The Best Books of 2019

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, the end of the year (and the decade) is fast approaching, and it seems like everywhere you turn, another publisher or media outlet is releasing their list of the best books of last year. Overwhelmed by choices? We’ve compiled the best lists of the best books, highlighting some titles that are especially popular below. Enjoy!

Fiction

Girl, Woman, Other

by Bernardine Evaristo

Each chapter in this Booker Prize–winning novel follows the life of a different character living in the UK.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong

Vuong’s debut novel chronicles the struggles of a refugee family in epistolary form.

Lot: Stories

by Bryan Washington

Washington’s debut short fiction collection tracks a young, gay, black narrator across Houston, intertwining his stories with those of the city.

Trust Exercise

by Susan Choi

The winner of the National Book Award, this coming-of-age novel examines trust between characters as well as between author and reader.


Nonfiction

Midnight in Chernobyl

by Adam Higginbotham

A detailed and chilling history of the infamous nuclear accident and the circumstances that made it nearly inevitable.

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion

by Jia Tolentino

Tolentino, a staff writer for the New Yorker, examines internet culture, modern feminism, millenial lifestyles and more with a critical and curious eye.

How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States

by Daniel Immerwahr

A thoughtful and thorough examination of American expansionism and exploitation.

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language

by Gretchen McCulloch

A guide to online English by a self-described internet linguist.


Memoir

In the Dream House

by Carmen Maria Machado

Machado combines memoir and criticism in this genre-bending account of domestic abuse.

How We Fight for Our Lives

by Saeed Jones

In his first book of prose, Jones tells his story of growing up black and gay with powerful and poetic language.

Solitary

by Albert Woodfox

Know My Name

by Chanel Miller


The New York Times

By Cari Vander Yacht

100 Notable Books of 2019

Times Critics’ Top Books of 2019

The Best Crime Novels of the Year

The 25 Best Children’s Books of 2019

Times Critics’ Top Art Books of 2019

The 2019 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books


The Washington Post

Embroidery by Sarah K. Benning

The 10 Best Books of 2019

The Best Thrillers and Mysteries of 2019

The Best Romance Novels of 2019

The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2019

The Best Children’s Books of 2019

The Best Poetry Collections of 2019

50 Notable Works of Nonfiction in 2019

50 Notable Works of Fiction in 2019

The Best Audiobooks of 2019

The Best Graphic Novels, Memoirs and Story Collections of 2019


The New Yorker


NPR

NPR’s Favorite Books of 2019

Maureen Corrigan’s Best Books of 2019

The Best Science Books of 2019


Vox

The 15 Best Books We Read This Year


Smithsonian

The 10 Best History Books of 2019

The 10 Best Books About Travel of 2019

The 10 Best Books About Food of 2019

The 10 Best Children’s Books of 2019

Smithsonian Scholars Pick Their Favorite Books of 2019