Popular books are popular for a few reasons: they’re good, they’re iconic and they speak to a large audience. However, as much as we may love them, sometimes hearing about the same books over and over again can become incredibly tiring, and chances are we may already have read them. So here are eight underrated reads to check out if you loved these eight popular ones.
-
If you liked “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, try “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel
Genre: dystopian
The onstage death of actor Arthur Leander during a performance of King Lear marks the beginning of a deadly flu epidemic that has destroyed civilization in an event known as “The Collapse.” “Station Eleven” follows the lives of a group of characters before “The Collapse” and 19 years after.
“Station Eleven” is an excellent dystopian novel that explores the concepts of civilization, survival, religion and the importance of art. Similarly to “The Hunger Games,” this book is a fantastic balance between fictional entertainment and eerily relevant social commentary, especially as it pertains to America.
-
If you liked “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green, try “100 Years of Lenni and Margot” by Marianne Cronin
Genre: humor
17-year-old Lenni Pettersson is terminally ill. Stuck in the hospital, she attends an art class where she meets the spritely 83-year-old Margot Macrae. The women realize that, together, they’ve lived 100 years, which they decide to commemorate with 100 collaborative works of art, detailing their life experiences.
Much like “The Fault in Our Stars,” “100 Years of Lenni and Margot” looks at life, death and all of the splendid devastation that comes in between through the lens of terminal illness. Marianne Cronin writes with very similar wit and insight as John Green while still having her own unique style. This story explores aspects of youth and age, as well as expressing life through art.
-
If you liked “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, try “12 Ophelias (a Play with Broken Songs)” by Caridad Svich
Genre: drama
In this retelling of “Hamlet,” Ophelia rises out of the water, thinking about Pop-Tarts. Instead of drowning, she finds herself in Neo-Elizabethan Appalachia, where Hamlet is called a Rude Boy and Gertrude runs a brothel.
Told through a combination of original songs and poetry, “12 Ophelias (a Play with Broken Songs)” is an incredibly unique twist on the original tragedy; it thrusts the story into an entirely new culture and (quite literally) gives new life to the character of Ophelia. Svich has really given Ophelia a chance to shine as a narrative who is just as deep and complex as the Prince of Denmark. This play is a lovely, provocative and strange ode to “Hamlet” and Shakespeare.
-
If you liked “Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston, try “Honey Girl: A Novel” by Morgan Rogers
Genre: coming-of-age, romance, LGBTQ+
28-year-old Grace Porter has just earned her PhD in astronomy. To celebrate, Grace and two of her friends take a trip to Vegas, where Grace drunkenly marries a woman she’s never met.
“Honey Girl: A Novel” is a heartwarming and unique coming of age story that features excellent representation of a woman-loving-woman relationship. The book focuses on themes of mental health, family and self acceptance. Much like “Red, White & Royal Blue,” “Honey Girl: A Novel ” is a story that celebrates LGBTQ+ joy and provides readers with a strangely comforting emotional journey.
-
If you liked “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens, try “Salvage the Bones” by Jesmyn Ward
Genre: coming-of-age, historical fiction
In Mississippi, 15-year-old Esche helps her older brother Skeetah deliver his beloved dog China’s litter of puppies as their father prepares for the looming Hurricane Katrina.
“Salvage the Bones” is an interesting insight into coming of age in an impoverished rural area. This book’s focus on the survival of a black family through the point of view of Esche is especially eye opening in how it shows the ways in which race and poverty are connected. Like “Where the Crawdads Sing,” it offers a well written perspective into rural life, and Jesmyn Ward handles the issue of racism with much more care.
-
If you liked “The Bell Jar” by Slyvia Plath, try “Olive Witch: A Memoir” by Abeer Y. Hoque
Genre: poetry, autobiography
Abeer Y. Hoque’s memoir follows her journey and struggles as a Bangladeshi girl moving from her small Bangladesh town to Pittsburgh, where she deals with cultural dissociation, attempting to fit in with an unfamiliar environment and severe mental illness.
“Olive Witch: A Memoir” is similar to “The Bell Jar” in the way that it highlights female mental health. Hoque writes with as much grace as Plath while sharing a vastly different experience. Her perspective as a Bangladeshi woman struggling to fit in with American society is moving and effective in putting readers of any background into her shoes.
-
If you liked “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe, try “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: gothic horror
In 1950s Mexico, young and wealthy socialite Noemí Taboada receives an alarming letter from her newly married cousin Catalina, who has started to see ghosts and believes that her husband Virgil is attempting to poison her.
“Mexican Gothic” is a supernatural must read for any fan of gothic horror, but especially those who have an appreciation for Edgar Allen Poe and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” In addition to being haunting stories of mystery and murder, they share many riveting themes of madness and family dynamics.
-
If you liked “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas, try “The Tattooed Soldier” by Héctor Tobar
Genre: revenge, urban fiction, psychological fiction, historical fiction
Guatemalan refugee Antonio Bernal is newly houseless and jobless in LA as he mourns the loss of his wife and child. One fateful day, he just so happens to run into Guillermo Longoria, who has Jaguar Battalion — the mark of the Guatemalan army’s death squad — tattooed on his arm, which just so happens to be the same tattoo that was on the arm of the man who murdered Antonio’s family.
“The Tattooed Soldier” is bound to appease any fan of “The Count of Monte Cristo.” This book has all the elements of a classic revenge story, and Tobar’s writing pushes both his characters and readers to their emotional limits. Additionally, “The Tattooed Soldier” discusses the genocide of Indigenious Guatamalan communties in the 1980s and the role that the United States played in it.
If you love any of the eight popular books mentioned, then the eight lesser known works are totally for you. They will expand your reading horizons while still allowing you to read the same genres and styles that you already love. Plus, reading these underground recs will give you the chance to feed your inner hipster, especially if they become more popular in the future (then you can say that you read them before it was cool).
