Top Ten Tuesdays is hosted weekly by The Broke and Bookish and anyone is free to participate! This week’s subject is top underrated books I’ve read (or will read!). If you haven’t read them go forth and read!! Here they are in no particular order!

  1. Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit
    This is a story about a girl who travels through Europe during WW2 with a man who only identifies with himself as “The Swallow Man.” It’s such a reverent and beautifully written book.
  2. Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire
    A whimsical Alice and Wonderland take on being lost and finding your place in the world. Every Heart A Doorway is a short novella but still packs a punch with A+ ace representation.
  3. Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill
    A haunting commentary on standards of beauty and western culture’s perception of them. Only Ever Yours is an essential read and kind of a modern Handmaid’s Tale. It’s just amazing.
  4. Under A Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
    This is the diverse Western I would have watched and enjoyed more than John Wayne movies. Honestly the whole cowboy things exhausts me and I have no appreciation for it. But this book features the first cowboys I’ve liked with two amazing Women of Color main characters. Read it. Read it now!
  5. Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
    It’s fitting to read one of the founding members of We Need Diverse Books campaign books. This is an #ownvoices book about arranged marriage and it’s harrowing story about losing control and how to gain it back. I’m so grateful to have read this one.
  6. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
    Although this is an adult novel, Rainbow Rowell still exceeds at storytelling and romance with a little “magic in the real world” thrown in there. I loved the concept of this little book and how adorable both Georgie and Neal are.
  7. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
    One of the more unique dystopian books I’ve read focuses on organ donation and possession. In Shusterman’s world, science has progressed so all body parts can be transplanted. And because so many people need organ donations, now any juveniles who are misbehaving can be “unwound” and have all their body parts donated. It raises some very ethical questions relating to consent, agency and morality. Shusterman created a vivid world that could someday come true.

    • Note: There are problematic issues in Shusterman’s books. His depictions of some Native American tribes and their cultures are extreme appropriation (here’s further reading on that). Furthermore there seem to be no people of color in his books. I still think this book can be enjoyed, but we need to acknowledge the problematic elements that still exist.
  8. Nimona by Noelle Stevensen
    A highly under appreciated graphic novel follows a villain(?) and his sidekick(?) on a hilarious attempt to take down the villain’s nemesis(?). Anyway, the humor is spot on and it’s definitely a book that deserves more love!
  9. All graphic novels
    I think all graphic novels to some extent are underrated mostly because they seem to be the one category of book that universally most people forget about. So much work goes into graphic novels, and many of them are own voices/memoirs. I hope that we all develop a greater love and appreciation of graphic novels. Not sure where to start with graphic novels? Here’s a list I’ve made of some books to begin with!

What books do you feel are underrated? Let me know in the comments so I can look into them!