Top Ten Tuesday: Less Than 2000 Goodreads Ratings

Today's Top Ten Tuesday * topic is the free choice of a prior TTT topic.  I'm choosing "books I loved with fewer than 2,000 ratings on Goodreads", because I featuring my lesser known favorites is always a pleasure.

1. Modern Instances by Ella D'arcy (1898) 5/5 stars 
   1 Goodreads rating (and that one is mine)
   I featured this one last month, but it's so good it's worth another mention.  My 2011 glowing review is here, so I'll just note that her short fiction is fantastic. 
   
   
2.  Thirty Odd Feet Below Belgium: An Affair Of Letters In The Great War, 1915-1916 by Arthur Stockwin (2005) 5/5 stars
   9 Goodreads ratings
   Over the past twenty years, my previous interest in World War II has turned to an absolute passion for World War I.  This small volume is a sweet, poignant, heartbreaking tale of that Great War, told through personal letters. I found it enlightening, engrossing, and memorable.
   
   
3. Birthday Party by C.H.B. Kitchen (1938)  5/5 stars
   26 Goodreads ratings
   I just recently read this one (here's my review), so I'll just say it was fantastic, but only for a certain niche of readers.
   
   
   
   
   
4. The Black Iris by Constance and Gwyneth Little (1953) 4/5 stars
   28 Goodreads ratings
   Constance and Gwenyth Little were sisters who co-wrote mystery novels during the 1940s-50s. Channeling the popular humor of the time, these books are screwball comedies with a fast pace, witty dialogue, and bizarre plots. I've yet to read one that disappointed me, though some are, of course, better than others.  This one is a good example of their craft, and would be a fine one to start with for those new to these authors.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. The Killer and the Slain by Hugh Walpole (1942) 5/5 stars
   41 Goodreads ratings
   This is quite a book!  My full review of this disturbing, tense, and uneasy read is here.  It won't be for everyone, but it was stellar to me.
   
   
6. Trying Neaira: The True Story Of A Courtesan's Scandalous Life In Ancient Greece by Debra Hamel (2003) 5/5 stars
   92 Goodreads ratings
   Disclaimer: Deb is a friend of mine.  Despite that, I'd still love this book -- it's a well-written, witty, and easily accessible nonfiction account of Neaira, a prostitute in 4th century Athens, and the trial that set out to defame her patron.  If you have absolutely no interest in the judicial system of Athens, no fear!  I didn't either, and yet, I found this surprisingly fun, full of sly humor and bizarre trivia.  My full review is here.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. Chasing the Rose by Andrea di Robilant (2014)  5/5 stars
   245 Goodreads ratings
   This is a well-written and graceful memoir about roses, both historical and horticultural.  My full review is here.
   
   
   
   
   
8. When a Man Marries by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1909)  4/5 stars
   293 Goodreads ratings
   My review of this laugh-out-loud funny novel is here.  For those that enjoy turn-of-the-twentieth-century prose, this comedy is a must.
   
   
9. The Householder by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1960) 5/5 stars
   323 Goodreads ratings|
   I absolutely adored this coming-of-age story; it needs more love!  My full review is here.
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. The Great Impersonation by E. Phillips Oppenheim  (1920) 4/5 stars
    930 Goodreads ratings
    This is a compelling and gripping thriller which I enjoyed immensely.  My full review is here.

What about you?  Do you have any much-loved but lesser-known gems to recommend?

Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.