10 Books That Deserve More Love

Happy Tuesday y’all! Guess what? Today is another Top Ten Tuesday being run by That Artsy Reader Girl. And as such, the topic for this week is Secondary or Minor Characters Who Deserve More Love. I decided to twist that a bit, as I’m terrible at remembering characters unless I absolutely LOVE them. Instead, I decided to go with 10 Books Who Deserve More Love.

I went through my read list of books over on Goodreads and then sorted them by the number of ratings each book received. After doing that, I examined each book and the rating I gave it. Each book I am listing here has under 1000 ratings, which means a low number of reviews. The rating I gave each book is at least 4-stars. I tried to find a bit of something for everyone. The books will be listed from highest to lowest number of ratings. All information and descriptions are from Goodreads.

Are you ready to find a new book to love? Let’s go!

Book 1: The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine

Upon his arrival, Butternut Creek Christian Church’s newly-minted minister is met by a welcome committee led by Miss Birdie and her friend Mercedes, a.k.a. “the Widows.” Their first order of business, to educate him on how things should be done, quickly gives way to a campaign to find him a wife.

When their matchmaking efforts fizzle, the Widows turn to another new bachelor. Amputee and Afghan vet Sam wants to be left alone — a desire that’s as good as a red flag to the Widows! Soon they’re scheming to pair him up with Willow, his beautiful physical therapist, a divorced mother of two who is afraid of commitment; Perrine’s small-town tale is a big-time triumph of gentle humor, a fast-paced plot, and wonderfully engaging characters.

Book 2: All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall

WHEN 13-YEAR-OLD JOSH finds out he has to stay with his dad in Chicago for a few months; he’s not too thrilled. But when he arrives at the airport, he’s devastated. His father—who used to be a scatterbrained but pretty normal shoe salesman—has become a sideburn-wearing, hip-twisting, utterly embarrassing Elvis impersonator. Josh is determined to keep his dad’s identity a secret, but on his very first day at his new school, a note appears on his locker. It’s signed Elvisly Yours, and instead of a name, a sneering purple smiley face. The secret is out, and when his dad is invited to perform at a special 50s concert at his school, Josh is forced to take drastic action. From an award-winning author, Shelley Pearsall, comes a hilarious novel about a father and son discovering something about being who you are—and who you’re not.

Book 3: The Finding of Martha Lost by Caroline Wallace

Liverpool, 1976: Martha is lost.

She’s been lost since she was a baby, abandoned in a suitcase on the train from Paris. Ever since she’s waited in lost property for someone to claim her. It’s been sixteen years, but she’s still hopeful.

Meanwhile, there are lost property mysteries to solve: a suitcase that may have belonged to the Beatles, a stuffed monkey that keeps appearing. But there is one mystery Martha has never been able to solve – and now time is running out. If Martha can’t discover who she really is, she will lose everything.

Book 4: The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee

Meg Pickel’s older brother, Orion, has disappeared. One night, she steals out to look for him and makes two surprising discoveries: She stumbles upon a séance that she suspects involves Orion. She meets the author Charles Dickens, also unable to sleep and roaming the London streets. He is a customer of Meg’s father, who owns a print shop, and a family friend. Mr. Dickens fears that the children of London aren’t safe and is trying to solve the mystery of so many disappearances. If he can, then perhaps he’ll be able to write once again.

Book 5: Waiting for Sarah by Bruce McBay and James Heneghan

Mike’s parents and sister are dead, and his legs are gone. The horrific accident that shattered his life continues to haunt him. When he grudgingly returns to school and a life that he no longer understands, Mike is bitter and unwilling to participate in school life. To avoid one of his classes, Mike agrees to put together a 50th Anniversary history of the school. Looking forward to time alone, he is annoyed when a young girl regularly shows up in the archives.

Sarah seems too young to be a student in the school, but her resemblance to Mike’s sister and her bubbly personality have him intrigued. She gradually draws him out of his shell and manages to interest him in the archives project, and more importantly, in life itself. As their relationship grows and changes, Mike slowly becomes convinced that Sarah is more than another student. When he discovers the shocking secret she is carrying; he sets out to give Sarah the peace she desperately needs.

Book 6: Cupid, Inc. by Michele Bardsley

It’s not easy to fall in love-especially in Sin City. Nobody knows this better than Greek deities Psyche and Eros, who keep a watchful eye on the mortals in Las Vegas. With a little divine intervention from Aphrodite and the rest of the gods and goddesses, Psyche and Eros set out to fulfill the sexual fantasies of their clients, hoping to turn lust into love.

Book 7: July and August: A Novel by Nancy Clark

A funny, bittersweet, and wonderfully peopled family saga from the acclaimed author of The Hills at Home and a fitting farewell to the Hill clan. Great-aunt Lily’s pile of a house in Towne, Massachusetts, is once again the gathering place for her far-flung grandnieces and grandnephews. As always, their arrival brings a high summer of comedy and drama. While Lily struggles to get her new business venture off the ground, her granddaughter Sally befriends the local math whiz; brothers and software entrepreneurs Brooks and Rollins turn heads with their supermodel dates; Cousin Julie announces her wedding to a man who may or may not be imaginary; and the family faces the possibility of a final leave-taking of Aunt Ginger, who continues to dish up crucial life wisdom-whether it’s sought or not-while reclining on a lawn chair in the sun.

Book 8: Goodnight Sweetheart by Charlotte Bingham

As Walter Berrisford paints beautiful Katherine Garland, she asks him to put a ladybird on her finger without his knowing why. He is appalled when he discovers that Katherine is a Nazi. The outbreak of war means that her sister Caro and her friend Robyn join the FANYs, while former maids, Betty and Trixie, work in a factory. War brings frantic romance to all, including their flatmate Edwina O’Brien. But it is Betty, transferred to decode at the Park, that alone discovers the truth about the Ladybird.

Book 9: Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell, Don’t Tell by Lianne Shaw

Sixteen-year-old Frederick has a lot of rules for himself. Like if someone calls him Freddy, he doesn’t have to respond; he only wears shirts with buttons, and he hates getting dirty. His odd behavior makes him an easy target for the “Despisers” at school, but he’s gotten used to eating lunch alone in the Reject Room.

In tenth grade but already at her sixth school, Angel has always had a hard time making friends because her family moves around so much. Frederick is different from the other kids she’s met – he’s annoyingly smart but refreshingly honest – and since he’s never had a real friend before, she decides to teach him all her rules of friendship.

But after Angel makes a rash decision and disappears, Frederick is called in for questioning by the police and is torn between telling the truth and keeping his friend’s secret. Her warning to him – don’t tell, don’t tell, don’t tell – might have done more harm than good.

Book 10: A Hard Day’s Death (Spike Berenger #1) by Raymond Benson

It wasn’t Peter Flame’s best concert. His tour manager thought the aging rock star-once as big as Bowie or Lennon-seemed a little distracted. But when the manager stopped by his townhouse later that night, Flame was a lot worse than distracted-he was dead. It looked like Flame had hanged himself, but the coroner ruled it a homicide. Now it’s up to Spike Berenger and Rockin’ Security to find out who killed Flame… and why. Was it his ex-wife? A former bandmate? A religious cult that had become Flame’s groupies? A member of one of the mysterious rock ‘n’ roll gangs terrorizing New York? With so many potential suspects and so many possible motives, only a rock ‘n’ roll insider like Spike could hope to wade through the rumors and the legends and find the cold hard facts… and a cold-blooded killer.

What do you think of these books? Have you heard of any of them? Read any of them? Did I miss any books you think need some love?

Looking for some more ideas to read? Check out my monthly reading wrap-ups and bookish lists.