Reading Under the Radar

Your weekly book recommendation newsletter for under-the-radar reads

Welcome, Book Nerds!

We get a lot of book recommendations from a lot of places. I get it. Lists we’re meandering through at work to kill time between meetings, every celebrity imaginable starting book clubs and adding their stamp of approval to a new release, endless subscription boxes (that I totally want because I am a sucker for a good subscription box).

Amid the nonstop content, I must admit that I am tired of seeing the same book recommendations in every single publication. For as many places as there are to share about books, an awful lot of the lists look exactly the same. And I’m super happy for those authors and super happy for the readers who haven’t yet read those blockbuster hits.

But if you’re a regular reader who hits all of those pretty quickly, it’s pretty tiring when, for months after a book’s release, you see it again and again as a “book you may enjoy.” Where are the releases you haven’t heard of? Where can you find books that are truly under the radar and that you might enjoy but just have not seen out in the world?

Each Tuesday (book release day, in publishing world), I will bring you one new recommendation to add to your growing stack of to-be-reads (TBR). It might be an older title or a brand-new one that isn’t getting attention. It might be from a well-known publishing house or from a small indie press. It might be written by authors from historically underrepresented backgrounds and groups.

I’ll give you a quick introduction and why I think you should read it — perfect for a short morning coffee newsletter read without overwhelming your brain or being too cumbersome to read all the way through. My intent is to share books that I think should get more recognition and to help readers find new books they legitimately might not have heard of in a digestible and easy-to-access format.

And, because I of course also read big blockbuster books, I’ll share a tiny bit about what I’m currently reading that week, no matter how popular.

Paid subscribers will receive a monthly bonus post of the best new releases out that month that I’m looking forward to, along with access to all other months’ new releases.

I’d love to hear what you’re reading and what you’d like out of this newsletter! Any types of books you’re specifically trying to find? Email readingundertheradar@substack.com to chat or ask me for a personalized recommendation!

You can also support me by sending me a book from my wishlist.