USA TODAY International Edition
Best books of the year so far
We’re a little more than halfway through 2019, and as we look back on the year in books and literature, one thing is immediately evident: There’s no shortage of good things to read.
Poet Ocean Vuong stunned us with his debut novel. “Eat, Pray, Love” author Elizabeth Gilbert delighted us with a new page-turner we couldn’t put down. USA TODAY’s Washington bureau chief Susan Page taught us about a first lady we thought we knew. New novelist Beth O’Leary charmed us with a clever romantic conceit and Post-it notes.
Whether you’re a fan of literary fiction, meaningful YA, charming romcoms or thought-provoking nonfiction, we’ve got a title for you. USA TODAY’s best-reviewed books of 2019 so far: “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” by Ocean Vuong (★★★★): “To read this book is to fill your whole life with it, albeit not briefly. Vuong’s is poetry that lingers in the blood long after the words have run out.” “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (★★★g ): “’Fleishman’ is a highly entertaining novel about 40-something foibles, but it also delivers a piercing message about just how much within a relationship is prone to misinterpretation.” “City of Girls,” by Elizabeth Gilbert (★★★g): “‘City of Girls’ rewards Gilbert’s many devoted fans with a novel that provokes delight as well as thought.”
“The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey into Greenland’s Buried Past and Our Perilous Future,” by Jon Gertner (★★★g): “Gertner makes a compelling case that it’s time to start thinking seriously about Greenland and its growing relevance to our lives, and those of our descendants.” “The Flatshare,” by Beth O’Leary (★★★g): “’The Flatshare’ is the traditional romance revival (with a twist) that no one asked for but everyone needs to devour immediately. Romance is far from dead - and all it might take is a bunch of sticky notes to a stranger.” “Disappearing Earth,” by Julia Phillips (★★★g): “Phillips is so skilled at conveying place and people, you can feel the chill of the shadow cast by Soviet-style apartment buildings, smell the blood soup, taste the burn of cheap vodka drunk too fast to numb the pain. It’s so specific, and yet so universal. These are stories of women the world over.” “Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis,” by Jared Diamond (★★★g): “Diamond’s blend of logical analysis and historical narrative amounts to more than just a self-help manual for sovereign states. By detailing how seven countries faced past upheavals with self-appraisal and bold adaptation, Diamond makes an erudite case for learning from history and applying its lessons to our global future.” “Women Talking,” by Miriam Toews
(★★★★): “Toews, who has written often about her own Mennonite history, has told a riveting story that is both intensely specific and painfully resonant in the wider world. ‘Women Talking’ is essential, elemental.”
“Trust Exercise,” by Susan Choi (★★★g): novel… Choi “In upgrades her masterful, the familiar twisty coming-of-age fifth and sensitivity.” story with remarkable command
the “The Making Matriarch: of an American Barbara Dynasty,” Bush and by Susan Page. (★★★g): “In this insightful, touching, personal saga of the happiness and heartaches that shaped Bush into one of this nation’s most formidable first ladies, Page makes a compelling case that behind the trademark white hair, string of pearls and sharp wit was one of the most powerful, overlooked and under-appreciated women of our times.” “Save Me From Dangerous Men,” by S.A. Lelchuk (★★★g): “If you are looking for a new literary heroine who does not fit any of the stereotypical P.I. molds, and breaks a couple of them while she’s at it, S.A. Lelchuk’s ‘Save Me From Dangerous Men’ should be at the top of your reading list.” “On the Come Up,” by Angie Thomas (★★★g): “The thousands of readers who adored Thomas’s first novel, ‘The Hate U Give’ – a blockbuster youngadult phenomenon that also happened to be riveting, timely and beautifully written – have been impatient for her follow-up. They are in luck.” “Daughter of Moloka’I,” by Alan Brennert (★★★g): “Brennert’s polished work extends an evocative, emotionally rich family saga to an important moment in American history, and the readership he won with the first book will be grateful he took his time.” “The Night Tiger,” by Yangsze Choo (★★★g): “A missing finger and a houseboy determined to fulfill a deathbed request to reunite it with its owner. A devoted daughter secretly working at a dance hall to pay off her mother’s mahjong debts… And a series of mysterious deaths that may be linked to a rogue tiger... These are the tantalizingly twisted strands that (Choo) weaves together in her mesmerizing new book.”