I will admit that books that aren’t super popular tend to sit on my TBR list for too long. Every once in a while, I find that random book no one else has heard of that speaks to me in ways that not many other books have. If you’re anything like me and want to branch out of the mainstream reads every once in a while, here are some obscure recommendations for you.
I love an underrated historical fiction or literary fiction with a unique story that focuses on the forgotten or overlooked. Most of the books I’m recommending are books that I randomly picked up on a whim or that a friend of mine begged me to read for years. When this happens, I always find myself wishing I had read it sooner rather than letting it sit stagnant on my shelf. If any of these books sound interesting, take this as your sign to read them. I promise you won’t regret it!
The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia
The Murmur of Bees is one of my favorite books of all time and one that I will always recommend to anyone. It is a beautifully written story of the Morales family, landowners in Mexico, who take in a strange, disfigured boy who is covered in a blanket of bees. As the boy, Simonopio, grows, the bees stay with him, seeming to retain a mysteriously magical sort of connection. Simonpio and his bees work together to protect the Morales family against all odds through the Mexican Revolution and the Spanish Flu of 1918. It is a story of loyalty, faith, love, and family.
Segovia weaves the story together in such a unique way, making this mysterious story even more engaging. With vivid and complex characters that will make you laugh, cry, love, and hate, The Murmur of Bees is a historical fiction woven with elements of magical realism that make for a truly unforgettable story.
Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen
Rivka Galchen’s Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch is a comical historical fiction read that takes us back to the year 1618 in Germany, where someone must be blamed for the war, plague, and the many misfortunes in the small town of Leonberg. That person is Katharina Kepler, who is accused of witchcraft by a petty neighbor.
Katharina’s famous son, Johannes Kepler, was a renowned mathematician, physicist, and astronomer, who used his platform to help salvage the reputation and save the life of his mother. Although Katharina tells her side of the story to her friend and neighbor, Simon, with a sly and sarcastic sense of humor, we see that perhaps she is not as concerned with these accusations as she should be. Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch is at once an intellectual and entertaining story of what it meant to be a woman and what it meant to be called a witch.
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn is another story that is unlike anything else I have ever read. It is written in the form of a series of letters sent by Ella Minnow Pea from the fictional island town of Nollop. The town was founded by Nevin Nollop, the author of a famous pangram, who has been commemorated with a statue.
As letters of the alphabet fall off the old statue, the council bans their use, creating a shift in linguistics. Even as she loses access to more and more of the alphabet, Ella continues to write her letters. She must get creative, shifting her spelling and language to adhere to these new laws. Dunn writes an inventive, inspirational, and somewhat silly story about a town’s fight for freedom of expression against the controlling town council. It is a story that shows how censorship can easily be taken too far.
Boudicca’s Daughter by Elodie Harper
Boudicca’s Daughter by Elodie Harper is another historical fiction read that tells a unique and unknown story of female heroism. It focuses on the two daughters of Boudicca, a warrior queen who led an uprising against Ancient Rome’s conquest of the Celtic regions that now comprise Britain. Harper gives a voice to Boudicca’s two daughters, who have been left unnamed and unknown by history.
Harper focuses on Solina, the eldest daughter of Boudicca and King Prasutagus. Her story intertwines complex themes of sisterhood, motherhood, and womanhood with the depth of emotions felt by survivors, such as survivor’s guilt and the moral confusion that comes with trying to keep contact with your cultural and familial traditions and beliefs while being forced to conform to another.
Each of my recommendations is very different from the last, and they tell stories about characters who are all unique in their own way. These books are sure to open your mind to new perspectives. I hope you will love even one of these stories as much as I did.
Want more Historical Fiction recs? Click here.
Find these books and more on our Bookstr Team Recommendations bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
