There are infinite books, especially with people publishing in alternative ways. Consider that and trends in popular literature, marketing, and luck, then there will always be good books that slip through the cracks. I dug through my Goodreads and picked ten books I loved that have slipped through the cracks for whatever reason.
When picking from my list, I skipped books that had a low number of reviews but I didn’t really enjoy. Also, I skipped any non-fiction books, poetry, children’s literature, and manga since those are often niche which is why they don’t have a lot of reviews.
The Haunted Hikikomori by Lawrence Pearce (47 ratings)
Genres: British Literature, horror, hauntings, paranormal
What made it special: It ticked a lot of boxes for me, having a few focus characters and a small setting. It was spooky-adjacent without being actually scary. I felt like the construction of the plot was well-paced and pretty unique.
The Last Jew by Yoram Kaniuk (71 ratings)
Genres: Jewish literature, magic realism, historical fiction, multigenerational, World War II, literary fiction.
What made it special: Kaniuk’s prose is really excellent, and a lot of work goes into the translations too. It’s a great multigenerational tale that keeps moving so it doesn’t drag. The magic realism is well done and beautiful.
Dead Voices by Gerald Vizenor (75 ratings)
Genres: Native American Fiction, post colonial fiction, postmodernism, xenofiction, urban fantasy
What made it special: Vizenor’s novels are always a wild ride, and Dead Voices blends traditional stories and elements of the oral tradition with fiction. I’ll admit it’s not for everyone because of some of the postmodern elements, but the chapters are short and exciting.
Nightland by Louis Owens (78 ratings)
Genres: American Literature, Native American Literature, Thriller
What made it special: It’s just a great thriller with compelling characters, and Owens has beautiful prose. The New Mexico setting is interesting.
Husk by Corey Redekop (179 ratings)
Genres: Canadian literature, horror, comedy, LGBT+, urban fantasy
What made it special: It’s a unique take on the Zombie novel and follows a protagonist who is compelling and relatable in how he navigates his unique situation. It’s not too gross or too scary if you like horror but like light horror (I don’t know that light horror is a thing, but you get it).
Order of Tales by Evan Dahm (225 ratings)
Genres: Fantasy, science fiction, graphic novel
What made it special: This is a completely stunning and epic graphic novel that is impossible to
buy, but you can read it online still from when it was originally published online as a serial. The worldbuilding is incredible and beautiful.
The Education of Robert Nifkin (309 ratings)
Genres: American Literature, young adult, humor
What made it special: The book had a dry wit, and even though it follows a high school age boy, I reread it as an adult and it still impressed me. It’s short, charming, and relatable. I’ve reread it a few times, and it’s short so it’s impossible to put down.
Plague by Jean Ure (366 ratings)
Genres: British Literature, young adult, horror, apocalypse, science fiction, survival
What made it special: I checked this book out from the library so many times growing up. Again, it’s a young adult book that is short, simple in its execution, and presents strong interesting characters reacting and making difficult decisions in their environment while society breaks down during a plague.
Jia by Hyejin Kim (524 ratings)
Genres: Korean literature, Asian Literature, bildungsroman, North Korean setting
What made it special: I’ve read a lot of non-fiction books about North Korea, from defectors, journalists, activists, and a few fiction books like Bandi of course, and this one seems like a very accurate portrait of life in North Korea.