I read somewhere between 400 and 450 books a year, which sounds like a lot until you remember there are millions of books published around the world. In the grand scheme of things, I’m barely scratching the surface.
And honestly? The thought that there are countless incredible books out there that I may never even heart about, let alone get the chance to read, makes me a little sad.
Still, over the years I’ve been lucky enough to discover some truly brilliant books across adult fiction, children’s fiction, and non-fiction. The kind of books that linger in your mind long after you’ve finished them.
What surprises me most is how rarely I see people talking about them. Some of them may only have a small readership, or perhaps they’ve disappeared beneath the endless wave of new releases. But every single on deserves far more love than it gets.
So, if you’ve followed my recommendations before and found something you enjoyed, I hope this list might persuade you to pick up one, or more, of these wonderfully underappreciated books.
Magical Readers for Younger Readers
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt: follows 10-year-old Winnie who discovers a family, ‘The Tucks’, who drank from a magical spring and became immortal. As she learns the burdens of eternal life and protects their secret from strangers, Winnie must choose between a normal, mortal life, or living forever.
The Miraculous Sweetmakers: The Frost Fair by Natasha Hastings: when a family tragedy turns Thomasina’s world upside down, she is drawn to a mysterious conjuror and the enchanted frost fair. But soon the world of Father Winter threatens to claim everything she holds dear.
Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest by Aisling Fowler: follows the story of Twelve and her friends as they attempt to find their friend Seven, who has been taken by goblins from the hunting lodge, where they all train and live. Along the way, they discover things about themselves and meet lots of creatures that they could never have imagined.
The Christmas Carrolls Series by Mel Taylor-Bessent: Holly Carroll and her family are crazy about Christmas, but with a little help from a special new friend, Holly discovers that the festive season is not always as cheer-filled for everyone as she once thought.
Books I Recommend Again and Again
The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale: the Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike: patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own. Into this family business comes young Cathy, running away from a shameful past. But the Emporium takes her in, and makes her one of its own, but soon she will discover that the Emporium has secrets of its own.
For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain by Victoria MacKenzie: the re-imagined 1413 meeting between medieval mystics Julian of Norwich and Margery Kemp. It explores faith, trauma, and womanhood through alternating perspectives as they find comfort and connection in their shared spiritual visions amidst a brutal world.
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu: a mosaic novel that focusses on interconnected stories over centuries, following a plague unleashed by melting Siberian permafrost that devastates humanity.
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd: follows Nell Young, a disgraced cartographer who uncovers a deadly secret behind a seemingly worthless gas station map that ruined her career and caused her father’s suspicious death. The map reveals the location of ‘Agloe’, a magical settlement that leads her into a dangerous conspiracy.
Afterwards by Charlotte Leonard: a story about life after love and learning to live again. When Emma gets home from work, her husband Jay is not there. All he has left behind is his camera with five photos, which Emma follows, ending up in Cornwall, where she finds herself unravelling and perilously close to breaking point.
The Vanishing of Margaret Small by Neil Alexander: 75-year-old Margaret is a Cilla Black super fan. Shortly after her death, Margaret beings receiving sums of money in the post, signed ‘C’. She is convinced it must be Cilla, but how can it be? To solve the mystery, she must go back to her memories, to the time she was ‘vanished’ to a long-stay institution for children with learning difficulties.
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin: a dystopian mystery set on Prospera, a utopian archipelago where citizens live long, perfect lives, before being ‘reiterated’ – reborn with wiped memories. Proctor Bennett, the ferryman who manages this process, starts questioning this system when he experiences dreams and alarming secrets emerge.
One Non-Fiction Book You Shouldn’t Miss
A Place for Lost Souls by Belinda Black: a moving memoir detailing Belinda’s time as a nursing assistant in a secure 1980s British psychiatric hospital. She shares poignant stories of caring for patients with severe, varied mental health issues, finding hope, friendship , and humanity amidst the challenges of the asylum system.
To Finish
One of my favourite things about reading is discovering the books that feel like hidden treasures, the stories that may not dominate bestseller lists or flood social media feeds, but quietly become unforgettable to the people who do find them.
These are the books I wish more people were talking about.
Hopefully this post helps at least one of them find a new reader. And if you do end up picking any of these up, I’d love to know what you think. I also want to hear about the underappreciated books you’re always recommending.
After all, readers are often the best way great books are discovered.
Books By Your Bedside 