top ten tuesday – Politics, Polymers, & Pretty Dresses

Top “10” Underrated Books I’ve Read Recently-ish

Hi Friends –

Another week, another Top Ten Tuesday. This bookish meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish every Tuesday. This week focuses on books that I believe are underrated and/or hidden gems. I think that I talk about these types of books a decent amount, but since I haven’t consistently blogged on here. I’m going to reference from the ones I read in late 2016.

Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie
1. Sherman Alexie isn’t underrated, but I haven’t seen a lot about his books other than The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian. I enjoyed this collection of short stories, and recommend it to anyone who is looking to read some #ownvoices about indigenous people of the US.
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
- This book got a little traction from BoTM and some NPR type lists. However, I do see it mentioned a lot in the blogging/booktube world. I think that the writing ended up being better than expected, and the story of family drama was interesting. It would have been a little bit better if socio-economic status was explored more, but overall this was solid 4 star read.
Puddn’head Wilson by Mark Twain
- I read this book in college, and re-read it for a readathon sometime in the past couple of months. It’s amazing the complexity that Twain puts into this little story about an attorney. I believe I had to write a paper about this at one time, but if I had to now I would explore what Twain’s commentary on slavery/black Americans meant within the context of the children’s role switch.
A Murder In Time by Julie McElwain
- I randomly picked up this book, but it ended up being a very interesting tale of a modern day officer stuck in the middle ages. It’s enjoyable and has fantastical aspects if you like things like that.
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
- I really, really liked this book. I don’t understand why I don’t see it on more blogs/book reviews. I think people should really pick up this #ownvoices work about a teenage trans girl trying to survive high school. It’s hopeful, albeit not perfect, but we need to support literature like this. It’s so important for people to see themselves in books.

What doing this list has shown me, is that I read A LOT of popular books toward the end of 2016. I also read a lot of books that were just okay. The books I listed here, don’t get enough blog/media traction, and really should.

Until Next Time World…

Top Ten Books I Meant To Read Last Year…

Tuesday again; happy day! This week’s post is devoted to books that were released last year that I meant to read, but didn’t get around to it. This is pretty self explanatory, so I’ll get to the books.

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
- I’ve heard such great things about this book all year. I’ve been meaning to get to it, but I just haven’t made time for it yet. This will definitely be on my list to read this year.
The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin
- My friend Katie gave me this book early last year to read. It’s still on my self. I should really get to it. #readkatiesbooks
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
- I’ve heard a lot about this book being amazing, but after two WWII books last year, I knew it’d have to wait. I should be ready to read another a little later this year.
The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter
- This title is pretty sweet, and this book keeps coming up again and again. After reading More Than This in 2016, this title is even more appealing.
When We Collided by Emery Lord
- A lot of mixed reviews about this ranging from gushing to hating. This seems like the perfect book for me to read in order to form my own opinion on it.
OCDaniel by Wesley King
- I was randomly browsing Goodreads when I came across this. As someone close to me has OCD, I’m always interested to see how characters are fictionalized.
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
- This was my first Book of the Month purchase! (Why haven’t I read it?) The story seemed really intriguing, but I hit a little bit of a slump when I first got it and never came back. I’m going to need to read this fairly early in the year.
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
- I’ve heard this called a great feminist novel. I’m game.
In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri
- I love Lahiri. She’s one of my favorite authors. I also like the concept of reading and writing. A book by one of my favorite authors about reading and writing? Say no more.
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
- I really like short stories, but don’t read nearly enough short story collections. I saw a review of this one and it seemed like it would be good. The more I looked into it, it seems it has a science fiction-y feeling. I’m not a big sci-fi fan, but I’m willing to give it a try.

So those are my books. I have to definitely make sure to read them this year at some point!

Until Next Time World…

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite 2016 Releases

It seems as though people really liked when I did this bookish meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish every Tuesday. So here is another one for this week.

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
Giant Days, Vol. 2 by John Allison

I’ve talked about a lot of these books on my blog already, and if I haven’t talked about it yet – expect an upcoming post (I’m looking at you Raven Boys Cycle). I realized that this list basically covers almost all of the books that I’ve read that were published this year. What are your favorites? Do we have any that overlap? Let me know in the comments down below.

Until Next Time World…

Top 10 Books That Have Under 2000 Ratings On Goodreads

I don’t know if I’m going to regularly do this, but I liked this week’s topic. I’ve read a lot of political science books that don’t get much traction on Goodreads. I’m going to use this time to highlight some of those books and some other underrated fiction.

This is a memoir about a person who was addicted to prescription pain killers. I really enjoy books about recovered (recovering) addicts. This one was a little better than others. I gave it 4 stars.

I’ve referenced this book on my blog before, and it’s fantastic. It’s a in depth look about hunger in the US. It gives you a lot of food for thought. 4 stars!

This is a book I read either in grad school or undergrad. I took a couple of National Security courses (my specialization), and it was pretty great. Richard Betts makes what could be a boring topic engaging. If you’re interested in the CIA, FBI, and the overall American intelligence system – this book is for you! 4 stars.

I cannot believe that Heather McElhatton’s books don’t have more views on Goodreads. She’s such a good writer for those of us who enjoy chick-lit. This book, in particular, is absolutely hilarious. 5 stars!

I really liked this book. It’s sort of like an adult version of a Dead Poet’s Society. A bunch of people trying to answer the questions of life. This book is definitely character driven, which is great. Walter Mosley has a lot of books, and I think this is one of his best. 4 stars.

This book probably only has under 2000 ratings because it’s new. But you should definitely go out and read this book. It’s an #ownvoices book written by a trans woman about a trans girl who moves to live with her father in the South. It’s a contemporary romance, and is very cute! 4 stars!

This book is so good! This was on the short list for the Manbooker International Prize for 2016, and I am so happy that I read it. It’s a wonderful fictional telling of the The Great Leap forward and life in a re-education camp. If you don’t know what The Great Leap forward is, try to pick up this book. 4.5 stars.

Good Kings, Bad Kings is a good book shedding some light on both individuals with physical disabilities and the state care system. It’s written by a woman who crated plays focusing on physical disabilities, and she uses a wheelchair herself. This book is set in Chicago and is written in a variety of dialects that are true to inhabitants of Chicago and the surrounding areas. If you’re looking to read some books that have a variety of characters, I’d suggest this book. It’s a 5 star read.

This is another Man Booker International Prize 2016 find. It’s originally written in French, and it follows the path of a heart transplant. You get to see into the lives of the person who is going to donate the heart, their family, the doctors and nurses involved, and the recipient of the heart. It’s an interesting look at how the transplant process effects so many. I thought it was a superb concept. 4 stars!

I actually don’t understand how more people haven’t read this book. It follows a male narrator, Benjamin, who’s parents drop him off at an in-patient “boarding school” for trouble teens. These “troubles” range from depression to anxiety to a variety of personality disorders. The hospital is very focused on punishment and Benjamin has to figure out how to navigate his years at the school.

I love recommendations! I hope that you’ll check out a couple of this books. Happy Tuesday!

Until Next Time World…