This fabulous meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week it's books that are underrated. Great topic! Hopefully I'll find some little-known ones to add to my tbr list :)
I have a lot of underappreciated books I could mention, so this more like just ten of them, rather than the *top* ten.
1.) Sorcery & Cecelia by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer — I'm sure I must have mentioned this book a gazillion times on this blog already, but I love it so much that I can never pass up an opportunity to sing its praises. Letters + Regency England + magic = <3.
And you should check out Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which are also fantastic.
2.) Nothing by Janne Teller — this one is a Printz winner and I only rarely see it getting mentioned! It's simple and creepy and if nothing else, will give you something to think about. See my review here.
3.) The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley — lovers of high fantasy should pick this one up. A princess who can see the future, a very evil villain, and a man desperate to reclaim the magical sword of his kingdom. Seriously, what's not to like?
4.) The Alice series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor — I adored these growing up, and have to mention them because I never see them discussed in the blogosphere, which makes me kinda sad. They're such well-written, relatable tween & teen reads!
5.) The Squire's Tales series by Gerald Morris — okay, not all of these are equally good, but there are a few I can certainly recommend. The Squire, His Knight & His Lady, The Savage Damsel & the Dwarf, and The Lioness and Her Knight are all enjoyable spins on Arthurian tales/characters, injected with a strong dose of humour.
6.) Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters — the author is known for some of her other books (like Luna, which I've never read) but this one doesn't ever seem to come up. I love the friendship that grows between Antonia and Jazz; both characters are well fleshed-out and humorous moments lighten the darker side of the story.
7.) When the War is Over by Martha Attema — this one's about a Jewish girl who falls in love with a German soldier during WWII. It's a sweet romance, story of the Resistance, and portrayal of prejudices all rolled into one.
8.) Search of the Moon King's Daughter by Linda Holeman — the story of a girl whose deaf brother has been sold to a chimney sweep to work as a climbing boy in 1830s London. Emmaline becomes a scullery maid while she desperately tries to track down her brother. It's a mixture of heartbreak and hope, and the setting feels quite authentic.
9.) Little Sister by Kara Dalkey— I did a Forget-Me-Nots post about this one a while back. If you're a fan of Japanese culture and mythology, get your hands on this one!
10.) From Anna by Jean Little — this is more of a younger-end MG read, one of my favourite books when I was younger. Anna's such an easy, sympathetic protagonist to root for as she struggles to learn English and become accustomed to life in Canada.
The only novel I've heard about is Nothing and that's probably because now that you mention your review, I can vaguely recall seeing it. I like the question this week! It's been interesting to see what reads people think deserve some more notice.
ReplyDeleteYours is the first list I've come across that I haven't actually read any from! :( I'm ashamed!! But I'll definitely have to be looking into some of them! (Also... I saw your comment on Audrey's blog- YES! Go read Ballads! :D )
ReplyDeleteYou've made me want to read Sorcery and Cecelia. I was horrified by NOTHING but I did recognize that it was well written.
ReplyDeleteAnne
My Head is Full of Books
Nothing! YAY for featuring it, it's definitely a great read! and I'ms sad I haven't read any more of these books... better get on it :) and hehe the Alice series! I read the other series (boys vs girls) of the author and loved them :P
ReplyDeleteSome day I am going to read The Squire's Tale series and The Seer and the Sword. I knew you'd put Sorcery and Cecelia on your list :)
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