Here are the best books of 2019 you've got to check out

Vancouver Public Library and V.I.A. have teamed up to help you discover new reads, hidden book gems and surprising literary finds.

With 2019 behind us, VPL’s reading experts sharing their favourite books of the year. Get a head start on your reading list for 2020 with these top picks!

Best Literary Crime: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

Two sisters are abducted in the first scene of this powerful – and sometimes devastating – debut novel, which is set in a remote Russian town. The mystery of the girls’ disappearance builds to a surprisingly suspenseful finish and ties together the lives of the women who narrate the book.

Best Literary Fiction: Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

On the cusp of their own disintegration, a family of four take a road trip to Arizona from New York. The father’s goal is to record remnants of the Chiricahua Apache. The mother, a journalist, plans to document migrant children crossing the Mexico-U.S. border. Facing the real-life Trump policy to separate migrant children from their parents, Lost Children Archive is a powerful social novel with themes of migration, extinction and documentation.

Best Non-Fiction: The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells

The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells

This book depicts a future after global warming that is far worse than imaginable. Rising sea levels, food shortages, population displacement and catastrophes transform politics, culture, our relationship to technology and each other. While this book causes anxiety, it also brings motivation for real change.

Best Memoir: She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

This is an inspirational and ground-breaking memoir written by the journalists who exposed producer Harvey Weinstein and decades of sexual abuse in Hollywood. The stories shared here have empowered women all over the world to speak up about similar experiences with sexual harassment, leading to #MeToo – one of the most powerful feminist movements in years.

Best Local Non-Fiction: Vancouver After Dark by Aaron Chapman

Vancouver After Dark by Aaron Chapman

Do you remember Oil Can Harry's, The Town Pump or the Luv-A-Fair? Written by local writer, historian and musician Aaron Chapman, Vancouver After Dark delves into the history and mystery of Vancouver’s favorite haunts.

Best Essay Collection: Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott

Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott

Drawing on personal experience with intergenerational trauma, Alicia Elliott questions and answers essential questions about the treatment of Native people in Canada. What are the links between depression, colonialism and loss of language? How does white privilege operate in different contexts? This is an essential read for understanding the ongoing legacy of colonialism today.

Best Fantasy: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

This compelling and lush epic fantasy is filled with superb world-building and multi-dimensional characters. There’s magic, tension between good and evil, secret societies and political intrigue – all things that make it a must-read for fantasy fans!

Best Romance: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Alex is the golden boy of the White House. He secretly loathes Henry, the handsome but stuffy prince across the pond. After a very public dust-up between them, their political handlers force them to kiss and make up via social media. It’s not long before their initial divide evaporates and two imperfect characters turn out to be perfect for each other.

Best Mystery: A Deadly Divide by Ausma Zehanat Khan

A Deadly Divide by Ausma Zehanat Khan

When a young Muslim man is arrested for the mass shooting at a mosque in Quebec, detectives Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty are called to investigate a hate crime manipulated by a right-wing radio host. This is a socially relevant and painfully realistic page-turning mystery by Canadian author Ausma Zehanat Khan.

Best Thriller: Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Peter Swanson’s latest novel is an adrenaline-inducing, psychological thriller about a bipolar woman who suspects her neighbours are responsible for an unsolved murder. The trouble is, she has a history of mental health issues and falsely accusing others of murder. A welcome addition to the growing canon of ‘unreliable narrator’ fiction.

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