Top Ten Tuesday: Hidden Gems of 2025

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is Books for Armchair Travelers, but I feel like I've done something like this recently enough that I'll do something else altogether.  This week instead I'm featuring some of my favorite Hidden Gems of 2025.  I'm not just counting 2025 releases, but everything I read over the course of the year that I think more people should know about.  All of the books on my list this week have under 1,000 ratings on Goodreads.  Without further ado, here we go in alphabetical order by title: 

Elizabethan Life in Town and Country by M. St. Clare Byrne - Goodreads ratings: 1 rating - I'm the only one for this one!  It  covers a wide variety of topics and was absolutely fascinating.  I'm glad I decided to give this a try when I saw it for 50 cents at Goodwill.

Hick: The Trailblazing Journalist Who Captured the Heart of Eleanor Roosevelt's Heart by Sarah Miller - Goodreads ratings: 179 - This is one of the best YA biography's I've had the chance to read.  If you're at all interested in trailblazing women and LGBT+ history, this can't be missed.

The World of All Creatures Great and Small: Welcome to Skeldale House by James Steen with Foreword by Jim Wight - Goodreads ratings: 232 ratings - I absolutely love this tv adaptation (and the stories it's based on) and this behind-the-scenes look was just delightful.

A Man and His Cat, Vol. 13 (A Man and His Cat #13) by Umi Sakurai - Goodreads ratings: 436 ratings - This whole series has just been amazing.  It's one of those I just don't want to end!

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 14 (The Way of the Househusband #14) by Kousuke Oono - Goodreads ratings: 477 ratings - This whole series has been a lot of fun and I can't wait to read the next installment.

Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen by David J. Skal - Goodreads ratings: 548 ratings - This was absolutely fascinating and I wish this 1990 work of nonfiction would be updated because I would love to know what the author thinks of the new Nosferatu, the new Interview with the Vampire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Forever Knight, Moonlight, and Blood Ties, and many others.

Cat + Gamer, Volume 8 (Cat + Gamer #8) by Wataru Nadatani - Goodreads ratings: 674 ratings - I had no expectations for this series, but this became a favorite and this finale was great. I already miss everyone.

Proud: Living My American Dream (Young Readers' Edition) by Ibtihaj Muhammad - Goodreads ratings: 695 ratings - I didn't know much about her aside from Olympics win, but she's very inspiring.

Rick Steves' Europe 101: History and Art for the Traveler by Rick Steves and Gene Openshaw - Goodreads ratings: 698 ratings - I love watching Rick Steves on tv and this is the first one of his I've read.  It was fascinating.  I'm glad I decided to pick it up from the thrift shop that day!

Malice of Crows (The Shadow #3) by Lila Bowen - Goodreads ratings: 874 ratings - I still need to read the finale in this series, but otherwise I'd say it's a crime that this LBTQ+ historical fantasy western series isn't more well known.  Also, Lila Bowen is Delilah S. Dawson.

What are some hidden gems you read last year?  Have you read any of these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!