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I sometimes read books that are off the beaten path and relatively unknown. When these turn out to be brilliant, I call them Hidden Gems. I was wondering what books you have read that fall into this category? I think it would be great if we could drum up some interest for these under-appreciated books.

Here are some I love:

Precious Bane
Trustee from the Toolroom
Driftless

unknown to most people but not to PBT thanks to Book Concierge:
In the Distance

Robin P wrote: "Here are some I love:

..."

I added Precious Bane to my TBR. I own a copy of Trustee from the Toolroom and Driftless, so I'll have to move them up the list.

I also loved In the Distance!

I have a number of these hidden gems. One of them is:
Embers by Sándor Márai

Some that I was pleasantly surprised with

The Richmond Raid
The Convert
The Butchers' Blessing
Something Beautiful Happened: A Story of Survival and Courage in the Face of Evil

Here are some of mine:


Provençal Cooking: Savoring the Simple Life in France by Mary Ann Caws - Caws' summers in Provence, which include tales about family friend Rene Clair, Provence's greatest poet
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui - graphic novel/memoir of her parents and the family's survival as refugees from Vietnam - Boat People.
Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart - first in an excellent historical mystery series
Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia - more than a cookbook, a real travelogue that puts you there.
The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise - Julia Stuart - totally charming
The Lost Love Letters of Henri Fournier by Rosalind Brackenbury - historical fiction deeply based in history -- and a real author and his life and single book. Set in 2 time periods that do meet up -- WWI to 21st Century
To Keep the Sun Alive by Rabeah Ghaffari - I went to a NYPL author interview....Set in Iran during revolution
Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History - Spice Trade, birth of the East India Company, even Henry Hudson's exploration of the Hudson River.
Dead Now Of Course by Phyllida Law - memoir of her early years with a theater troupe. Funny.
Blind Your Ponies by Stanley Gordon West - found for a PS prompt involving sports.
Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith - female botanist joins a reasearch team in Yellowstone in 1898
The Milk Lady of Bangalore: An Unexpected Adventure by Shoba Narayan - another memoir of NRI returning to India to raise their family
Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala - short but searing
The Book of Emma Reyes by Emma Reyes -one night I stopped in at Book Culture - local indies shop - and spotted a table full of these books autographed by the translator who had been there for a discussion the night before. Total impulse buy - cover spoke to me.
Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih - I have a weakness for NYRB publications

Most of these books were impulse buys when roaming one of my local indie bookstores. Some were from googling options for Popsugar Challenge over the years and spotting them on a list or in a blog. Every single one is on my Highly-Recommended-By-Me-shelf.

Joanne wrote: "Some that I was pleasantly surprised with...

Those do sound good, Joanne. I have a copy of The Convert that I haven't gotten to yet. I read another of Hertmans's books that I very much enjoyed: War and Turpentine

Joy, thanks for the link-I have added it-I enjoyed his style a lot

Theresa wrote: "Here are some of mine:


Provençal Cooking: Savoring the Simple Life in France by Mary Ann Caws - Caws' summers in Provence, which include tales about family friend Ren..."

I will check those out, Theresa. I own a copy of Blind Your Ponies that I need to get to.

Here's another of mine - I found this one during Poll Ballot while looking for something set in Java:
Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff

Blind Your Ponies is based on a true story - town, school, team and amazing season really exist. I actually drove to it when I was in Montana in 2019 - it was close to where I was staying though you had to drive three times the distance the crow flies to get there. It was exactly like described in the book. It's a feel good story that also had you rooting and sitting on the edge of your seat for the outcome.

It was a true gem. For that prompt in the PS Challenge - 2018 I think - everyone but everyone was reading Beartown and that just was not for me. I find google usually leads me to good varied lists, reviews, and blogs outside Amazon and GR that feature many many books never showing up on GR lists or not until page 45 of the list.

My two best sources for gems:

Wandering local indie bookshops.
Using google to find lists, reviews, articles, blogs other than GR and Amazon.

One more - Year of the Fat Knight: The Falstaff Diaries by Antony Sher - Sher's diary of preparing for the role of Shakespeare's Falstaff. Absolutely amazing behind the scenes look at creating a role and a production. I actually had seen his performance when the production was brought to NYC. Another find when I wandered into an indie bookstore - the famous Drama Book Shop in the theater district in Manhattan - and literally was looking for something else when my eye fell on it.

For all interested in behind the scenes and the act of creation.

Amos - by Stanley Gordon West. The same man who wrote Blind Your Ponies. During a book club discussion, the woman next to me whispered, "Just Like Jesus." peace, janz

Happening by Annie Ernaux. A woman's book, and especially significant these days in the US. peace, janz

Yikes, I've just added a bunch to my TBR!

Robin P wrote: "Yikes, I've just added a bunch to my TBR!"

🤣🤣🤣

@Robin - The only one of these not already on my TBR was Precious Bane. It now is.

I will be reading In the Distance this fall from my TBR for one of the Popsugar prompts.

Joy D wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Here are some of mine:


Provençal Cooking: Savoring the Simple Life in France by Mary Ann Caws - Caws' summers in Provence, which include tales about f..."

@Joy - I have long enjoyed Isabel Wolff's contemporary fiction. This is now on my TBR.

@JoAnne - I had not heard of a single one of those books...

A new TBR Tower is growing....

Theresa wrote: "Wandering local indie bookshops.
Using google to find lists, reviews, articles, blogs other than GR and Amazon..."

We actually do not have any indie bookshops in my small town, but we do have a used bookstore, which is a treasure trove of hidden gems.

Thanks for the info about Blind Your Ponies. I'll have to get to that one soon.

Here are a few more:
Red Sky at Morning
Remember Ben Clayton
The Ice House
Ice
Purge

We are such eclectic readers here. What is a hidden gem to me may not appeal to you, based upon your reading preferences. Still, here are some hidden gems that I've discovered:

November Road by Lou Berney - a crime caper loosely based upon the assassination of JFK.

Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper - Beautifully written, it's about a family living in a town in Newfoundland, where fishing is the major occupation. What do they decide to do when the fish mysteriously disappear?

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger - features a family where the oldest son commits a crime and goes on the lam. The family then goes on the road, trying to find him.

The Astonishing Life of August March by Aaron Jackson - is a dark comedy set in NYC. From the blurb: "In this enchanting first novel, an irrepressibly optimistic oddball orphan is thrust into the wilds of postwar New York City after an extraordinary childhood in a theater."

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig - From the blurb: "[Ginny is] fourteen, autistic, and has a heart-breaking secret�� Ginny Moon is trying to make sense of a world that just doesn’t seem to add up��. "

Theresa wrote: "@JoAnne - I had not heard of a single one of those books...

A new TBR Tower is growing...."

😁 That's what makes them hidden gems

Here are some of my “hidden gems��:

Lolly Willowes , c1926 about an older spinster breaking free of society’s expectations. Magical.

Lord Baltimore c2002. A picaresque novel about a spoiled rich kid forced to face the realities of life. A first (and only?) novel but our 2003 f2f book group loved following the mc’s journey. Have never forgotten this one.

Miss Ranskill Comes Home c1946. Think this was mentioned by GR friend and it was so good. Gives you a very different view of WWII on the English home front.

The Ginger Tree c1977. Read this long before the Masterpiece Theatre version of 1989 which did not really do it justice. Written in diary form it follows a young Scottish girl as she heads to China in 1903 to marry an English diplomatic attaché. After an affair with a Japanese nobleman she is abandoned by both husband and lover and must make a life for herself and her love child in Japan over the years until WWII approaches. Have read this several times and brought it to at least 2 different f2f book groups.

The Strangeness of Beauty c1999. A fortuitous find at a used book store. And beautiful it is. Written in the form of a Japanese “I story�� or diary-like personal story it follows a young Japanese woman who had gone to live in America but returns to Japan in 1920s with her young, motherless niece to meet her grandmother and learn of her culture. Just a wow of a book for the language and insights into Japanese culture.

I love these types of books! Holly, I agree Peace Like a River is excellent. I own a copy of Our Homesick Songs and The Astonishing Life of August March. I need to get to them.

This is dangerous for the tbr!

I second Speak No Evil.
Never heard a peep about it, but read it for book club. So sad :(

Also, We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir.

Oh yes. There are some books that come to mind. I'm not sure that they are exactly 'hidden', but at least I think they haven't received enough attention.

A True Novel

An Unnecessary Woman

The Blind Contessa's New Machine

The Samurai's Garden

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English

My TBR Towers are multiplying like mad! So dangerous!

Notice how many of these Hidden Gems are set internationally and/or by global authors? That no doubt contributes to their being hidden.

Joy, I love this idea and I went back through a couple of years to choose and then at the end added a few that immediately came to mind.

I added bits from reviews, so hopefully it will not be to long for people to read. I got carried away.
The Narrowboat Summer- Youngson, Anne

Wonderful story about friendship and a journey in a narrowboat through the canals of Great Britain -

After Story- Behrendt, Larissa
An Indigenous Australian mother and daughter go on a literary tour of England. The book shifts perspectives and we see how each view what they are doing. The daughter is educated and loves books and reading, while the mother does not but still gains insight form this tour.

Windswept: Walking the Paths of Trailblazing Women
A look at some of the women throughout history who loved to walk and hike. The author, does walking tours following the women’s footsteps

A Recipe for Daphne- Anastasiadou, Nektaria *
One reviewer said about this book set in Istanbul “light, escapist novel with a love story. But at its core, it’s a meditation on identity and the scars of history."
It examines cultural prejudices and how to move beyond them. It does this while examining a community and while there is a romance one could even say that it is a love story of the Rum Christian community in Istanbul.

Salt Lick �� Lulu Allison
A dystopian novel set in England which is quite playful with the timeline

Moon and the Mars �� Kia Corthron
Moon and the Mars is told from the perspective of young 7 year-old Theo Brooks who lives in the Five Points district of New York City. Theo is an orphan whose father was Black and mother was Irish. She is loved and is being raised by both families. The main time frame of the book is from 1857 to 1863 and as Theo ages her voice develops.

A great examination of what NYC looked like during this time and the issues of the day for both Black and Irish people.

Small Things Like These �� Claire Keegan

We are beginning to hear more about as it has been shortlisted for the Booker. I read it last year during the holiday season, which is the season in which it is set. It is a brief book but packed with a punch.
Everyman�� Conner, M Shelly
I was impressed with the beautiful writing of the author. Everymann is a story about a young Black woman, Every Mann, who in 1972 decides to venture to Ideal, Georgia, to discover her origins. Perhaps, that is the story about the story, as there are many in this layered book.
On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist �� Clarissa Ward
I love reading about journalists and photojournalists. Watching Clarissa Ward in during the withdrawl in Afghanistan I decided to read this book which was already on my TBR.
What I appreciated the most is how she brought to life her experiences in many different and dangerous situations, in Japan after the earthquake and Tsunami, in Lebanon, in Palestine, in Syria, and with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Rain Heron�� Arnott, Robbie
A fairy tale, a fantasy, a myth, a fable, a morality tale - I'm not sure what you call it, but The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott is a beautiful story which focuses on our relationship to the natural world.
The Performance�� Thomas, Claire
Against the backdrop of the play and the characters "small" problems, there looms the larger environmental problem of global warming and the smoke and haze caused by forest fires raging. During my high school years an assignment was to discuss the microcosm and macrocosm of a book and this novel would suit that discussion to a tee.
For Rouenna�� Nunez, Sigrid
Though written years before The Friend, For Rouenna shows Nunez's deft touch with prose and deals with many of the same issues which we are familiar with in The Friend. This novel is set with the impact of the Vietnam war in the background as the writer's friend Rouenna was a nurse in the war. One is reminded that for those of us a certain age, that Vietnam often hovers in the background and is so much sharper for those who actually experienced it.
The Women of Chateau Lafayette�� Dray, Stephanie
Kate Quinn says of this book “This is bold, exciting historical fiction: not a steady biographical march along a timeline in the past, but an imaginative splicing of three historical time periods linked by place (a French castle) and theme (the centuries-long fight for democratic ideals). Our heroines are a WWII schoolteacher turned resistance fighter, a WWI socialite turned diplomatic powerhouse, and a French revolutionary turned American Founding Mother, all linked by the home and legacy of America's favorite fighting Frenchman, Lafayette.��
The Mercies�� Kiran Milkwood Hardgrave
On Christmas Eve, 1617 the women of Vardo, Norway, an island in the far north watched in horror as their husbands, fathers and sons fishing boats all sank in a storm. The women all tumble into a shared grief in the aftermath. But in such a catastrophe, some feel the need to lay blame and the powers that be seem willing to assist them.
Unbranded�� Ben Masters
Any one that follows me closely knows how I love a slow journey travelogue and this one was great. From the Mexican Border to the Canadian border on tamed and saddle broken wild horses. Beautiful pics.
The Skull Mantra�� Eliot Pattison
A mystery series set in Tibet. When I discovered this series, I gobbled down about 5 in a row. So much history and culture and always interesting and entertaining.
Easter Island�� Vanderbes, Jennifer
The book alternates between Elsa's story beginning in 1913 and Greer's story in 1973. Both of these women are educated and intelligent but inclined to self-sacrifice. Elsa is an English woman accompanying her husband in his research to Easter Island and caring for her special needs sister. Greer is a newly widowed scientist examining ancient pollens. For both of them the reader hopes that they will be able to extricate themselves from the ties that bind and find their own happiness and success in life.

Spellbinding to me was the story of the island's history and all the mysteries behind it. I really enjoyed finding out about this remote and unique place.

Booknblues wrote: ".The Skull Mantra�� Eliot Pattison
A mystery series set in Tibet. When I discovered this series, I gobbled down about 5 in a row. So much history and culture and always interesting and entertaining..."

I have devoured his Bone Rattler and subsequent books in the series set in the period from the French and Indian War thru the Amer. Revolution but have yet to try his Tibetan mysteries.
I also loved his post apocalyptic mystery Ashes of the Earth and wish he would return to that subject again.

Phair wrote: "Booknblues wrote: ".The Skull Mantra�� Eliot Pattison
A mystery series set in Tibet. When I discovered this series, I gobbled down about 5 in a row. So much history and culture and always interestin..."

I'm the opposite. I may have to give them a go.

Holly R W wrote: "We are such eclectic readers here. What is a hidden gem to me may not appeal to you, based upon your reading preferences. Still, here are some hidden gems that I've discovered:

Our Homesick Songs by Emma Hooper...

I loved Etta and Otto and Russell and James by her so I'd bet I would like that.

Booknblues wrote: "Holly R W wrote: "We are such eclectic readers here. What is a hidden gem to me may not appeal to you, based upon your reading preferences. Still, here are some hidden gems that I've discovered:

O..."

I also loved "Etta and Otto and Russell and James". I think you'll like "Our Homesick Songs".

Theresa wrote: "Notice how many of these Hidden Gems are set internationally and/or by global authors? That no doubt contributes to their being hidden."

I agree, Theresa. I haven't posted any (just don't have the time to look at my shelf), but I feel this way about a lot of Canadian stuff!

BC, I have a few of those in my backlog of books to read, such as Salt Lick. I agree Small Things Like These is very good. It is getting more exposure due to the Booker listing. I need to look through all these links. I'm sure I'll be adding more to my massive TBR.

Joy D wrote: "BC, I have a few of those in my backlog of books to read, such as Salt Lick. I agree Small Things Like These is very good. It is getting more exposure due to the Booker listing. I need to look thro..."

I can see you liking After Story which is good paired with Cold Enough for Snow. I would read Cold Enough first, which I didn't do, because it is a much more subtle story. Both are books about mother's and grown daughters taking a tour together.

Others which I think you might like are Windswept: Walking the Paths of Trailblazing Women, The Performance and Easter Island.

LibraryCin wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Notice how many of these Hidden Gems are set internationally and/or by global authors? That no doubt contributes to their being hidden."

I agree, Theresa. I haven't posted any (jus..."

I had Canadian in mind too.

In Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing, Margaret Atwood in one of the essays discusses how when she first sought publication, there essentially was no Canadian publishing industry to speak of (I forget how she described it but basically an academic house and 1 or 2 small publishers with limited resources), that publishing was dominated by US out of NYC and if you were a Canadian fiction or poetry author, your optionwas to be published by a US publisher.

That has changed but it just seems that works not initially published by US publishers get back burnered when it comes to promotion and distribution. The internet is slowly changing that, I think, by providing many ways to find books.

Booknblues wrote: "I can see you liking After Story which is good paired with Cold Enough for Snow. I would read Cold Enough first, which I didn't do, because it is a much more subtle story. Both are books about mother's and grown daughters taking a tour together...."

Thank you for the tips! I will definitely take a look at all of them.

So many good ones here it seems, thank you all :)

I read these some years ago on a whim, and was surprised by how much I loved them given I hadn’t heard much of them beforehand. They are quiet, beautiful books with little to no action, so if that’s not your gem you’re not gonna like them. Great for people who like character studies.

The Wall by Marlen Haushofer («sci-fi» for non sci-fi lovers).

The Life Before Us by Émile Ajar/ (Romain Gary) - now also a Netflix movie (new recording)

Stoner by John Williams- just beautiful. More known than the other two though.

They Came Like Swallows by William Maxwell

All of these gave me that warm feeling that I also got from the more ‘famous�� A Tree Grows in Brooklyn even though there were sad elements in all of them.

I enjoyed Stoner very much. I love character studies, so I'll check them out Hilde.