Top Ten Books That Have Under 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Most of the fiction I read tends to have more than 2,000 ratings on Goodreads, so this list is a pretty eclectic one.  There is a little YA, a little popular culture, a few biographies, and a couple of history books (of the interesting variety!)

1.

The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal (1,563 ratings)

A YA historical fantasy set in medieval Scandinavia (Denmark, I think?), about two young servant girls who unexpectedly become involved in a lot of royal intrigue and deadly political machinations.  I loved this book, and have never read anything quite like it before or since.  It has the feel of a twisted fairy tale, very rich in metaphor, with many shocking plot twists.  I can only compare it to Angela Carter, though that's not quite right...anyway, just read it!  

2.

The Art of Neil Gaiman by Hayley Campbell (and Neil Gaiman) (496 ratings)

If you are, like me, a fan of Gaiman and want to read the story behind every single thing he has ever written from Doctor Who episodes to a very early biography of the band Duran Duran, then you are in luck.  This book is also just right for a coffee table book!

3.

Daughter of Xanadu by Doris Jones Yang (515 ratings)

How does this book only have 515 ratings??  I read and reviewed it a few years ago, and even got to interview the amazing, adventurous author Dori Jones Yang.  It's the story of Emmajin, a talented granddaughter of Kublai Khan who longs to ride in his army as a soldier and also meets a young Marco Polo.

4.

Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion (237 ratings)

I bought this for the section on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, my all-time favorite TV series.  It also includes interviews, episode guides, and analytical essays for Firefly, Angel, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Avengers, etc.  The book turned out to be very useful for a class I took on Joss Whedon...I feel like I am always mentioning slightly strange-sounding classes I have taken, so one day soon I will have to post a top ten list of my most unusual university courses!

5.

The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish (585 ratings)

Margaret Cavendish wrote one of the earliest works of science-fiction in the year 1666.  I read The Blazing World for a class on British women writers and really enjoyed it.  Margaret was indefatigable in trying to get into the Royal Society (when women were strictly prohibited from joining this elite scientific boys' club) and her imagination was just striking.

6.

The Match Girl and the Heiress by Seth Koven (24 ratings)

This recent double biography is highly readable and one of my favorite reads from last year.  Koven's research and his characteristically empathetic way of writing make the stories of his two philanthropic heroines really compelling.  

7.

For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts' Advice to Women by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English (1,648 ratings)

I just finished reading this, and found it enlightening as well as fascinating and a little disturbing!  It definitely deserves more ratings.

8.

Cut These Words into My Stone: Ancient Greek Epitaphs (trans. by Michael Wolfe) (16 ratings)

I found this collection of epitaphs fascinating.  If you like Greek lyric poetry, epitaphs, or just want to read something really and truly different, then this is perfect.  It is also fairly short.

9.

Edgar A. Poe: A Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance by Kenneth Silverman (257 ratings)

Do the last two books on this list make me look mildly morbid?  I think they might, but I do love practically everything ever written by Edgar Allan Poe.  There are many incorrect and damaging rumors and "myths" about Poe himself floating around in popular culture today, so it would seem that the directors of some recent films and TV series need to read this interesting biography!

10.

The Irish Princess by Karen Harper (815 ratings)

A few years ago, I read a ridiculous amount of historical fiction and Alison Weir books about the Tudors.  This novel, told from the perspective of "Gera," one of the Irish Fitzgerald family who suffered a lot at the hands of Henry VIII and his crew, is refreshingly different and well-written.

Wow, those were ten very different books!  Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to leave a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post when you comment.