Best of 2019

WINNER: A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

Set in both Brooklyn and Palestine, it is the story of three generations of Palestinian women: Fareeda, the grandmother trapped by circumstance of war; Isra, a daughter of refugees, who knows only the confines of her home in Palestine yet follows a stranger in an arranged marriage to America; and her daughter Deya, who questions the plans for her future, who lives in America but is not of America, who wants to find her voice in a voiceless society. This book will take your heart and squeeze it until you cannot breathe, it will make you weep, it will make you stronger, it will give you hope in a hopeless world.

General Fiction: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett / Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

The Dutch House is a story of a brother and a sister, abandoned by their mother and death of their father, and a special house - Patchett weaves them all together into an unforgettable story.
In Olive, Again,  welcome back to the world of Olive Kittredge, a curmudgeon of the first order, who shows us what it is to age, to feel frustration and loss, and to love in authentic, very human ways.

Honorable Mention: Twenty-One Truths About Love; Red to the Bone; The Most Fun We Ever Had;  Beyond the Point; The Guest Book; South of Broad; Where the Crawdads Sing; Dear Edward

Mystery: The Lost Man by Jane Harper

The tale of three brothers begins with the death of one of them in the heat of the Outback, found at the mysterious old stockman's grave, a spot rife with legend and secrets. The Lost Man is breathtaking in its beauty, its richness, and its ability to keep one turning pages.

Honorable Mention: The Butterfly Girl (Naomi Cottle, #2); The Chestnut Man; The Whisper Man; Knife (Harry Hole #12); The Ruin (Cormac Reilly #1); 

Thriller: Thirteen (Eddie Flynn #4) by Steve Cavanaugh

Flynn is a conman turned lawyer, whose personal life is a hot mess, who has an intriguing collection of friends, who only defends the innocent, and who will literally do anything, legal and otherwise, to get his client free (in this case, a famous movie star entangled with a serial killer). Cavanaugh wraps his story in intelligent, thoughtful prose with a snappy sense of humor thrown in just when it is needed. 

Honorable Mention: The Silent Patient; Girls Like Us; Whisper Network; The Liar (Eddie Flynn #3); No Exit

Historical Fiction: The Huntress by Kate Quinn / The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

The plot line of The Huntress moves through three different perspectives: Nina, the Russian 'witch,' as she relates her time during WWII as a bomber pilot; Ian, a former famous war-time journalist now turned into a Nazi hunter; and Jordan, the young Boston girl, dreaming of work as a professional photographer, but stuck in an antique store with her new stepmother who has some secrets. This book is incredibly well-researched, using fascinating tidbits of history to weave a story of great tension and mystery.
The Great Believers uses the AIDS epidemic as the wheel its characters turn around and the interplay amongst them. Set in two time periods, Chicago in the mid-1980's and Paris in 2015, the characters of Yale and Fiona resonate with all of us who have loved, who have felt marginalized, who have grieved loss, and who have watched a country turn its back on its own people. 

Honorable Mention: The Only Woman in the Room; The Fountains of Silence; This Tender Land; City of Girls; The World That We Know; The Nickel Boys; The Storyteller's Secret; The Island of Sea Women

Fantasy: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo / Winternight Trilogy by Kathering Arden

Ninth House is a gritty tale of Yale's secret societies, the dark magic used to disrupt society, and a young woman who communicates with dead people.


The Winternight Trilogy (The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower, and The Winter of the Witch) is a magical blend of Russian folklore and historical fiction about 13th century Russia, all held together by one badass woman and truly gorgeous writing.

Sci-Fi:  The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale #2) by Margaret Atwood

In this sequel, the story is told by three narrators: the baby Offred sends to Canada in hopes of a better life; Offred's first daughter, left behind in Gilead, training to be a Commander's Wife; and Aunt Lydia, the evil manipulator of the first book. Once again, Atwood plays with time as we are yanked back and forth, following the life events that drive the plot for each character. 

Honorable Mention: Recursion

Memoir: Know My Name by Chanel Miller

This is Chanel's story, her voice, her moment and she deserves all the accolades for the courage of her honesty, as she recounts the time in her life when she was raped by Brock Turner and the ensuing court trial.  "This is an attempt to transform the hurt inside myself, to confront a past and find a way to live with and incorporate these memories. I want to leave them behind so I can move forward. In not naming them, I finally name myself." This book was painful, crushing, inspiring, courageous, unforgettable...a Must Read for everyone.
Honorable Mention: Becoming; The Unwinding of the Miracle

Non-Fiction, History: Ashley's War, The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Each time I find myself whining about some stupid moment in my privileged life, I remember Ashley White - a 24 year old spitfire, who never gave up, who loved to bake for her fellow soldiers, who could outwork, outrun, outclimb any of the men she trained with, who treated her Afghanistan-American translator with dignity and respect, who left her marriage of six months to serve her country, and who gave her life for it as well. Ashley White is a name we should all know. Read this book and you will understand my passion for this American hero.
Honorable Mention: Stamped from the Beginning, The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America; Say Nothing, A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland 

Non-Fiction, Social Justice: She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey

Written by the reporters who blew the lid off Harvey Weinstein and his sexual harassment and abuse for decades, these two women and their editor are just simply badasses. If you're a woman, read this book. If you know a woman, read this book. If you've been harassed or abused or assaulted, or know someone who has, read this book. If you are desperate for truth in today's world, read this book. It is a masterpiece of journalistic investigation, the power of the press, and the inspiration of true heroes who were willing to put it all on the line to expose the truth. 

Honorable Mention: Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive; The Witches Are Coming, Amity and Prosperity, One Family and the Fracturing of America; The Moment of Lift

Non-Fiction, Science: The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson

The story covers the heist of bird feathers from a small museum in England. One might think "Hmmm, so what? Who cares about bird feathers?" But did you know there's a huge black market for them due to fly fishing? Or that bird feathers from centuries ago can tell how how the earth is doing, or not doing? That the feather industry was humongous in the 19th century, employing thousands of workers? Yep, it's an obsessive story, trust me.

Honorable Mention: Brain Rules, 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School

Young Adult Fantasy: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

If you like YA fantasy, strong complex characters, creative setting, romance, and taut tense cliffhangers, Throne of Glass is the series for you. (And if you've never done YA or fantasy - give it a shot. It is the best escapism from the crap in this world!) This finale is the best finish to a series that I have ever read. I wept, I turned pages obsessively, and I felt bereft when it was over.

Honorable Mention: The Toll (Arc of a Scythe #3);  The Grace Year; A Curse So Dark and Lonely; A Skinful of Shadows

Young Adult: Long Way Down by Jason Reynold

Fifteen year old Will leaves his apartment with a gun in his waistband, intent on revenge for his brother Sean's death. However, his elevator ride down stops on each floor, and a ghost enters, telling the story of the Gun, the Violence, the Rules. Do Not Miss This Book. My jaw was on the floor with the last two-word line.
Honorable Mention: Frankly in Love

Middle Reader: The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Utterly delightful, this story has a cast of strong, smart, brave sisters who must find a way to rescue their brother, and defeat the enemy who has stolen so many boys, as well as brought years of winter to the harsh land of Russia. Hargrave has a beautiful voice, knows how to create tension without it being too scary, and develops each sister so that they are uniquely their own self. This would be a fantastic gift for either a boy or girl this holiday season.

Honorable Mention: Look Both Ways

Picture Book: Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller

A story of a squash brought home from the market, and as time goes by, poor lil Sophie watches her new doll go soft and rotten. It's a beautiful story of fall, of renewal, of faith + it's funny:)

Honorable Mention: Be Kind; I Dissent, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark; Highest Mountain of Books in the World