NYPL's Top 10 Books of 2019
We asked our staff of voracious readers here at NYPL to send us the titles they read and loved published between January and December 2019. The results were as diverse as our staff and collections, but these are the ten that received the greatest number of votes. Friends and readers, NYPL’s Top 10 Books of 2019.
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
One August afternoon on a remote Russian peninsula, two girls go missing. The investigation turns up nothing and the aftermath radiates through the small intimate community. A suspenseful literary thriller.
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesner-Aker
Set in the world of Manhattan’s ten-percenters, Toby Fleishman is going through a divorce when his wife suddenly disappears leaving him alone in his new apartment with his two children. Complex characters and sardonic in tone.
Good Talk by Mira Jacobs
A graphic memoir in conversations that takes on the topic of race in American both seriously and with a disarming wit. For fans of Between the World and Me and The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Told from the varying perspectives of Marianne and Connell who begin a secret sexual relationship in a small town in Ireland during their last year of secondary school and then move to Dublin for college where they come together and fall apart time and again. Deeply psychological and a great book club pick.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Written as a letter to his Vietnamese mother who cannot read telling her all the things that she will never know about him, the damage she did as a result of her PTSD and other things about his identity she wouldn’t approve of or understand. Unconventional, stylistic, and the language in this is a knock-out.
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
An unplanned pregnancy pulls together two families from different social classes. The book opens with Melony on her sixteenth birthday, the same age her mother was when she became pregnant and shifts from past to present. This one is particularly moving and bittersweet.
She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
A behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to work the investigation into a pattern of sexual assaults that everyone knew about, yet went unchecked for decades. It will make you feel like being a journalist is the most exciting job in the world.
Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom
Incisive and witty essays on culture and society exploring topics like beauty standards, the media, and money. For fans of Roxane Gay and Ibram X. Kendi.
Three Women by Lisa Tadeo
A voyeuristic account of three American women’s sex lives. Maggie, a high school student who has a relationship with her teacher, Lina a wife whose husband hasn’t touched her in years, and Sloane whose husband likes to see her with other men. Compulsively readable.
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino
A collection of essays in which the author takes a critical look at herself and current American culture, including reality TV, physical optimization, rape culture, and social media. For fans of Rebecca Solnit and Leslie Jamison.
Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.
Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!