Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is Books I LOVED with Fewer than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads.
It’s nice to be able to give some love to stellar books that not enough people know about! Here are some of my top-rated reads, all with fewer than 2,000 ratings on Goodreads. Where available, I’m including links to my reviews, so check ’em out if you’re interested!
1) All Men of Genius by Lev AC Rosen (1,463 ratings): A super-charming steampunk adventure, with nods to Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. I think I’m due for a re-read!
2) Rush Oh! by Shirley Barrett (1,292 ratings): An Austen-esque novel about a whaling community in Australia in the early 1900s. Such a great read! (my review)
3) Extreme Makeover by Dan Wells (943 ratings): The end of the world, as brought about by a cosmetics company. Scary yet kind of funny in a bizarre sort of way. (my review)
4) Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel (358 ratings): Why haven’t more people read this book?? I rave about this book whenever I get a chance — a mash-up of Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice that works perfectly. (my review)
5) Alive in Necropolis by Doug Dorst (933 ratings): I read this book years ago, but remember being charmed by the shenanigans of the ghosts in a California cemetery.
6) Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn (1,468 ratings): I can’t for the life of me figure out why more people haven’t read this terrific book and its sequel, The Wild Dead. The world-building and storytelling are amazing. (my review)
7) Miniatures by John Scalzi (1,808 ratings): This collection of short fiction is adorable and highly entertaining. (my review)
8) Unequal Affection by Lara S. Ormiston (1,857 ratings): Yet another Austen-influenced book! This is one of the best riffs off of Pride and Prejudice that I’ve encountered — not a retelling exactly, but a continuation with an alternate ending. What if Elizabeth had accepted Mr. Darcy’s first proposal? This book explores what might have happened, and is a wonderful read. (my review)
9) All the Winters After by Sere Prince Halverson (1,534 ratings): A beautiful story about love, second chances, and survival, set in one of my very favorite places, Alaska. (my review)
10) The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander (1,591 ratings): As I wrote on Goodreads: Weird, wonderful, beautiful, tragic. If you’re wondering how elephants could possibly fit into a story about the “radium girls” tragedy, check out this inventive, powerful novella. (my review)
Have you read any of these? What are your top underrated books?
If you wrote a TTT post this week, please share your link so I can check out your list!
Bookshelf Fantasies 
Great list! Thanks for reminding me about Bannerless – I need to check that one out! – and The Only Harmless Great Thing sounds fascinating.
I think you’ll really love Bannerless! It really snuck up on me. 🙂
I totally agree with you on Pride and Prometheus. That’s a book that needs more readers!
Yay, so glad you agree! I feel like I push this book a lot… but it deserves it!
Terrific list, I enjoyed going back and rereading your reviews and had forgotten about Unequal Affection, which I’m putting on my library list right now (is it me, or is there something seriously wrong anatomically with her interlaced fingers on the cover?). I’ve been wanting to read Rush Oh since reading your review but not one branch within the entire state (Hawaii) carries it! I added to their recommendation list years ago, but nope. Checking to see if they have Pride and Prometheus!
Oh no, now you have me staring at her fingers! I *think* they’re okay, but maybe not? Oh, what a bummer that no libraries in Hawaii have Rush Oh! It’s so much fun. I should probably do a re-read — I tore through it at the time, and could probably use a refresher.
What a brilliant list! I’ve just done a post on Pride and Prejudice spin-offs but I haven’t read Pride and Prometheus or Unequal Affection. I’ll have to give them a go.
Oh, awesome! I do love good P&P variations — but unfortunately, I’ve also read some that just don’t work at all.
Wow, Pride and Prometheus sounds good.
My Top Ten Tuesday post.
It’s so well done! I kind of hesitate to describe it as a mash-up, because it’s not tongue in cheek or a satire. Really worth checking out!
Unequal Affection sounds like a super interesting take on Pride and Prejudice! I will have to check it out!
I hope you do! I found it so interesting, with plenty of food for thought.
I’m loving this list and the P&P inspired books. I particularly want Pride and Prometheus.
Lynn 😀
Thanks! I do seem to come back to Austen-inspired books quite a bit. 🙂
I see so many I need to read on your list, Lisa! I loved All the Winters After.
Wasn’t that a lovely book? I’d love to read more by this author.
I haven’t read any of these 😞Here’s my list https://orangecountyreaders.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-loved-with-fewer-than-2k-goodreads-ratings/
One of the great things about this topic is I’m discovering so many new books from everyone else’s lists! 🙂
I’m adding Pride and Prometheus to my tbr immediately!
Yay! I hope you love it!
Bannerless and the sequel totally derserve more love! Rush Oh! has been on me list for sometime. Glad to hear that ye loved it. Arrr!
x The Captain
Isn’t Bannerless terrific? I’d really love to read more set in that world.
I’m loving all your Austen inspired books on this list! Pride and Prometheus sounds fascinating!! And Unequal Affection sounds really fun too. I love retellings/novels set in Austenesque times. Will definitely be adding these to by TBR. Thanks!
Awesome! Would love to hear what you think if you end up reading any of these.
I definitely will let you know! I’m already scouring my library for them!
I need to read All Men of Genius and Pride and Prometheus. They sound very tempting. 🙂
Yay! They’re both so good. All Men of Genius is oodles of fun, very light-hearted.
I’ve seen Bannerless so much and I really like the sound of it… need to find it out in the wild now. 🙂
I think you’d really like it!
Pride and Prometheus sounds exactly my type of read. Can’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before. I also really like the sound of Unequal Affection. I’ll have to see whether the library have either of these 🙂