If you look at enough book recommendations, sometimes you start to feel like you’re just seeing the same books over and over again. No surprise, and there’s nothing wrong with that - plenty of popular books are absolutely terrific and among my all time favorite reads! But sometimes you want a recommendation that is a little more off the beaten path - whether because you’re a voracious reader that has already read the usual suspects, or maybe you’re looking for a book that might actually be on the library shelf instead of having a miles-long waiting list. So today I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite books that are a little more obscure, books you don’t see people talking about much. If you have read these before, it might be because you have similar taste to me - or if you’re someone who has been following me for a long time, it might just be because you saw this book on one of my top 10 lists of old! These are all books that I rated either 4.5 or 5 stars, and mostly books that were on one of my top 10 lists in the past, and as a criteria for “less popular,” I chose only books that had less than 5,000 ratings on Goodreads.
Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge - When someone asks for me a book I love that is less well-known, this is always my go to, because it is an amazing book, not well-known, and a type of book that should appeal to just about anyone - unless you’re not in the mood for a book that will make you cry. An absolutely wonderful, beautifully written novel about two strangers who survive a small plane crash and have to try to survive as castaways on a tiny island in the South Pacific. This was not only on my top 10 of 2017, but also on my top 20 of 20 years list, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase - This is a grown up chick lit novel with heart and depth, about not just relationships but family, friendships, and career, and one that really got to me emotionally. This was on my top 10 of 2015 and my top 20 of 20 years list. If you’ve read popular contemporary women’s fiction authors like Emily Giffin, Jennifer Weiner, and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s early books, and are looking for something in the same vein, you must check Bethany Chase out as she is just not as well known as she should be - her other two books are also terrific.
What You Don’t Know About Charlie Outlaw by Leah Stewart - This book is about an actor named Charlie and an actress named Josie who have just broken up - his career is on an upward trajectory while hers is on a downward trajectory. While she is preparing for the 20 year reunion of the Buffy-esque tv show she starred in, he travels to a remote island to escape from the media, which turns out to be more dangerous than he anticipated - and lots more happens from there. I absolutely loved the writing and the story of this one, and it was actually the very first 5 star review I wrote for this blog, plus landed on my 2018 top 10 list and my top 20 of 20 years list.
A Big Storm Knocked It Over by Laurie Colwin - This didn’t make it on one of my top 10 lists, but that’s only because I first read it all the way back in 1994, 5 years before I started making my top 10 lists. I re-read it in 2000, and have been meaning to re-read it for a long time but never seem to carve out the time for re-reads when I have so many books I have yet to read that I want to read. But here’s the thing about this book - not only has it stuck with me all these years, but it’s a book about marriage and motherhood - and both times I read it were before I was married or a mother. So the fact that it resonated with me when I couldn’t even relate to it says a lot. Indeed, writing this up is really making me want to re-read this one sooner rather than later to see how I feel about it now that I’m older!
Monsters by Liz Kay - In this novel, a single mother in Nebraska raising her two young sons after the death of her husband finds her world turned upside down when her feminist novel in verse is going to be adapted into a movie by a hunky Hollywood actor. Totally flawed and dysfunctional characters who charmed me nonetheless. It's light enough to appeal to chick lit fans while also getting a little dark at times, and even gets a little steamy if you like that. There are some slightly cliche elements, but it is made up for by the writing which is just so sharp and fresh. This was on my top 10 of 2016 list. And no one has heard of this book, which really needs to be rectified! So go read it already!
The Department of Lost and Found by Allison Winn Scotch - Allison Winn Scotch is one of my most favorite authors of contemporary women’s fiction, and a must-read author for me and has been ever since I read this debut of hers back in 2008, about a 30 year old woman battling breast cancer who goes on a journey of self-discovery. This was on my 2008 top 10 list and is my favorite of her books, but is also one of her least well known.
London Is the Best City in America by Laura Dave - I just read and loved Laura Dave’s new book, The Last Thing He Told Me, being published in May, so how appropriate to include this, her debut novel, on this list. Just like the Allison Winn Scotch book I just mentioned, this book was on my 2008 top list, and I became an instant fan and she also became one of my favorite contemporary women’s fiction writers and a must-read! The main character of this novel called off her engagement and essentially fled her life several year before the book started, but with her brother’s impending wedding she not only has to prepare to return, but goes on a both metaphorical and literal journey of self-discovery with her brother.
After You by Julie Buxbaum - Julie Buxbaum is another must-read author and one of my favorite writers of both contemporary women’s fiction and young adult realistic fiction, but it’s her adult books books that are more obscure. I had trouble deciding whether to include The Opposite of Love or After You since I love them both so much, but went with After You since it had less ratings on Goodreads. In this book, after her best friend is murdered, main character Ellie moves to London to help take care of her 8 year old god-daughter, but learns a lot about herself in the process as well. This was on my 2010 top 10 list.
Walking On Trampolines by Frances Whiting - This is a charming novel about friendship, family, love, and growing up - with light writing but a lot of emotions and wonderful quirky characters. This was on my 2015 top 10 list. An Australian bookstagrammer recently posted asking people about their favorite Australian authors, and I discovered to my surprise that I seemingly had read as many or more Australian authors as she had, including this one! This was one I definitely discovered only because of Netgalley, and though these days I try not to request books I’ve never heard of, this gem of a novel is an argument against doing so!
Trophy Son by Douglas Brunt - I only read this one a few months ago, but since it was published back in 2017 and never became famous, I’m going to go ahead and include it on this list, as it is definitely in the running so far for my 2021 top 10 list and yet is the least read book on Goodreads of all the books on this list. It’s a novel about a young man being groomed to be a championship tennis player while also struggling to figure out his own identity. What really struck me about it as that my life literally couldn’t be more different than his, but yet reading this book I felt not only like I was reading about a real person but that it was actually happening to me. Just phenomenal writing.
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Have you read any of these, or are you now interested in checking any of them out? What’s a book that you would recommend that you never hear people talking about?
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