10 Under-the-Radar Books Your Favorite Authors Wrote (But You Might Not Know About)
Fact: The holidays are absolutely the coziest time to curl up in a chair with a book. The problem? You've already binge-read Gone Girl, sobbed your way through The Fault in Our Stars, and nerded out to Harry Potter for the 20th time. So now what? Time to check out a few under-the-radar books that your favorite authors wrote before (or after!) they were household names.
So snuggle up with some hot chocolate, click through the slideshow above, and ponder the fact that Stephanie Meyer wrote about something other than Edward "Glitter Is My Everything" Cullen.
1/11You can thank us for these gems later.
Photo: Courtesy of The Casual Vacancy2/11The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
We know it's hard to accept that J.K. Rowling would move on from the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter (Hermione + Ron forever!), but her debut adult novel is actually pretty great. Like Harry Potter, The Casual Vacancy is meticulously plotted and features well-developed characters. But unlike Harry Potter, there isn't Butterbeer, magic, or the Santa Claus impersonator known as Dumbledore. Either way, it's definitely worth reading.
Photo: Courtesy of Looking For Alaska3/11Looking For Alaska by John Green
Let’s be honest: Your copy of The Fault in Our Stars is waterlogged with tears to the point where it’s completely unreadable. The good news is that Looking For Alaska is somewhat less emotionally devastating (emphasis on somewhat), and it’s a great coming-of-age story about a boarding school student who falls in love with an enigmatic girl named Alaska Young. Oh, and you might want to read this one quickly, because John Green recently confirmed that the book is being made into a movie.
Photo: Courtesy of The Monstrumologist4/11The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Rick Yancey is best known for The Fifth Wave, the first book in a trilogy about a teen girl trying to be a Destiny's Child-style survivor after an alien invasion rocks mankind. In other words, it's totally awesome. But The Monstrumologist might be even more awesome. This book is a must-read for horror fans, and follows monster hunter Will Henry as he tries to stop the attacks of a majorly creepy new species. That's right, he's a monster hunter. Most impressive résumé item ever.
Photo: Courtesy of Just One Day5/11Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Hands up if you absolutely adore If I Stay! Both the book and the recent movie adaptation starring Chloë Grace Moretz are absolutely to die for, so it's no surprise that Gayle Forman's follow-up is amaaazing. The book follows the repercussions of an epically romantic day in Paris between Allyson and Willem, and good news—it's being made into a movie by the folks who brought us Gossip Girl. One word: YES.
Photo: Courtesy of Sharp Objects6/11Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
These days you can't get on an airplane without at least one person flipping through a copy of Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn's breakout novel about a husband trying to unravel his wife's mysterious disappearance. That thriller is a total page-turner, but believe us—Sharp Objects is even better. Set in Wind Gap, the story follows a young journalist as she tries to investigate murders in her hometown while grappling with her family's dysfunction. Daytime reading is definitely recommended—this book can get seriously creepy.
Photo: Courtesy of The Host7/11The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is best known for gifting the world Edward Cullen and Bella Swan (#TeamJacob, to be honest), but her follow-up is well worth checking out. The Host takes place in the future when earth's been inhabited by alien "souls" who invade human beings and take over their consciousness. Sounds slightly strange, but the book is an interesting look at human nature and friendship—though tragically there's nary a werewolf to be found.
Photo: Courtesy of Torch8/11Torch by Cheryl Strayed
Reese Witherspoon's amazing performance in Wild will definitely make you want to check out Cheryl Strayed's work, but don't stop short at the book that inspired this awesome movie! Cheryl's first novel Torch is also a great read, and loosely based on her family's life in Minnesota. Ready to place bets on when it will be made into a film?
Photo: Courtesy of Storm Born9/11Storm Born by Richelle Mead
Storm Born is the first in the Dark Swan series by Vampire Academy author Richelle Mead, and we're completely obsessed. The supernatural series follows Eugenie, who finds out that she's destined to have a baby that will destroy mankind. Good times! Naturally this means a bunch of evil supernatural hunks want to get her pregnant, and she's tasked with fighting them off while simultaneously fighting the evil inside her. Amazing, right?
Photo: Courtesy of The Underland Chronicles10/11The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
Please stop everything and immediately volunteer as tribute to read The Underland Chronicles. All you need to know is that a) it's just as fascinating as The Hunger Games, and b) it's about a boy's adventures in a hidden city underneath New York, which is filled with enormous talking creatures. Honestly, we'll never be able to ride the subway again without wondering if there are super-sized snails waiting to slime us.
Photo: Courtesy of The Journal of Curious Letters11/11The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner
This is the first in an epically imaginative series by James Dashner (author of fan fave YA novel The Maze Runner!) and follows 13-year-old Tick Higginbottom as he tries to save "reality" by following clues in a series of letters that lead him to alternate dimensions. Downloading to our Kindle in 3, 2, 1...
