The Gilmore Guide to Books

Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Genre
  • Podcast
  • Policies
    • Review Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy

Ten Best Books of 2019

December 20, 2019

 

ten

Well, what do you know. Rather than being my usual contrarian self, I actually have ten books I consider to be the best of 2019. Of course, that doesn’t include the eight debut novels I wrote about on Wednesday, but let’s not split hairs. The point is: ALL of these books are marvelous. Even better, you still have time to get any one of them before Christmas for your favorite reader.

 

river

 

The River by Peter Heller
Published by Knopf Publishing Group
Publication date: March 5, 2019
five-stars
Bookshop

If it weren’t for Susie at Novel Visits, I would not have discovered The River. A novel about two guys canoeing in Canada? Hard pass. Thankfully, she recommended it to me and I fell in love. Yes, there’s canoeing, but there’s so much more than that. My review

 

maybe you

 

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date: April 2, 2019
five-stars
Bookshop

2019 has been my best year for nonfiction reading in a very long time and this genre-busting book is one of the reasons why. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is a page-turning look into the world of one therapist as she tries to deal with her own issues and those of her patients. My review

 

ask again

 

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
Published by Scribner
Publication date: May 28, 2019
five-stars
Bookshop

Ask Again Yes has a lot of drama in the beginning, then settles into a really special novel about family, mental health, and forgiveness. My review

 

 

ten

 

Talk to Me by John Kenney
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date: January 15, 2019
four-stars
Bookshop

If there is such a thing as a sleeper novel, Talk to Me, would qualify. I thought it was going to be light, sensationalistic reading, but it goes a lot deeper.  A probing novel about mistakes and consequences, this one really made me think. Great option for book clubs. My review

 

ten

 

Normal People by Sally Rooney
Published by Hogarth Press
Publication date: April 16, 2019
four-half-stars
Bookshop

I didn’t finish Sally Rooney’s first novel, so was apprehensive about Normal People. Happily, I found it to be  a beautiful meditation on the complexities of relationships when we’re young. It wins for being a novel I loved in spite of really not liking the ending. My review

 

ten

 

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Published by Riverhead
Publication date: June 4, 2019
four-half-stars
Bookshop

Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls is as bold and brassy as Gilbert herself. A great women’s story about making unpopular choices to forage one’s true path. My review

 

god

 

If You Want to Make God Laugh by Bianca Marais
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date: July 16, 2019
four-half-stars
Bookshop

If You Want to Make God Laugh is a stunning portrayal of the racism that still pervades South Africa even after the end of apartheid. My review

 

 

ten

She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey
Published by Penguin Press
Publication date: September 10, 2019
four-half-stars
Bookshop

Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement feel like a long time ago, which is not great. Thankfully, there’s She Said, the book by journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor. They’re the two women who brought Weinstein’s decades of abusive behavior and the system that continues to support this kind of behavior to light. A must read because Weinstein was not operating in a vacuum. My review

 

women talking

 

Women Talking by Miriam Toews
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date: April 2, 2019
four-stars
Bookshop

A novel set in a small Mennonite community might not seem like enough for powerful reading, but I found Women Talking to be a profound exploration of women finding their voices. My review

 

ten

 

Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak
Published by Little Brown and Company
Publication date: May 21, 2019
four-half-stars
Bookshop

The theme of rich girl/poor girl friendships is not a new one, but one I always fall for—and sometimes regret. That wasn’t the case with Necessary People. Somehow, this novel hit the all the right notes while building layers of both suspense and the very relatable feelings that accompany an unequal power dynamic. My review

 

There you have it—the ten books I loved most this year. Except…there were two more, but they got so much hype, buzz, and book love that I didn’t include them in my list because you’ve already seen them everywhere. They are Daisy Jones & the Six and The Testaments—and they are five star phenomenal. If by some crazy chance you haven’t heard of them, READ them.

Whew…that really is it for 2019. I hope you had a year with more great books than bad and that you have a wonderful, peaceful holiday!

 

 

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I get a small commission (at no cost to you!).

 

 

five-stars

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
  • 5 Star Books
  • By Anna Pitoniak
The Girl Who Slept with God
Golden Boy
Golden Boy: A Novel
divines
The Divines: A Novel
endless
Our Endless Numbered Days
reading
What I’m Reading this Week
forty rooms
Forty Rooms
april library
February Library Checkout
circling the sun
Circling the Sun: A Novel
we
We Are Not Like Them: A Novel
favorite
My 8 Favorite Books of 2023
fight
Fight Night: A Novel by Miriam Toews
talk
Talk to Me: A Novel by John Kenney
october
October Reading Recap
god
If You Want to Make God Laugh: A Novel
ten
Normal People by Sally Rooney

11 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, favorite books, lists, literary

Comments

  1. Jan says

    December 20, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    Oh I almost forgot that Talk To Me was a book I read this year. I loved it! I also loved Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Normal People and Ask Again Yes.

    Great list! I have several others on your list in my tbr with She Said a library hold.

    Happy Holidays and wishes for a fabulous reading year in 2020

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      December 21, 2019 at 2:57 pm

      It was an under the radar kind of book wasn’t it? It was the very first book I read in 2019 and I thought, ‘If this is how the year is going to go, I’m going to be really happy.” And it did!

      Have a wonderful holiday and yes, here’s to more fabulous reading!

      Reply
  2. Laila says

    December 21, 2019 at 12:18 am

    A good looking list! Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is on my TBR list.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      December 21, 2019 at 2:55 pm

      I don’t read a ton of nonfiction so maybe this happens more often than I think: this book has a twist that made me jump and then burst into tears. I reread the section 3 times because I couldn’t believe it. Really powerful.

      Reply
  3. susan says

    December 21, 2019 at 6:49 pm

    Great List. I read two of these The River which I liked and Normal People which was so-so for me. But I’d like to get to more of these books you list. They’re on my TBR.

    Reply
  4. Annette says

    December 24, 2019 at 12:47 pm

    Just started Ask Again Yes and think it will be perfect vacation reading! Excited to read more of the ones on your list this year.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      December 28, 2019 at 3:37 pm

      I hope you like it! There is the big shock at the beginning, but it’s what follows that I think is so wonderfully done. I hope you’re having a fabulous vacation!

      Reply
  5. Susie | Novel Visits says

    December 29, 2019 at 12:38 pm

    So many on your list were just shy of making mine, especially Normal People and Necessary People. 2019 truly was a great year for books. Let’s hope the trend continues into the new year, new decade!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 1, 2020 at 12:39 pm

      That’s so funny because there were several on your list that just missed on mine. I guess it means we both had an outstanding reading year! Let’s hope it flows over into the new decade.

      Reply
  6. Rory says

    December 31, 2019 at 10:08 am

    I haven’t posted my list yet, but I also loved The River – such beautiful writing! I also read and loved The Falconer on your recommendation, and that made my top ten.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 1, 2020 at 12:35 pm

      Oh, yay! I’m so glad you loved The Falconer. It got so little attention.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram

Save time and subscribe via email

No time to keep checking for new reviews? Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No spam!

Bookshop

Currently Reading

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski
The Dutch House
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
by Adrienne Brodeur

goodreads.com

Affiliate Disclosure

I’m an affiliate for Bookshop. If you click on a link that takes you to their site and make a purchase I’ll earn a small fee, which goes towards the costs of maintaining this site. Your support is appreciated. Thank you!

Archives

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2025

Copyright © 2025 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in