The media is busy releasing their Best Books of 2019 lists.  This puzzles the ordinary mortal who wonders about all the books still being published in November and December.  The reason that they can do so is that advanced readers copies are sent out to media outlets such as the New York Times, Amazon, Time, Entertainment Weekly, etc. months ahead of the actual release of the books so that they have time to review them.  Most reviewers are already reading late winter and spring 2020 books.

 

So, if you are looking for books as gifts or books to stack up for the winter season, here are some of the Best Fiction Books of 2019.  Margaret Atwood’s sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale” titled “Testaments” has made numerous lists of far as has Colson Whitehead’s “The Nickel Boys.”  Salmon Rushdie has taken a skewed look at some of the elements of Don Quixote in “Quichotte.”

 

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “The Water Dancer” was selected by Oprah for her book club.  Elizabeth Gilbert’s “City of Girls” and Ann Patchett’s “The Dutch House” will appeal to historical fiction fans.  Best-selling authors Jacqueline Woodson and Taylor Jenkins Reid had success with their new novels, “Red at the Bone” and “Daisy Jones & The Six.”

 

Mystery and thriller readers have loads of great books to choose from this year including:

 

“The Silent Patient” by Alex Michaelides, “The Current” by Tim Johnston, “The Guardians” by John Grisham, “Blue Moon” by Lee Child, “The Institute” by Stephen King, “The Night Fire” by Michael Connelly, “A Better Man” by Louise Penny and “Full Throttle” by Joe Hill.

 

Romance readers can enjoy “Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston, “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren, “Get a Life, Chloe Brown” by Talia Hibbert, “The Bromance Book Club” by Lyssa Kay Adams, “The Bride Test” by Helen Hoang and “The Wallflower Wager” by Tessa Dare.

 

And for fantasy and science fiction lovers it has been a specially good year with new titles such as “The Starless Sea” by Erin Morgenstern, “The Ten Thousand Doors of January” by Alix Harrow, “Tiamat’s Wrath” by James S. A. Corey, “The Priory of the Orange Tree” by Samantha Shannon, “Gods of Jade and Shadow” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and “The Rage of Dragons” by Evan Winter.