Top Ten Books That Just Aren't Appreciated Enough

Some books disappear into obscurity through no fault of their own. In order to do a bit of signal boosting on their behalf, here are my top ten books that have under 2000 reviews on Goodreads.

I'm going to exclude Danish books (as that wouldn't be a fair fight) and new releases (as they haven't had a chance to prove themselves yet).

This was difficult! On first look-through I ended up with 20 books I'd like to give a signal boost. All taken from my 5-star shelf on Goodreads. In order to keep myself from going nuts with indecision, I decided to limit myself further to only choosing books I've read more than once, under the theory that I know these will pass the test of time or something ;)

In no particular order...
The Wild Swans - Peg Kerr
Part 17 century England, part 20th century America. seamlessly weaves together the stories of Eliza, who has to save her 11 brothers who've been turned into swans and of Elias, who battles with AIDS in 1981 New York. It's been far too long since I read this last. I absolutely adore it.

Leaning on a Spider's Web - Jennifer Rees Larcombe
(Sorry, the Danish cover is so much prettier than the English! ;) )
I can't believe this book only has 3 reviews and 12 ratings! Granted, it's not a book I'd recommend to a non-Christian, but it is one of my very favourite Christian books. I discovered it first as a teen and have reread it several times since then.

Library of the Dead - Glenn Cooper
(a.k.a. Secret of the Seventh Son)
One of the best thrillers I've ever read. Tying together events in Las Vegas and New York of 2009, Area 51 of 1947 and Isle of Wright of 777 this made for fascinating reading! It's the first book in a trilogy but is nicely contained with no real cliffhangers.

Guilt By Association - Gilbert Morris
(a.k.a. "One By One")
A Christian suspense/mystery that's fascinated me from the very first time I read it. I enjoy mysteries where the clues are out there for the reader to see... not that I came even close to guessing the first time I read it, but on subsequent read-throughs, it's fun to pay attention to them.

The Rosary - Florence L. Barclay
An underrated classic. While definitely predictable in plot (at least in places), the writing is so incredibly beautiful that it's well worth reading.

A Modern Witch - Debora Geary
Are y'all really surprised that this made the list? But with less than 1000 reviews it has definitely been overlooked by the general public. I am so grateful to for recommending it to me - it's become a fast favourite of not just me, but my entire family. Comfort reading of the best kind!

Singularity - William Sleator
More people need to read this book! This was my introduction to sci-fi as a young teen and I still love it every bit as much as I did back then - even if I do know it practically off by heart ;) At 176 pages it's short enough that it can easily be read in a single sitting - and I usually do :)

Dragonsinger - Anne McCaffrey
It really surprised me that book two in the Harper Hall trilogy had less than 500 reviews! This is without comparison my favourite Anne McCaffrey book. I love reading about Menolly's life at Harper's Hall, and wish it had been much, much longer.

And All the Stars - Andrea K. Höst
Something as rare as a stand-alone science fiction novel! I was fortunate enough to receive it as an ARC in 2012 and immediately fell in love. It's "Tomorrow When the War Began" meets "The Host". Amazing.

The Yada-Yada Prayer Group - Neta Jackson
Ending up with another huge favourite of mine. This first book in the Yada Yada series is overlooked by far too many. Granted, some may think it's too saccharine in places, but it remains by far the best Christian fiction I've ever read. I first came across this series in 2008 and have read it through 4 times already in the years since.