Let's Talk | Underrated Books

Today I wanted to talk about some of my favourite books that I feel like don't get enough love. There are so many books out there that receive so much hype (and deserve it!), but there are other gems that seem to remain hidden. So today I'm going to mention ten of my favourite books that I feel are underrated. Let me know if you've read any of these in the comments, or what your favourite underrated books are.

1. Dr Franklin's Island by Ann Halam

I read this when I was 11 or 12-years-old and it was one of my first forays into YA fiction. This was before YA became as big as it is today and well before the dystopian outbreak happened. I think I read this book at a perfect time for me. It has always stuck with me and I love re-reading it. This book follows three students who are getting on a plane with their class to go on a school trip. Halfway through the flight, the plane crashes and the three students end up washed up on island. They have to survive the island but they soon discover they are not the only ones there, and the people on the island might not want them to leave. In fact, they may be perfect for Dr Franklin's experiments.

2. The Doomspell Trilogy by Cliff McNish

This is another book that I read when I was younger and it's stayed with me ever since. This is a trilogy that I feel should just be read as one long book (although that might be because I own the bind-up version). It is very dark for a children's book but so full of magic and fantasy that it's always left its mark on me. This book follows two children who are captured by a witch and end up in her world like many children before them. They soon discover that they both have powers of their own and might be able to bring magic back with them.

3.  The Bartimeaus Sequence by Jonathan Stroud

I first read this book because my brother bought me the first two books in the (then) trilogy in 2004, and they soon became a favourite of both mine and my sister. The first book is called The Amulet of Samarkand and it is an alternate history/fantasy. A magician's apprentice, Nathaniel, summons a 5000-year-old djinni called Bartimeaus to do his bidding and steal an amulet, but soon discovers they are both out of their depth. I can't even describe how wonderful this series is. The characters are so realistic and they are all very much anti-heroes rather than actual heroes. Bartimaeus is one of the funniest character perspectives I have ever read from and his footnotes are always so witty. I'm definitely going to be giving this a re-read very soon because it's been too long. 

4. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

My sister convinced me to read this book a few years ago and I am so glad she did. In this book, our main character is exploring her father’s library and finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to "My dear and unfortunate successor". Her discovery plunges her into a world she never dreamed of. This book is a fascinating read that traverses so many European countries in beautiful detail. I don't want to give too much away but if you're a fan of Dracula or Frankenstein then I would highly recommend this book.

5. The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke

I found this book in a bookshop a few years ago and my husband very kindly bought this for me. This book appealed to me so much because it explores the horrifying reality of child abduction, but through the eyes of the child that wasn't abducted. This book follows Faith, and she was the only witness to her older sister, Laurel, being abducted. Faith has grown up in constant media attention and her parents fighting. Thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the garden of the Logans' old house, disorientated and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. It follows the family and their readjustment to life after this. I love books like this. It was very, very deep for a YA book and I will say there is a trigger warning for abuse and rape (although nothing explicit is discussed, it's a very prominent theme).
          The book was heart-wrenching and beautiful, and although I partly guessed the ending, it went it a direction I didn't quite expect at the very end. This book is unique as a YA as, although there is a very slight hint of romance in it, it is mostly about families and the bond between siblings. It was powerfully written and never before has the final paragraph of a book affected me so much. That final section made this book for me.

6. The Leaving by Tara Altebrando

Similar to the last book, this also follows children who have gone missing, but in a very different way. Eleven years ago, six kindergarteners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to. Until today, when only five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and not one of them remembers what happened to them. This book dragged me out of a reading slump instantly. I read it in one day; the writing was great and the mystery aspect kept me hooked throughout. I feel like this YA book should be far more well-known than it is.

7. The Time Master Trilogy by Louise Cooper

This trilogy by Louise Cooper is one of the most unique fantasy trilogies I have ever read. It's quite an old series and I've never heard anyone else talk about it in the blogging/booktube community. To be honest,I only picked it up at my sister's recommendation, and I'm so glad I did. This book is filled with the most complex characters I have ever read and it makes the storyline so realistic. It follows Tarod from when he was just a small child, to him discovering his powers, and growing up in the incredible world Cooper creates. It blurs good and evil like no story I've read before and, in my opinion, has one of the best anti-heroes I've ever read. If you're a lover of fantasy and want to read something unique then definitely pick this up. 

8. In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park

This is a non-fiction book that follows the life of Yeonmi Park as she grew up and later escaped North Korea. I was very interested in reading this as I know very little about North Korea and was very interested in learning more about the country. Park details so much history of the country and how communities live/lived in North Korea, which was fascinating. I really loved finding out about how she grew up because it was so different to how I imagined. I had absolutely no idea. Her story of how she escaped the country and what happened to her family is just incredibly moving and heartbreaking. I definitely teared up a few times when I read this book because it's so hard to believe these atrocities are actually happening in the world. Her strength, not only to go through what she did, but also to write this book is amazing an I admire her for that. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about North Korea, or anyone who enjoys autobiographies.

9. The Summoner Series by Taran Matharu

This trilogy is relatively well known and I first heard about it on Booktube a few years ago. However, since then I've not heard anything about it. I recently finished the trilogy and absolutely loved it. This follows a boy named Fletcher who discovers he has the power to summon demons and has to go to magical academy. This contains everything I love in a fantasy: familiars (that are battled like pokemon), magic, politics, different races (elves, dwarves, etc) and huge battles. Would 100% recommend this trilogy to any lover of fantasy. If you want to see a spoiler free review of the first book, The Novice, then you can also click here!

10. The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

So The Inheritance Cycle isn't exactly 'underrated' as I know it used to be quite popular. However, I've only ever known one other person who have read these books. I first read Eragon when I was ten years old and it became my favourite fantasy series for so long. This book is full of tropes but it was filled with everything I love in a fantasy. When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. They travel together on a perilous journey learning magic, with only the help of a storyteller and an ancient sword. I adore the relationships with the dragons and the different races in the Empire. This book series will always hold a special place in my heart and I want to re-read it soon. 

This book tag was created by the wonderful people at Chapter Chicks. It looked interesting so I thought I'd give it a go (FYI I've decided to skip question 17 as it is about filming and so doesn't really apply to me!) Let's get this started!

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?

Nope, I actually love reading in the car or on long journeys. When I used to go on holidays with my parents I would bring about 6-10 books for the long car journey alone depending on how far we were going. It was genuinely one of my favourite things to do and I always looked forward to these journeys.

2. Which author's writing style is completely unique to you and why?

Brandon Sanderson. Every single one of his books that I've read feels like a Brandon Sanderson book. His writing still is incredibly unique and his endings are probably some of the most epic I've ever read.

3. Harry Potter or Twilight Saga. Give 3 points to defend your answer.

Harry Potter series. I did like the Twilight Saga when I was about 14-15 because it was such a new genre for me and so fast-paced but I'd struggle to read it now in the same way that I did then because I've changed so much in 11 years. So...
1. Harry Potter is my childhood and I just have so many nostalgic moments of reading these books for the first time.
2. Harry Potter had so many plots twists that carried over the seven books that were just incredible.
3. It still holds up to the same standard when I read it now as it did when I was eight.

4. Do you carry a book bag?

I carry a bag... which always has a book in it. Does that count? 

5. Do you smell your books?

Is it weird to say yes?

6. Books with or without little illustrations?

I'm happy either way, but it's always nice to read a huge fantasy book which has small illustrations here and there to enrich the world (for example, like  Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell).

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn't quality writing?

I think the most obvious answer to this is Twilight (as I mentioned in question 3) or The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris D'Lacey. I'm really struggling to think of anything else I've re-read and found lacking a second time around. There are some other books I loved as a child but when I've read them as an adult I've struggled to enjoy them as much, but that's not the same as the quality of writing not being great.

8. Do you have funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!

I can't think of any funny stories in particular. One that comes to mind was when the fifth Harry Potter book came out so my mum bought my sister and I a copy. We were supposed to 'share' it but were both so eager to read that we kept fighting over it instead. Probably one of the few arguments we've ended up having!

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

I have over a thousand books so I might end up getting this wrong but, after looking around, I think it's The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway which is only 25 pages long!

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?

This was a bit easier to find as I only have about 15 books over 1000 pages. I think it's The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas which is 1462 pages.

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as  being an author?

I do, but sadly nowhere near as much as I used to. I need to get back into a routine with it again. Fingers crossed I can soon! My main issue is that I've needed a new laptop for the past three years and haven't been able to afford one so once I get that, I'll find it easier to write on the go.

12. When did you get into reading?

I've been into reading since I could physically read. My mum read to me until I was old enough to do so myself and she instilled a love of reading into me which i'm forever grateful for. We would go to the library together every two weeks on a Saturday which was one of my favourite things to do. My favourite authors as a child were Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, and Erin Hunter. There are many others of course and I think it goes without saying that J.K. Rowling was later added to this list!

13. What is you favourite classic book?

 I actually have quite a few favourite classics so I'm going to name my top five instead:

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker

2. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

3. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

4. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

5. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?

Yes, I loved English! I got 100% at GCSE in both Language and Literature and studied English and American Literature at University where I got a first! My other favourite subject was History.

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated... what would you do?

I would probably say thank you and give the book to someone I know who would like it. I'd probably tell the person who gave it to me a bit later on that I didn't enjoy it as much as I though I would.

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?

Hmm... Harry Potter and the Hunger Games are so different so I assume this means other Middle-Grade/YA books that are good but not as popular? I'd say The Novice by Taran Matharu or the Gone series by Michael Grant.

17. What is your favourite word?

Quintessential.

18. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or, all of the above?

Pffft probably all of the above.

19. Vampires or fairies? Why?

Vampires. I've never actually read a book that's fully sold me on fairies, but I've read a lot of awesome vampire books. Also Buffy. Buffy made me love vampires more than I already did.

20. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?

Going to go with Shapeshifters for this one. Again, not read many great angel books (other than the Northern Lights trilogy). I love shapeshifters especially ones that take on animal forms. One of my favourite urban fantasies is the Stray series by Rachel Vincent which pretty much revolves around this idea. 

21. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?

Okay, this one is tougher. Probably spirits? Although I've never really been sold on either to be honest.

22. Zombies or Vampires? Why?

Again, vampires of course. Literally never been remotely interested in the 'zombie craze' that seemed to happen over the past 10 years or so. The only zombie film I've watched is Shaun of the Dead (and I think I mostly enjoyed it because it's a comedy/parody).

23. Love triangle or forbidden love?

This question is super easy for me because I really don't like the 'typical' love triangles that are found in books. Love triangles seem to only exist in YA fiction (at least I've never seen the same kind of 'love triangle' in adult fiction). I basically find love triangles one of the most unrealistic tropes that is used to cause drama and conflict for the sake of plot. Maybe it was just me who went through my teen years never seeing anyone around me getting into love triangle situations even though every book I read seemed to say that I should be? Either way, I do enjoy the forbidden love trope but I'm not massively into romance.

24. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

Given my answer to the last question, this one should be pretty obvious. I much prefer the majority of my books to be action-packed with a bit of romance here and there. I don't mind the occasional full on romance book but they're definitely not my favourite genre.

Those are my answers for the Ultimate Book Tag! Let me know if you've done this tag and link it below if you have!

BOOK REVIEW | Billionaire's Banquet by Ron Butlin

Genre: Literary Fiction/Humour

Publication Date: 15th April 2017

My Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Page

Link to Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

1985, Edinburgh. Thatcher's policies are biting deep - fat cats and street kids, lovers, losers and the rest struggle to survive. Hume sets up a business catering for the rich and their ever-growing appetites. But by the new millennium, these appetites have become too demanding.

Powerful, challenging and very funny, Billionaires' Banquet is an immortality tale for the 21st century.

About Ron Butlin

With an international reputation as a prize-winning novelist, RON BUTLIN is a former Edinburgh Makar/Poet Laureate. Now over to Ron -

Before becoming a writer, I was a pop-song lyricist (3 records and a brief appearance in a justly-neglected film. I was also a footman attending parties for the great and good, the rich and bad (see my forthcoming novel 'Billionaire's Banquet'), a barnacle-scraper on the Thames and a male model. My work has been widely translated, and 'The Sound of My Voice' has been twice been awarded a ‘Best Foreign Novel’ prize as well been made into a film, a rather short film.

I am a novelist, poet, children's author, opera librettist, playwright - one of these, on a good day. I have been auctioned twice for charity, and put in a cage outside parliament for The Day of the Imprisoned Writer. All very character-building. I have given readings world-wide including at the House of Lords, John Knoz's pulpit in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, and an Arab tent in Bahrain.

I live in Edinburgh with my wife, the writer Regi Claire, and our dog (Note - Nessie, as she's called in the book, features in my first novel for early teens, 'Steve & FranDan Take on the World' which is due out this spring. She is great fun on paper and in real life).

**No Spoilers**

I’m thrilled to be on the blog tour with Love Books Group for Billionaire's Banquet by Ron Butlin today and to have a spoiler-free review of the book to share. Thanks so much to the lovely Kelly from Love Books Group for sending me a copy of this book to review!

This book is a humorous literary fiction novel that follows an interesting group of Edinburgh students living in Thatcher’s Britain in the 1980s: Hume, Cat, St Francis, DD and Electric Boy. All of them are dreaming of wonderful futures they think their lives will hold, while in the present they are enjoying the drink, fun, and shared accommodation of their youth. This is a very character-driven story and focuses mostly on their dreams and hopes. I loved Butlin's characters, they were so three-dimensional and well created. They were all equally flawed but also fascinating to follow. I especially enjoyed the female characters in the book as they were so vastly different and always reacted as I expected them to. Butlin is great at making a social commentary using his characters and that can be seen throughout this book.

One thing that I didn't expect, but still absolutely loved, with this book is the jump to present-day Edinburgh. It was so interesting to see the characters so many years later and to see how much the city and its inhabitants changed (or didn't change) in that time. There is so much dark humour woven within the story as it portrays the measures of 'success' through wealth and how the characters see themselves.

Having only been to Edinburgh a couple of times in my life, I wasn't able to fully appreciate the setting as much as I'd hoped. However, Butlin does create a vivid picture of many areas in the city and I found myself frequently looking them up to see where the characters were in relation to what I knew. I'm sure someone who knows Edinburgh more than me would really appreciate Butlin's beautiful descriptions of the city.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I found the characters to be incredibly engaging and the story kept me hooked as I wanted to know what happened next. I found this to be very reminiscent of The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst so I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who was a fan of that! I will warn that there is explicit content in this book so if you're younger then please be aware of that!

Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag 2018

The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag is one of my favourite tags to do each year and I always look forward to June/July to do this! This is an original tag was created by Chami so all credit goes to her (readslikewildfire). Basically, the tag goes through the books you've read so far this year to see which are the best/worst/etc. I've read 55 books so far this year (at the time of writing this post), which I'm really happy with and I'm going to try not repeat myself too much with these so hopefully there'll be no books mentioned twice. I'm also going to try and not mention any books that are re-reads so that I can talk about some new books instead (rather than just Harry Potter)! If you want to see all the books I've read so far this year you can click here! Here we go:

1. Best book you've read so far in 2018

For now (not including the book I'm currently reading) it is easily Big Little Lies by Liane Moriaty (and this was the fourth book I picked up in January!). This book is nearly 500 pages but it was so addicting that I read it in one day. Big Little Lies is about three australian mothers (Jane, Madeline and Celeste) who meet and become friends despite being from very different lives. This thriller follows each of their points of view in the months leading up to a murder, as well as including interview excerpts with the police from other parents. The most fascinating thing about this book was not knowing who was killed until the very end and all the other twists that still happened throughout the whole book. I literally could not put this book down and I'm already itching to re-read it. Would highly recommend to anyone, even if you don't think thrillers are for you. There is just so much intrigue in this book!

2. Best sequel you've read so far

This was a tough one as I've read so many series so far this year, but I think this one will have to go to The Battlemage by Taran Matharu. I read the first book in the series (The Novice) in 2014 and this year I decided to give it a re-read and then finally finish the trilogy. This is a YA fantasy that includes a magic school, elves, dwarves and familiar companions. These are all things that I adore in a fantasy so this book immediately pulled me in. You can find my spoiler-free review of the first book here! Although I say in that review that I wish I had read this when I was younger, I still think this is perfect for anyone who loves YA. The series gets darker and more complex with every single book. The characters are wonderful and this finale doesn't hold back like many YA fantasies do. I highly recommend this series! 

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to

There aren't too many books that have just been released that I'm super eager to read. However, I do want to get to the final book in the Illuminae Files trilogy: Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I'm really looking forward to the twists in this book and to see what happens to all the characters we've met.

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

Either A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir or Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas. I only recently read Sabaa Tahir's other two books so I'm very excited to continue the series. I've also been reading the Throne of Glass series since Crown of Midnight was released so I'm looking forward to seeing how this series finally ends!

5. Biggest disappointment

Sadly, I've had a few disappointing reads this year, so I'm going to mention a couple. This isn't to say these books are bad, just that they really disappointed me and didn't live up to my expectations. Number one is Artemis by Andy Weir. I read The Martian by Andy Weir a few years ago and absolutely loved the dry sense of humour and setting of that book. However, this one just wasn't for me; the main character felt annoying and the 'heist' aspect of the plot just didn't interest me that much. The second book I have is The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton. I have a full spoiler-free review of this book here if you want to go read it, but generally I found this book to be far too slow-paced. I enjoyed so much of the characters and storyline, but felt like it could've been 200 pages shorter and accomplished the same thing. It usually only takes me a few days to read a book of this length but this one took me over two weeks and I really struggled to continue reading.

6. Biggest surprise

For this I'm going with Simon Vs. The Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I 100% did not think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I don't often pick up YA contemporaries, but with everyone talking about the book this year I thought it was about time I read it. This book follows Simon, an in-the-closet teenager, who is being blackmailed by someone at his school. This book really had everything: it was funny, heart-wrenching, and had a mystery aspect that I didn't expect. I constantly wanted to keep picking up the book to find out what would happen next. I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read (also the film is pretty good too!).

7. Favourite new author (Debut or new to you)

There are so, so many and I could mention some of the authors I've already talked about, but I think I'll say Sara Raasch. I found her Snow Like Ashes trilogy to be very compelling. This trilogy had so much that I love in a fantasy and it was so detailed. The wroldbuilding was beautiful and it's portrayal of PTSD was very realistic. I also found the conclusion to be so satisfying. Raasch is a beautiful writer.

8. Newest fictional crush

Meh, I don't usually get these to be honest! Genuinely can't think of any stand-out love interests in any of the books.

9. Newest favourite character

Probably Alabaster from The Fifth Season trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. He is such a believable and flawed character, and I love him for that. He's always sarcastic and interesting to read about. If you haven't picked up this trilogy then I highly recommend you do!

10. Book that made you cry

None yet this year! Although I think Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn came very close. This book is a non-fiction about an extraordinary array of women struggling under profoundly dire circumstances. But we also meet those who have triumphed and those who make it their work to provide hope and help to other women. Through these stories of women in impoverished and less fortunate countries, we can see how we can start to help others. It is so important to read for anyone interested in women's rights and feminism. It is a book that drops you into reality and really portrays the privilege that some of the world has compared to others.

11. Book that made you happy

I'm afraid I might actually have to mention a book I've already talked about here and say Simon Vs. The Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. I felt like I had a grin on my face for the majority of my time reading this and no other book has done that to me this year.

12. Favourite book to film adaptation you saw this year

I know this will be an unpopular opinion because it's very different from the book but I'm going with Ready Player One. Despite the differences from the book, I really enjoyed this film. I found it action-packed and super enjoyable.

13. Favourite review you've written this year

Probably my review of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. It's always great when a book impacts me so much that I just get the urge to write a review for it. It doesn't happen as often lately so talking about this book made me very happy! You can find my spoiler-free review here if you want to read it!

14. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)

The Girl of Ink and Stars by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. I just love this cover so much, and my edition has flaps on the inside covers with even prettier maps on them!

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

SO MANY BOOKS. I have a very large TBR Pile. I think I'll limit this list to the top five books I want to read this year:

1. The Stand by Stephen King
2. Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
3. The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken
4. Under the Dome by Stephen King
5. The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

Hope you enjoyed this tag! Let me know if you've done this tag and if you've read any of these books, what you thought of them! :)