Welcome to my reading corner, today’s post is going to be a list and discussion on the top 10 least popular books on my to be read pile according to Goodreads. I watched The Wandering Reader do this on YouTube and thought it was a good idea. Here is the link to her video if you would like to see her top 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBINVYRjFrE.
1. Scots and Catalans: Union and Disunion by John H. Elliott
Rating: 0.00
Description: This is a non-fiction book that takes a comparative look at the history of the fight for independence in Scotland and Catalan and how these are similar.
Why I think it has such a low rating: This book doesn’t have any ratings yet on Goodreads, I’m not sure if it has actually been published yet, but I will be keeping my eyes peeled for any reviews on it to see if it is worth reading.
Will I still read it anyway?: Because I study Spanish language and culture, and part of my degree also looks specifically at Scottish independence, I probably will read this book as it touches on a subject I’m genuinely deeply interested in.
2. Biomimicry in Organisations: Second Edition With Biomimicry Exercises by Fausto Tazzi
Rating: 2.67
Description: The blurb for this book is ambiguous but this is yet again another non-fiction book which outlines how to organise your company to be in line with the planet and to run as things would in nature, hence ‘biomimicry’.
Why I think it has such a low rating: This had only a few reviews but I think the reason why this is such a poorly rated book is because the concept is completely abstract and this isn’t the original edition of the book which I believe is slightly more popular than this one with the additional exercises.
Will I read it anyway?: Probably not. I think I added this to my TBR list after seeing a story on @bezerowastegirl ‘s Instagram story where she was recommending books about sustainability and the environment. After reading the reviews and the blurb of this book, it doesn’t really seem like something I will actually enjoy reading. I think I’ll pass.
3. Angel Catbird, Volume 1 by Margaret Atwood
Rating: 2.78
Description: This is Margaret Atwood’s foray into graphic novels which follows a superhero who has the DNA of a cat and an owl.
Why I think it has such a low rating: I mean… the DNA of a cat and an owl.
Will I read it anyway?: I possibly will because I would really like to read all of Atwood’s works despite the fact that this has the potential to be awful.
5. The Blazing World by Margaret Cavandish
Rating: 2.9
Description: This is hailed as the first sci-fi novel written by a woman and centres around a woman who is kidnapped but finds herself in an alternate reality to the one she knows.
Why I think it has such a low rating: I think this book is quite obscure but I don’t know enough about it to comment on why it has a low rating.
Will I read it anyway?: Yes, I probably will because it intrigues me that it was such a groundbreaking novel for women.
6. Eat My Heart Out by Zoe Pilger
Rating: 2.78
Description: This book centres around a young woman who has had her heart broken, then she meets someone who completely changes her life. This promises to be a feminist novel focusing on female friendships.
Why I think this has such a low rating: I think this is genre fiction and has potential to be very flimsy.
Will I read it anyway?: Probably not, but it’ll stay on my TBR just in case.
7. Not Working by Lisa Owens
Rating: 3.04
Description: This seems quite bog standard contemporary women’s fiction, it follows a woman who has quit her job in order to find herself.
Why I think this has such a low rating: Similarly to Eat My Heart Out this is genre fiction and follows a plot that seems done to death in chick flicks and chick-lit.
Will I read it anyway?: Maybe, I’m not overly enamoured by the plot and I can’t remember why I even put it on my TBR list at this point.
8. Peach by Emma Glass
Rating: 3.13
Description: This story follows a young woman coming to terms with an assault she has recently gone through.
Why I think this has such a low rating: I honestly don’t know, I suppose it is going to deal with sensitive material and potentially was polarising for readers.
Will I read it anyway?: Yes, I think the plot sounds interesting and the cover is gorgeous.
9. The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips
Rating: 3.22
Description: A dystopian novel following a woman who accepts a new job offer for a mysterious position that begins to absorb her personal life.
Why I think this has such a low rating: I think that dystopian fiction has to be a) believable, and b) well-written. Books that are plot based often feel rushed and aren’t necessarily written very well. An example of this is The Power by Naomi Alderman.
Will I read it anyway?: I’m going to look out to see if anyone I follow brings this up and if I hear any good reviews on it I will give it a go.
10. The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
Rating: 3.22
Description: A 17 year old girl has to fly from London to LA for her mother’s funeral and this leads on to a road trip all over LA experimenting.
Why I think this has such a low rating: I don’t know, all I’ve heard has been really positive about this book.
Will I read it anyway?: Yes, this sounds right up my alley.
Overall, a Goodreads rating doesn’t weigh on my decision to read a book or not. A lot of the books I love and are among my favourites are ones that have received polarising reviews and have been controversial. The only book on this list I am going to remove from my Goodreads shelf is Biomimicry in Organisations by Fausto Tazzi because it just does not sound like something I would enjoy, at all.
This was a good exercise to do, I often forget what I’ve added to my TBR list and it’s interesting to see which books are the least liked on my shelves.
Thanks for reading. Please comment and let me know if you have read any of these books and what your thoughts are on them.
Keep reading,
– A
Amy's Reading Corner 