Two books I want to highlight today as under the radar gems are GETTING LIFE: An INNOCENT MAN'S JOURNEY FROM PRISON TO PEACE by Michael Morton (nonfiction) and THE PHONE BOOTH AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by Laura Imai Messina (literary fiction).
If you're a reader who loved THE SUN DOES SHINE by Anthony Ray Hinton (one of my all time favorite books) then you'll want to read GETTING LIFE. The writing leans toward the literary side and it's structured as a mystery that's actually solved by the end which makes what happened to Michael Morton all the more heartbreaking.
THE PHONE BOOTH AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD was a five star read for me and one I've never heard anyone else talk about, both before I read it and since and that's a shame. It's about
"grief, mourning, and the joy of survival, and was inspired by a real phone booth in Japan with its disconnected "wind" phone, a place of pilgrimage and solace since the 2011 tsunami" This is literary fiction that has a beautiful message and characters that I became emotionally invested in
One of my latest reads is RAISING HARE: A MEMOIR by Chloe Dalton which Rita also mentioned here in this discussion thread. This is the second memoir I've read lately that I've given 5 glowing stars to - THE TELL by Amy Griffin is the other one. Raising Hare is about one woman's decision to help a baby hare and the way that decision transformed her life. I listened to it, the audio narration is perfection (the author does not narrate). This is a beautiful story that any reader can enjoy. The author was able to take her truly amazing story and share the bigger picture which is something that couldn't have been easy. Her writing was never boring, I was interested and invested from page one!
I'll be sharing my full review and discussion about Raising Hare in the upcoming Books & Beyond podcast episode with Katie who, by the way, read it before me and let me know that I would ok reading this one after my initial hesitation that something bad would happen to the hare:)
I have so many! Firstly, agree with the Hare and also Esme Lennox nominations… One of my under the radar suggestion is How To Read A Book by Monica Wood - an uplifting story about found family with a slightly implausible but delightful plot involving a women’s prison bookclub, a bookshop and a tragedy and I loved it and recommend for bookish friends wanting something lovely, it’s a really good read. For Ann Patchett fans I must push her collection of essays These Precious Days which is outstanding - witty and moving, razor sharp writing - I absolutely love this book and have given it to many friends. Something really obscure but so touching and tender is Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee, Australian author - I don’t know how to describe it except as poignant, sad, funny - features a single mother doing her best in impossible circumstances written from the point of view of a sibling of a child with a medical condition, it is so gorgeous.
For an under the radar book, I'll never stop talking about LOVED AND MISSED by Susie Boyt. I haven't seen a lot of people talking about it which makes me sad. The premise sounds depressing-- a woman takes in her addict daughter's baby-- but the way it's written is beautiful and contemplative, not depressing to me at all. Yes, there's hard things that happen in it but it is such a worthy read that I wish more people would try.
I'm currently reading in print and audio THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD and am surprised how much it's sucked me in!
I remember you talking about Love and Missed before and I downloaded it on Libby- and it's still there in my rotation, I keep renewing it...I must make time for this, it sounds like one I'd really like
I'm pretty sure you'd like it! My caveat is I have no idea how it is on audio, and I feel like it's one that lends itself better to print but I could be wrong!
Oh ok, good to know, I do have the audio but I'll see if I can get the ebook too- I may have it on hold because I think I remember just the audio being available
The under the radar read that comes to mind immediately is VALENTINE, published in 2020. An absolute 5⭐️ experience for me. It is brutal and inspiring- all about strong women and girls and such an incredible sense of place!
I finished BROKEN COUNTRY last weekend- enjoyed it but had major issues with the ending, and finished THE DETAILS yesterday- fantastic writing! Thank you Renee. I never would’ve heard of this one!
Just DNFd CARE AND FEEDING at 40%, and started a galley of Annie Jones’ book, ORDINARY TIME as well as DEFINITELY BETTER NOW.
I'm so happy you liked The Details! I thought it sounded like a LeAnne Book:) I'll message you about Broken Country, need to hear your thoughts on the ending
Loved VALENTINE! This is a title I continue to think about/recommend. Last year I read PERRIS, CALIFORNIA and it reminded me some of VALENTINE. Maybe one to check out if you haven't read!
LeAnne, who is the author of VALENTINE? When I do a search for that, there are shockingly a lot of book titles with that word in them. haha. I am going to start BROKEN COUNTRY today. I'm looking forward to it!
Elizabeth Wetmore. Please let me know if you read it! And I really will be eager to hear your thoughts on BROKEN COUNTRY. There were things I loved and things I hated, and I’m struggling to land on a final rating!
My favorite under the radar unknown book to recommend is Bang by Daniel Pena. I learned about the book at Texas Book Festival one year. I had picked it up and put it down a gazillion times but I couldn’t get past the cover (spoiler alert the author hates it too) . Then I went to an author talk by the author at the festival.
This book was so well written, atmospheric and tells an important story. In a nutshell it tells the story of undocumented people who end up back in Mexico by choice or not. Told by a 1st generation Mexican American and expert on Mexican drug Cartels.
We read it for my first book club meeting 7 years ago and it remains our favorite book we’ve read. The. Author zoomed into our meeting and we learned so much. When a member asked about a particular horrifying scene and where he got the idea, he e explained every event, place, scene etc was a real place scenario etc..except for the opening chapters plabe crash. We were like ..the pesticides..yup..gave us history of that and effects on migrant workers at the border. Just such a good book. We as a club bought a copy for all high school and public libraries I our area.
This is a new to me title and author and one I definitely want to read. Your description of it and the author interview reminds me of The Cartel Trilogy by Don Winslow which I loved. I binged all three books in that trilogy and then went and read/listened to interviews with him and I was shocked by the fact that all of the horrible, shocking events in the book were based on true stories
It’s stuck with me for me sure. I mean my book club is seven or 8 years old and I still think about those characters…both the brothers and the mom. All.the.time.
Hi Renee, I need to tell you about RAISING HARE: A MEMOIR by Chloe Dalton. I haven't seen or heard much about it, but the few people who I know have read it are gushing about it. I know you love your nature, and this one is going to get missed, because the premise undersells it, but the narrative voice will suck you in, and you won't believe how a memoir about getting through lockdown can be so compelling. It brings back all the moments during covid where you found gratitude in the little things, especially the world around us, and the story of Hare can't fail to capture your heart. This is feel good reading at it's best, and the end is perfection. PS, delighted to be back after almost 2 years of social media absence. Yeay for Substack.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214269337-raising-hare
Hi Rita! I just sent you a direct message this morning via the Substack App- I'm so excited you're here on Substack, welcome!! I've missed chatting books with you:) Ok so you read my mind today and you're so right about this book! This is my latest read and I agree with everything you said about it....what's even more of a coincidence is that I'm almost done editing my upcoming Books & Beyond episode which is a quarterly catch up with Katie from Basicbsguide and we deep dive Raising Hare and talk about how it's an under the radar new release that should be getting way more buzz!! You are right, I do love nature and I love wildlife books so this was right up my alley.
I've stupidly been put off by this book because of the rabbit. I have no idea why because it's not like I'm anti-rabbit or anything. I will definitely give it a try! Thanks for the rec.
The first book that came to mind for me is CASTLE OF WATER by Dane Huckelbridge. This one is truly a GEM! It also has a gorgeous cover and I think it would’ve been all over Bookstagram had it been published five years later (it came out in 2017).
Oh! I have to add Fight Night by Miriam Toews - the audiobook, very quirky dysfunctional family - women doing their best to look after each other - Canadian!
For under the radar books, I want to highlight books by Willy Vlautin. I have listened to LEAN ON PETE narrated by the author, which was so well done. I have read THE NIGHT ALWAYS COMES and DON'T SKIP OUT ON ME, which are quite good, too. Down and out characters are Vlautin's focus, and he gets them so right. I like it that he is from Portland, OR, where I have visited my family so many times over the years.
For audio, I finished HERE BE DRAGONS by Melanie Shankle (thanks to LeAnne Tucker Hale for recommending it!), and it is a wonderful book about Shankle's troubled relationship with her mother and her daughter's difficult high school years. I especially liked the Texas setting as I am from the great state of Texas and live very close to Texas A&M University.
I "third" THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX and add:
-VINTAGE CONTEMPORARIES (2023) by Dan Kois. This is his ode to Laurie Colwin), a 5* author who died too young, and her book HOME COOKING. 1991. 3 young women - NYC. Great on audio.
-THE PARIS NOVEL (2024) Ruth Reichl. Pure pleasure. I could taste the food and wine the author described about her meals in Paris. Taking chances - finding your true home.
This weekend I hope to finish THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict and to tart THE ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell.
Thanks to everyone who hyped SYLVIA'S SECOND ACT. What a delight!
Jan I'm so happy you liked Sylvia's Second Act, such an under the radar delight! And I really must prioritize Esme Lennox and now going to grab the audio of Vintage Contemporaries-- I remember wanting to read that because I love books set in NYC but then I lost track of it
Happy Friday! One of my favorite under the radar books to recommend is THE MADSTONE by Elizabeth Crook. I would classify it as historical literary fiction. It takes place in Texas in the mid-1800s and our narrator is a young man with a heart of gold who finds himself helping a pregnant woman and her young son escape her abusive husband. You get adventure, danger, treasure hunting, and beautiful descriptions of the western frontier. The narrator's voice is very unique, almost simplistic and I became fully immersed in this one. A one-sitting kind of read!
This weekend, I hope to get my hands on STAG DANCE by Torrey Peters. My indie didn't have it yet, so I'm heading to B&N soon haha, I need this one! It's a collection of short stories and one novella that tackles themes of gender/identity. I also expect to finish GOOD DIRT by Charmaine Wilkerson, probably today :) It's unputdownable
thanks for your thoughts on The Madstone, you piqued my interest with "adventure and danger" and one sit read! I'm seeing a lot of buzz for Stag Dance, hope you get your copy and enjoy it this weekend:)
I am so happy to see your recommendation for MADSTONE. My husband and I read it and loved it. We also read THE WHICH WAY TREE by the same author, and it is also so good. I hope more people read her books.
BIRDIE AND HARLOW by Taylor Wolfe for under radar rec. A memoir about her best friend, her dog. I couldn’t put this book down. I was laughing, crying. (Trigger warning for pregnancy loss) Her (then fiancé) reaction when he first meets the dog is so sweet. He loves Harlow as much as she does.
It’s me!!! Ok my Under The Radar book that i love to recommend is THE KILLING ROOM BY ROBERT SWARTWOOD. It is a fast-paced thriller with everything i want ina thriller. It gives a twist a quarter to a third of the way through the book. Everything you thought you knew you find out was completely wrong. It has cons and special ops skills and just moves real quickly. I love it. I am also think THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENOX BY MAGGIE O’FARRELL Did not get much hype either. I am currently reading two books. The first is FIFTY-FIFTY BY STEVE CAVANAGHand A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW. I was halfway through the book and was going to DNF it. I’m talking about a gentleman in Moscow book. My brother read it and said it was his favorite book and me to keep going. So I think I am going to continue but it’s difficult because I’m so bored lol.
Several people here in this thread have said Esme Lennox so I must read this asap!! I can't wait to hear your final thoughts on A Gentleman in Moscow--I really hope it pays off for you. If nothing else you'll be able to talk with your brother about it:)
Oh i have another one. It is BRITT MARIE WAS HERE BY FREDRIK BACKMAN. It is one of my favorite books ever. It is about a socially inept woman who’s been pushed around and abused by people in her life and she leaves her husband to go out and find herself. You cannot help but love her and cheer her onto the whole book. It is funny and heartwarming and you will laugh and cry every other chapter.
I second that rec of THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, and I have another very similar themes by another Irish author, Sebastian Barry. The Secret Scripture is very backlist. Highly authentic history of the church's grip on Irish society and how women were the ultimate victims in everything.
There are so many, and I might write a post about them soon, but I'll start with these: Lark Ascending by Silas House -- this is a post-apocalyptic story, but it's ultimately hopeful and beautifully told (his book Southernmost is also a must-read); Bliss Montage by Ling Ma -- a collection of literary short stories; Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust -- a YA fantasy I don't hear much about; The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale -- an odd one to explain; Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley -- a beautiful memoir; and Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin -- dystopian literary fiction. I don't know if these are under-the-radar or not, but I feel like I don't hear people talking about them much! Oh wait! Here are some under-the-radar classics too. The authors are well-known, but these titles don't get talked about as much: Summer by Edith Wharton and The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. And an underrated romance author, whose books are hilarious: Mhairi McFarlane.
Two books I want to highlight today as under the radar gems are GETTING LIFE: An INNOCENT MAN'S JOURNEY FROM PRISON TO PEACE by Michael Morton (nonfiction) and THE PHONE BOOTH AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD by Laura Imai Messina (literary fiction).
If you're a reader who loved THE SUN DOES SHINE by Anthony Ray Hinton (one of my all time favorite books) then you'll want to read GETTING LIFE. The writing leans toward the literary side and it's structured as a mystery that's actually solved by the end which makes what happened to Michael Morton all the more heartbreaking.
THE PHONE BOOTH AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD was a five star read for me and one I've never heard anyone else talk about, both before I read it and since and that's a shame. It's about
"grief, mourning, and the joy of survival, and was inspired by a real phone booth in Japan with its disconnected "wind" phone, a place of pilgrimage and solace since the 2011 tsunami" This is literary fiction that has a beautiful message and characters that I became emotionally invested in
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19302626-getting-life?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=UNTiuni0Js&rank=4
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54776222-the-phone-booth-at-the-edge-of-the-world?ref=nav_sb_ss_2_16
One of my latest reads is RAISING HARE: A MEMOIR by Chloe Dalton which Rita also mentioned here in this discussion thread. This is the second memoir I've read lately that I've given 5 glowing stars to - THE TELL by Amy Griffin is the other one. Raising Hare is about one woman's decision to help a baby hare and the way that decision transformed her life. I listened to it, the audio narration is perfection (the author does not narrate). This is a beautiful story that any reader can enjoy. The author was able to take her truly amazing story and share the bigger picture which is something that couldn't have been easy. Her writing was never boring, I was interested and invested from page one!
I'll be sharing my full review and discussion about Raising Hare in the upcoming Books & Beyond podcast episode with Katie who, by the way, read it before me and let me know that I would ok reading this one after my initial hesitation that something bad would happen to the hare:)
I bought Phone booth. Few months ago after hearing about it it in some podcast. Still haven’t read it!
Ooooo so intrigued by The Phone Booth, will have to pick that up soon, thanks!
I have so many! Firstly, agree with the Hare and also Esme Lennox nominations… One of my under the radar suggestion is How To Read A Book by Monica Wood - an uplifting story about found family with a slightly implausible but delightful plot involving a women’s prison bookclub, a bookshop and a tragedy and I loved it and recommend for bookish friends wanting something lovely, it’s a really good read. For Ann Patchett fans I must push her collection of essays These Precious Days which is outstanding - witty and moving, razor sharp writing - I absolutely love this book and have given it to many friends. Something really obscure but so touching and tender is Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee, Australian author - I don’t know how to describe it except as poignant, sad, funny - features a single mother doing her best in impossible circumstances written from the point of view of a sibling of a child with a medical condition, it is so gorgeous.
I loved How to Read a Book, such an under the radar gem! I always forget about Ann Patchett's essay collections, thanks for the reminder
Loved How To Read A Book!!!
I really enjoyed How to Read a Book as well!
I loved How To Read S Book! I listed to it on audio! Such a good distraction in this time
For an under the radar book, I'll never stop talking about LOVED AND MISSED by Susie Boyt. I haven't seen a lot of people talking about it which makes me sad. The premise sounds depressing-- a woman takes in her addict daughter's baby-- but the way it's written is beautiful and contemplative, not depressing to me at all. Yes, there's hard things that happen in it but it is such a worthy read that I wish more people would try.
I'm currently reading in print and audio THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD and am surprised how much it's sucked me in!
I remember you talking about Love and Missed before and I downloaded it on Libby- and it's still there in my rotation, I keep renewing it...I must make time for this, it sounds like one I'd really like
I'm pretty sure you'd like it! My caveat is I have no idea how it is on audio, and I feel like it's one that lends itself better to print but I could be wrong!
Oh ok, good to know, I do have the audio but I'll see if I can get the ebook too- I may have it on hold because I think I remember just the audio being available
Loved this one! Would recommend BLUE LIGHT HOURS
I second this recommendation!
I've seen that around a few times so adding to my TBR! Thank you!
The under the radar read that comes to mind immediately is VALENTINE, published in 2020. An absolute 5⭐️ experience for me. It is brutal and inspiring- all about strong women and girls and such an incredible sense of place!
I finished BROKEN COUNTRY last weekend- enjoyed it but had major issues with the ending, and finished THE DETAILS yesterday- fantastic writing! Thank you Renee. I never would’ve heard of this one!
Just DNFd CARE AND FEEDING at 40%, and started a galley of Annie Jones’ book, ORDINARY TIME as well as DEFINITELY BETTER NOW.
I'm so happy you liked The Details! I thought it sounded like a LeAnne Book:) I'll message you about Broken Country, need to hear your thoughts on the ending
DMd you!
Loved VALENTINE! This is a title I continue to think about/recommend. Last year I read PERRIS, CALIFORNIA and it reminded me some of VALENTINE. Maybe one to check out if you haven't read!
I have read it, and I didn’t see it at the time, but that’s actually a really great comp!
Valentine was a wonderful book! I keep hoping the author has another book in the works.
Same!
Someone in FB book group, i think it was Book Nerds, had a problem with the ending. I can see why. I did not.
LeAnne, who is the author of VALENTINE? When I do a search for that, there are shockingly a lot of book titles with that word in them. haha. I am going to start BROKEN COUNTRY today. I'm looking forward to it!
Elizabeth Wetmore. Please let me know if you read it! And I really will be eager to hear your thoughts on BROKEN COUNTRY. There were things I loved and things I hated, and I’m struggling to land on a final rating!
It looks like I listened to VALENTINE in 2020. Do I remember it? Of course not.
😂 I mean, 2020 says it all!
My favorite under the radar unknown book to recommend is Bang by Daniel Pena. I learned about the book at Texas Book Festival one year. I had picked it up and put it down a gazillion times but I couldn’t get past the cover (spoiler alert the author hates it too) . Then I went to an author talk by the author at the festival.
This book was so well written, atmospheric and tells an important story. In a nutshell it tells the story of undocumented people who end up back in Mexico by choice or not. Told by a 1st generation Mexican American and expert on Mexican drug Cartels.
We read it for my first book club meeting 7 years ago and it remains our favorite book we’ve read. The. Author zoomed into our meeting and we learned so much. When a member asked about a particular horrifying scene and where he got the idea, he e explained every event, place, scene etc was a real place scenario etc..except for the opening chapters plabe crash. We were like ..the pesticides..yup..gave us history of that and effects on migrant workers at the border. Just such a good book. We as a club bought a copy for all high school and public libraries I our area.
This is a new to me title and author and one I definitely want to read. Your description of it and the author interview reminds me of The Cartel Trilogy by Don Winslow which I loved. I binged all three books in that trilogy and then went and read/listened to interviews with him and I was shocked by the fact that all of the horrible, shocking events in the book were based on true stories
It’s stuck with me for me sure. I mean my book club is seven or 8 years old and I still think about those characters…both the brothers and the mom. All.the.time.
This sounds amazing.
I thought so too!
Hi Renee, I need to tell you about RAISING HARE: A MEMOIR by Chloe Dalton. I haven't seen or heard much about it, but the few people who I know have read it are gushing about it. I know you love your nature, and this one is going to get missed, because the premise undersells it, but the narrative voice will suck you in, and you won't believe how a memoir about getting through lockdown can be so compelling. It brings back all the moments during covid where you found gratitude in the little things, especially the world around us, and the story of Hare can't fail to capture your heart. This is feel good reading at it's best, and the end is perfection. PS, delighted to be back after almost 2 years of social media absence. Yeay for Substack.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214269337-raising-hare
Hi Rita! I just sent you a direct message this morning via the Substack App- I'm so excited you're here on Substack, welcome!! I've missed chatting books with you:) Ok so you read my mind today and you're so right about this book! This is my latest read and I agree with everything you said about it....what's even more of a coincidence is that I'm almost done editing my upcoming Books & Beyond episode which is a quarterly catch up with Katie from Basicbsguide and we deep dive Raising Hare and talk about how it's an under the radar new release that should be getting way more buzz!! You are right, I do love nature and I love wildlife books so this was right up my alley.
I've stupidly been put off by this book because of the rabbit. I have no idea why because it's not like I'm anti-rabbit or anything. I will definitely give it a try! Thanks for the rec.
Same! I am a total animal person too. But the premise made it sound kind of dull? But I am hearing really great buzz about it!
Since you're an animal person I think you'll like it, her storytelling ability was top notch, I was never bored
I'm going to definitely read it now that I have heard so many positive reviews. Did you listen on audio?
The first book that came to mind for me is CASTLE OF WATER by Dane Huckelbridge. This one is truly a GEM! It also has a gorgeous cover and I think it would’ve been all over Bookstagram had it been published five years later (it came out in 2017).
I second this rec, it's one of my all time favorites. I feel like maybe it'll come around again and people will "discover" it all these years later
Oh! I have to add Fight Night by Miriam Toews - the audiobook, very quirky dysfunctional family - women doing their best to look after each other - Canadian!
For under the radar books, I want to highlight books by Willy Vlautin. I have listened to LEAN ON PETE narrated by the author, which was so well done. I have read THE NIGHT ALWAYS COMES and DON'T SKIP OUT ON ME, which are quite good, too. Down and out characters are Vlautin's focus, and he gets them so right. I like it that he is from Portland, OR, where I have visited my family so many times over the years.
For audio, I finished HERE BE DRAGONS by Melanie Shankle (thanks to LeAnne Tucker Hale for recommending it!), and it is a wonderful book about Shankle's troubled relationship with her mother and her daughter's difficult high school years. I especially liked the Texas setting as I am from the great state of Texas and live very close to Texas A&M University.
Another new to me author --thanks for highlighting Willy Vlautin and sharing those recs!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of my all time favorite memoirs.
I "third" THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX and add:
-VINTAGE CONTEMPORARIES (2023) by Dan Kois. This is his ode to Laurie Colwin), a 5* author who died too young, and her book HOME COOKING. 1991. 3 young women - NYC. Great on audio.
-THE PARIS NOVEL (2024) Ruth Reichl. Pure pleasure. I could taste the food and wine the author described about her meals in Paris. Taking chances - finding your true home.
This weekend I hope to finish THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict and to tart THE ANTIDOTE by Karen Russell.
Thanks to everyone who hyped SYLVIA'S SECOND ACT. What a delight!
Jan I'm so happy you liked Sylvia's Second Act, such an under the radar delight! And I really must prioritize Esme Lennox and now going to grab the audio of Vintage Contemporaries-- I remember wanting to read that because I love books set in NYC but then I lost track of it
THE CRACKED MIRROR by Chris Brookmyre, BARBED WIRED HEART by Tess Sharpe and CALICO by Lee Goldberg. Loved them and they're hidden gems!
Three new titles for my tbr, thanks Ani:)
Happy Friday! One of my favorite under the radar books to recommend is THE MADSTONE by Elizabeth Crook. I would classify it as historical literary fiction. It takes place in Texas in the mid-1800s and our narrator is a young man with a heart of gold who finds himself helping a pregnant woman and her young son escape her abusive husband. You get adventure, danger, treasure hunting, and beautiful descriptions of the western frontier. The narrator's voice is very unique, almost simplistic and I became fully immersed in this one. A one-sitting kind of read!
This weekend, I hope to get my hands on STAG DANCE by Torrey Peters. My indie didn't have it yet, so I'm heading to B&N soon haha, I need this one! It's a collection of short stories and one novella that tackles themes of gender/identity. I also expect to finish GOOD DIRT by Charmaine Wilkerson, probably today :) It's unputdownable
thanks for your thoughts on The Madstone, you piqued my interest with "adventure and danger" and one sit read! I'm seeing a lot of buzz for Stag Dance, hope you get your copy and enjoy it this weekend:)
Grabbed the last one! Already loving 🥰 haha
I am so happy to see your recommendation for MADSTONE. My husband and I read it and loved it. We also read THE WHICH WAY TREE by the same author, and it is also so good. I hope more people read her books.
BIRDIE AND HARLOW by Taylor Wolfe for under radar rec. A memoir about her best friend, her dog. I couldn’t put this book down. I was laughing, crying. (Trigger warning for pregnancy loss) Her (then fiancé) reaction when he first meets the dog is so sweet. He loves Harlow as much as she does.
Love a heartwarming dog book, thanks for this rec! And Lori, so many of us have read and loved Sylvia's Second Act after you recommended it!!
So happy to hear that Renee:)
It’s me!!! Ok my Under The Radar book that i love to recommend is THE KILLING ROOM BY ROBERT SWARTWOOD. It is a fast-paced thriller with everything i want ina thriller. It gives a twist a quarter to a third of the way through the book. Everything you thought you knew you find out was completely wrong. It has cons and special ops skills and just moves real quickly. I love it. I am also think THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENOX BY MAGGIE O’FARRELL Did not get much hype either. I am currently reading two books. The first is FIFTY-FIFTY BY STEVE CAVANAGHand A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW. I was halfway through the book and was going to DNF it. I’m talking about a gentleman in Moscow book. My brother read it and said it was his favorite book and me to keep going. So I think I am going to continue but it’s difficult because I’m so bored lol.
Several people here in this thread have said Esme Lennox so I must read this asap!! I can't wait to hear your final thoughts on A Gentleman in Moscow--I really hope it pays off for you. If nothing else you'll be able to talk with your brother about it:)
I just wanted you to know that I finished Fifty-Fifty. I highly recommend. It is so good. Great twists.
Oh i have another one. It is BRITT MARIE WAS HERE BY FREDRIK BACKMAN. It is one of my favorite books ever. It is about a socially inept woman who’s been pushed around and abused by people in her life and she leaves her husband to go out and find herself. You cannot help but love her and cheer her onto the whole book. It is funny and heartwarming and you will laugh and cry every other chapter.
I like Fredrick Backman. I am looking forward to this one. Thanks!
I’m surprised that it does not get talked about more. It’s my favorite of his books.
I second that rec of THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, and I have another very similar themes by another Irish author, Sebastian Barry. The Secret Scripture is very backlist. Highly authentic history of the church's grip on Irish society and how women were the ultimate victims in everything.
There are so many, and I might write a post about them soon, but I'll start with these: Lark Ascending by Silas House -- this is a post-apocalyptic story, but it's ultimately hopeful and beautifully told (his book Southernmost is also a must-read); Bliss Montage by Ling Ma -- a collection of literary short stories; Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust -- a YA fantasy I don't hear much about; The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale -- an odd one to explain; Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley -- a beautiful memoir; and Elsewhere by Alexis Schaitkin -- dystopian literary fiction. I don't know if these are under-the-radar or not, but I feel like I don't hear people talking about them much! Oh wait! Here are some under-the-radar classics too. The authors are well-known, but these titles don't get talked about as much: Summer by Edith Wharton and The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. And an underrated romance author, whose books are hilarious: Mhairi McFarlane.
wow thank you for sharing all of these! I think I've only heard of a couple, love that you shared a variety of types of stories too
I loved The Force of Such Beauty, which I read early last year and I see included on one of the lists you linked!
Another I need to read! Did you read in print or do the audio?
I read it in print but have heard good things about the audio too!!