That’s why every few months, we like to shine a spotlight on the books we’ve read and loved that don’t get the attention they deserve. While BookTok and Bookstagram might tell you that a New York Times Best Seller or a title often assigned in high schools is “underrated,” we’re more interested in the truly under-the-radar reads. These are books that have under 250 ratings (not reviews) on Goodreads. For context, The Hunger Games has over 7 million ratings on Goodreads, and In Watermelon Sugar has 17,000. Get ready to discover some of your new favorite books that deserve a lot more buzz than they’ve gotten! Can’t get enough hidden gems in the world of books? Try our previous editions of The Best Books You’ve Never Heard of! “Consuming film and television and books [as a queer woman of color] is often like being handed beautiful, elaborately sculpted meals with bits of cockroach poking antennae and carapace out of the sauces and soufflés. You try to eat around the bugs, try to surgically remove them, but you can’t quite get away from the fact that they’ve flavored the dish and will probably make you sick. But you have to eat, or go hungry.” Of course, it also completely lives up to the title and explores the queer history of Doctor Who that I wasn’t aware of. If you’re a fan of the show, it’s a must-read, but honestly, I think Amal El-Mohtar’s essay is worth the cost of admission alone. —Danika Ellis The main character, a 9-year-old child, is given the task of buying naan. But on her way to fulfill the obligation, she is pulled in by the magical and mysterious power of a storytelling session taking place in the town’s square. She forgets the bread, but the stories stay with her, even as the conflict around the country spreads. In America, older and independent, she has built a life, but as she returns to Iran with her ill mother and brother, the stories from the past arise once again. Taken from the past to the present, and back again, we get to understand the power of stories, and especially of poetry. —Carina Pereira
