one--this book was so great.  Fantasy set in turn of the century Portugal, with selkies--and, even better, a potential romance built on mutual respect and admiration before hormones.  This deserves way more attention.

I'm leaving out so much.  So many comics series (Princeless! The Three Thieves! Hexed, and its tie in novel, which was really surprisingly great!), so many old favorites (A Patch of Blue, The Nun's Story, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane), so many kids' books and novellas and brand new books that I have faith will still get their buzz.  I thought I was behind in my reading and reviewing; you guys have to get on the ball!