Anyone want to translate the meaning of the review of the Lerner book here?
All but incomprehensible.
208
There are two books about Harvey Weinstein, and the reporting it took to bring his actions to light, that tell the story of the #Metoo movement, and efforts to cover it up. "Catch And Kill" by Ronan Farrow is a masterful look at those cover up efforts, and "She Said" by NY Times Reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey showcases just how difficult it was to uncover this story: https://johnrieber.com/2019/11/20/catch-and-kill-true-life-metoo-thriller-bravo-ronan-farrow-on-incredible-story-more-metoo-books-as-well/
47
These "best" lists are always a disappointment. Don't look to others to tell you what is a good read. Discover it for yourself.
73
@Karen
Oddly enough, book suggestions and reviews never hurt and are fun, seeing what other people are reading. After he died, for example, there was a David Bowie Top 100 Reading List that was very illuminating. I was really surprised to see The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark on it. Surprised that Bowie had this excellent novel on his list, that is.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/david-bowie-influencers-books-literature-the-book-list-orwell-music-creative-a8252801.html
The NYT By The Book columns also had a lot of book mentions that I ended up checking out.
78
Somehow the NYT missed Death Spoke, about which Kirkus Reviews said "The best this genre has to offer .. a deeply stirring examination of human nature. A cinematically immersive murder mystery ... an intellectual drama ... astonishingly clever tale.
22
Somehow Leonard Krishtalka omitted the name of the author of
‘Death Spoke’. The author is Leonard Krishtalka. Still the Kirkus review was enough for me to put this book on my own To Be Read list.
86
I'm enthused that the NYT editors enjoyed these books. Always positive to get their input. I, however, have no interest in any of them.
70
Thanks.
Looking forward to reading Ted Chiang and Sarah Broom.
15
@Blackmamba
Ted Chiang's is amazing. Haven't read Broom.
11
"Lerner’s own arsenal has always included a composer’s feel for orchestration, a ventriloquist’s vocal range and a fine ethnographic attunement. Never before, though, has the latter been so joyously indulged, or the bubblicious texture of late Clintonism been so lovingly evoked." --The Topeka School
The reviewer's description of the novel is as opaque and confusing as the novel itself. Why would any reader WANT to experience a 'ventriloquist's vocal range' or 'a fine ethnographic attunement'; and who in the world wants to lovingly evoke "the bublicious texture of late Clintonism." (whatever that means).
What a load of pretentious drivel and hogwash. Some of the other recs are quite good though. The Topeka School was a snooze. "Infinite Jest" Lite.
148
How about picking a book that is actually a joy to read once in a while? Why is every novel The NY Times picks weighty and heavy and dreary? Just because a book is not deep or profound or an analysis of man’s inhumanity to man does not mean it is not a great novel. Honestly, your lists are dreary and depressing.
236
but what happendrd to Triggered? why is it not featured here? lol
31
What about Nickel Boys?
45
One book worthy of this list is "Exactly As You Are: The Life and Faith of Mr. Rogers", by Shea Tuttle. A beautiful depiction of the wonderful weirdness of a TV icon who changed the world of children's television by reminding children that they are uniquely loved just the way they are.
25
Every title here looks like a heavy downer. Real life is enough of a heavy downer that I've had to switch to more humorous or upbeat titles and lit-lite.
95
My mother was born and raised in Galway on a small coastal farm. She left in the mid-50s for America with her sisters. She never mentioned her own parents let alone the Troubles, having grown up a wee bit southeast of those. When I was 9 we went over there for a month (1970). I brought my Regent mitt and remember bouncing a rubber baseball off of the thatched roof cottage where she grew up. I also tried to grow an orange tree there from a seed. Anyway, as I age I want to know more about that half of me. The title, "Say Nothing," attracts me, though I may wait for the paperback release.
17
This looks like a good list, though I've only read three of the books. However, it seems plain ole' wrong not to include Ocean Vuong's incandescent On Earth We Were Briefly Gorgeous on any best book list.
44
Midnight in Chernobyl reads like a thriller. So well researched. Knowing the fate of the civilians - that they'd never go back to their homes - while officials tried to hide the disaster is nothing new. Flint River is a less dramatic example.
23
Midnight in Chernobyl was an exceptionally compelling read. Except there's no satisfying conclusion. As the casualties pile up and the true cost is understood, the truly guilty fade away into the Soviet bureaucracy and nothing really changes.
18
What a yawner for a list. Virtually all of these books are pitching a political agenda, not drama or literary merit.
I guess I'll look elsewhere for recommendations. If I want a sermon, I'll go to mass.
35
As regular readers of the NYT, I suspect most of us are very conscious of the sad matters that surround us, from our, “vanishing earth,” to domestic violence, “lost children,” and already suffer “invisible bruises” everyday.
This reading list appears dead set on saddening those of us even further over the holidays. Is there any chance that anyone, who happily burns away the atmosphere or just generally could not care about any “troubles,” be made aware of matters that, well, matter, thanks to this list?
Otherwise I think I will leave sadness to NYT’s everyday headlines and look for some levity in holiday reading.
79
"The Topeka School" is woefully overrated and reads as an incredibly mundane attempt at the Great (Modern) American Novel. But the greater crime is that each and every one of these texts were originally written in English. Are we to believe that no author writing in any other language wrote a book as "good" as "The Topeka School"?
24
I also forgot to mention;
"No Visible Bruises" is a must-read as well.
8
With all due respect, as an avid reader I am extremely disappointed by the NYT best book list of 2019.
It feels like a compilation of best book reviews instead of a real best book list.
This list is one of the most conventional, middle of the road list of best books produced in quite awhile, it assumes that the best books were mostly written in the USA.
This not only is a slap in the face of authors worldwide, but also at all the readers who know that in the case of writing, the rest of the world is where most of the best talent can be found.
Wake up NYT book reviewers and stop that navel gazing.
57
Aren't there six more weeks in 2019?
19
Looking forward to reading almost all of these, and how did I miss them? And where is Colson Whitehead's "The Nickel Boys"?
17
I know that Valeria Luiselli has become the new it girl, but The Lost Children Archive is a major disappointment.
11
So the title finally got it right by saying “Fiction and Non-Fiction” instead of just “books”. But, when you scroll down to look at the individual books, you have no idea. I can’t tell you how much this frustrates me.
15
I'm not sure why, but much of "Say Nothing" is freely available on Amazon in the See Inside link.
3
Say Nothing should be read by each and very IRA apologist. It is a devastating portrayal of the ruthless, violent and utterly despicable organization. To think Gerry Adams got away of “renouncing” or claiming he was never an IRA member makes me ill. Anyone of Irish ancestry who glorifies these thugs is betraying the suffering and agony of the country.
33
like doctors and political consultants, you'll be ahead of your game if you only know half of what's really going on
3
"Say Nothing" is probably one of the best books I've read this year. It's fantastic.
56
@Kyle Seconded. An extraordinary read that I cannot recommend enthusiastically enough.
17
I live in Ireland now. Every time an interview comes on about Jean McConville’s abduction by the IRA (most recently one of her sons)(her children were home & recognized/know the murderers/abductors) I end up listening to it as you would watching a car accident film: I can’t help myself. We know it’s ending no matter who is interviewed, no matter what is said.
A murder of the mother of young children. Wrongfully ordered by the leaders. Not investigated by the authorities. Just not done. Justice NEVER to be done.
What a fantastic book Say Nothing is. Glad to see it on your list.
- - -
As a survivor of domestic violence who often speaks publicly to groups about it, I’m thrilled to see this non-fiction book No Invisible Bruises on your list. I look forward to reading it. Thanks for the heads up!
Susan
Expat in Ireland
.
52
It must have been a poor year for novels.
39
@Luder It is always a bad year for novels. Novels are supposed to raise issues and feelings better than literal truth, but that is not generally the case. Fiction creates what it believes, or some parts of literary society believe, is literal truth, told better and with more accuracy than real people. But actually non-fiction is the best fiction.
8
What a useful opinion. Do you think you are on Breitbart?
9
@Luder
...and for clever, useful observations coming out of France.
3
Is it mandatory to write in English to make this list?
14
@Minta to make a list of best books in an English newspaper marketed to an English or English speaking lectorate? Yes, I believe there may be some advantage in writing in English.
24
@Minta The NYTimes is an English-language publication that plays to a primarily English-speaking readership, so some inclination toward English is to be expected. If you’re looking for exciting new reads in Hindi or Arabic, perhaps you’d have more success in checking lists provided by publications produced in those languages ... respectfully, etc.
26
Yes
9
I realize you are determined to keep your Art Department gainfully employed, but could we please east up on the animations.
A recent article on the Democratic Candidates featured a scrolling text set against a background of succeedingly highlighted subjects.
Annoying.
This flashing graphic of several books makes some easily-distracted individuals happy, but it is a nuisance for people attempting to identify the subject and authors of the books.
How about a presenting the news after the fashion of a News Paper, and introducing rotating crossword puzzles with alternating black and white backgrounds for a compromise.
149
@Good John Fagin
Amen.
It makes me weep, the things that pass for sophisticated newspapering these days. Apparently a lot of people really like all the buzzing, flashing nonsense.
87
@Good John Fagin
With all due respect, you and DW should have the paper delivered to your home. You can inhale the ink and revel in a world that is static, black & white, and just like the "good old 20th century."
The graphics, gifs, links, animation and recordings are what make the digital edition so much more engaging and appealing than the print version.
I would give you both an "OK Boomer" but I happen to be one myself. Albeit one who "like[s] all the buzzing, flashing nonsense."
14
@Good John Fagin
I agree! Please restore calm and tranquility to these pages. Who really wants visual distraction while reading?
37
Soon after I finished reading Midnight in Chernobyl, there was an explosion at a lab in Russia that stored the smallpox virus. The story came out one day and disappeared the next. Meanwhile, the highly contagious and deadly virus may have been spreading across Europe. Russia made a vague announcement that there was nothing to see here, carry on. After reading Midnight in Chernobyl, you understand that anything is possible in Russia, and one could easily believe that entire towns have been wiped out and we may never know, because Russia is so good at covering things up. It’s even possible that the explosion was a cover for, or a part of, some other nefarious experiment. The book is extremely well written and it was hard to put down. I think the tourism there now is shameful.
40
@Frau Greta And anything is possible in good ole USA.
8
I don't believe in "best of" lists, but I did greatly enjoy reading "The Lost Childrens Archive" recently. The story has a nice momentum and intertwines several themes very fluidly. Sometimes it feels like a novel and at others a documentary with abundant details. It is thriller soaked in thoughtfullness and philosophy. But perhaps the best thing about it is the voices Valeria Luiselli creates to narrate the story. I recently got the a translation just to see how these voices sound in Spanish. I'm generally not a fiction reader, but I really enjoyed this one.
8
@Charles Pape
I strongly agree. This is such a creative, compelling work.
3
I can’t recall the title but this author also wrote a short nonfiction book about her experience as a translator for migrants attempting to enter the US. It is very clear that this aspect of the novel is heavily inspired/influenced by this experience. Worth looking for it that is a subject of interest to you.
5
Strong pieces all but what has happened to reading a book for fun, and the pure excitement of a rollicking story? I suggest The Great Divide: a novel. Set in the Canadian Rockies, this novel blends mountain adventure, ancient legend and villainy in a modern metaphor on the debate between the development versus the preservation of our wild spaces. As the protagonist Barry Bloburne states: “a wild place is great, sure it’s something magical but if there’s no one to see it, it seems like a bit of a waste doesn’t it?” A question we should all dwell on.
26
@Dan McC would you please let us know the name of the author. Thanks!
Yeah, these days it seems that a book must deal with some current hot-button cultural topic to be deemed important. How about a book with an intriguing plot, character development, snappy dialogue, and polished prose? And this memoir thing must end. It’s the laziest form of writing, with a very few exceptions.
19
Time to run to the library with list in hand. I just bought "Stories of Your Life" by Ted Chiang for my niece.
I highly recommend the novels of Stuart Neville for those interested in N. Ireland.
5
I read Say Nothing and it was excellent.
49
@Carol M Agreed. A mesmerizing read.
8
What about Dancing on Water?
By Ta’Nesi Coates
(Sp)
Outstanding!
24
@Carla
thin writing. not a novelist.
5
@Carla The Water Dancer by Ta Nehisi-Coates
4
I read "Say Nothing" earlier this year and have thought about it ever since. It's stunning, scary, revealing, and wholly engrossing. It was later determined that Mrs. McConville was not an informant to the British government. My heart broke for her children, who didn't fare well in the aftermath.
That said, I also had empathy for those affected by the Troubles and to a degree understood the IRA's motivations (though not their violence). They who are held down will never take it lightly.
52
@leftofcenter
The stunning stories of British army extra judicial killings and perfidy made me understand why both sides have been so entrenched for so long. Excellent read.
15
Midnight in Chernobyl was, by far, the best and most important book of the year.
And unfortunately the US seems to be turning towards many of the same mistakes that characterized the 80s in the USSR.
42
‘Midnight in Chernobyl’ is a fascinating read for anyone with the least interest in the subject of nuclear power.
It’s plays our the type of disaster that could come from any nuclear power plant’s mis-management - - and none in other countries are as isolated as was Chernobyl.
The initial containment of the debacle which was Chernobyl was almost as incompetent as was the construction and operation of the plants.
And - however long it lasts - the current “new” containment dome will not outlast the deadly nuclear mess which is the remains of the original plant. (There’s a documentary movie on this latest futility which is worth seeing.) I take some comfort in the prognosis that it will outlast ME, however.
9
@PeterW
Do you think that anything but a new commitment to nuclear power generation can avert the looming climate catastrophe?
5
@Al in Pittsburgh
DEFINITELY!! There’s enough energy running around loose out there to deal with our needs if we just make the commitment to utilize and distribute it.
SOLAR, TIDAL, WIND, HYDRO and other technologies not yet investigated.
If we get smart enough about capturing and safely/intelligently disposing of combustion by-products, there is enough COAL and NATURAL GAS to tide us over until we can get those other technologies up to speed.
Do YOU think there is ANY way to deal with the looming catastrophe posed by the radioactive waste being produced by our current nuclear power generation facilities??? We already have almost enough stored (inadequately) to poison most of the planet.
8
Always happy to read another book about Dr. Johnson - "The Club" - who accomplished so much despite a life long battle with depression.
15
My list includes diet, philosophy, internet research on classic discoverers and poetry as well as the science and art of political activities supported by lies to move the masses into pre-determined boxes of servitude.
8
I'm an avid reader of non-fiction. Without question, Samantha Power's "The Education of An Idealist" was the best book I have ever read. It's your list; I can't argue with that. But it certainly isn't mine.
21
I'd like to see the NYT discuss the line between memoir and fiction. When they recently listed the top 50 memoirs of the last 50 years, I bought a couple. Two of them read as good fiction, i.e., interesting but with a level of detail going back many decades into childhood, that is impossible to believe as memoir unless there were detailed daily diaries for the basis -- with no indication that such diaries exist.
12
@Svante Aarhenius
There is a difference between a memoir and an autobiography. The latter is factual. The former is based on facts, but not required to be be factual only. it is the author’s take on their life and those and things that impacted it.
15
@Teacher
Well, Merriam-Webster shows them as synonyms. Personally, I think of an autobiography as a complete life story, whereas a memoir could be limited to certain events or certain aspects of one's experience. Like the way politicians write about their experiences after leaving Washington - they probably don't include their childhood.
5
Speaking of Chernobyl and astounding incompetence, I might just mention that the Russian Federation possess the largest arsenal of thermonuclear weapons on the face of the earth.
32
@James Ribe The USSR used to lie about everything and now Putin continues this time honoured tradition. Having said that, even one bomb is too much.
11
Someone gave me a copy of Sarah Broom's "The Yellow House." I had no particular interest in this book but - Wow!
I was immediately transported back to my childhood growing up in the south through Broom's vivid descriptions of her family house, neighbors, smells of the humid summer nights, the music on the radio, what people cooked for dinner, what people fought about, what Broom herself dreamed about at night.
I'm not a fan of nostalgia but no book I've read in 60 years has so vividly evoked childhood for me - it's terrors and its startling sensory pleasures.
A beautiful story about a struggling family. One of them has become a great writer.
Congratulations to Ms. Broom on winning the National Book Award Wednesday night. Much deserved.
86
“Say Nothing” is a great introduction to the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland. Even if you know about what’s happened in NI the book will add to your understanding of the conflict.
34
@Christopher Sheahen Couldn’t agree more. Tremendous book. I read it because I’ve always had an interest in Irish history and wanted to know more about the genesis of the Troubles. There were parts that were shocking. No other way to say it.
15
10:04 is set in new york
4
I've read half of these and thought they were outstanding, particularly Disappearing Earth Say Nothing. I'm putting the other five on my TBR list!
10
Let me put in a plug for “Midnight in Chernobyl.” It is a real page turner, very well written and, at the same time an appalling story of human folly that has had lasting effects on people and the environment.
26
where's Triggered?
38
@Hotel Gathering dust in the storage room of the NRC.
30
@Hotel
Thanks for making me laugh out loud!
14
@Hotel In the recycling bin, where such trash belongs.
9
Is 2019 over already? I guess I didn't get the memo. Aren't any more books going to be released this year? So how can the editors publish a best of the year list when about one eighth of the year remains to be passed?
17
@Mike Czechowski most of the biggest books have been published and the editors obviously have gotten advance review copies of any potential books coming out in December
16
@Mike Czechowski - If you're into this list each year, then at The NYT, the year ends the last Sunday before Thanksgiving.
3
I'm just wondering if this is the earliest the list has come out. I used to wait for that first weekend in December and get the Book Review when it had the Notables and the Best. Then they split it up into two weeks. Now it seems like the list is out for Black Friday purposes.
40
Reading will have to wait. I’m still too much enjoying the brilliance of the book cover designs.
7
@Christy Krames
Christy, you need to see the book jacket of "Exhalation" in person. It has a blacker-than-black, non-reflective coating that absorbs all light. It goes well with the stories inside, also all-absorbing.
5
@Christy Krames Thank you! Book cover designers rarely get any acknowledgement.
1
Can’t wait to read these. I am struck by how a lot of the books that got the most buzz this year are different from the Best of 2019 list. I’m thinking of Bad Blood, which was excellent, and Catch and Kill, which I am reading now, and She Said, which was great. Very excited to read Say Nothing and the others on the list.
3
@L I’ve read Say Nothing and No Visible Bruises. Both are important works, well written and top notch reporting.
6
Bad Blood was a 2018 release. I gave it as a gift last Christmas.
I would love to see a list that includes more books from across the world, and it’s disappointing that a publication of the caliber of the NYTimes a so narrowly focused and doesn’t challenge the American reader. It isn’t also disappointing to me that even when parts of the world outside the US and England are written about in books on this list, they are still presented through a western Anglo lens.
16
@SK Rather than dilute the American flavor of this list, I would rather see a separate list of international best books . Then we would have 20 great works to keep us absorbed through 2020.
37
All these books are good picks . Some i have read . However The Nickel Boys By Colson Whitehead was head and shoulders the best novel i read this year .
29
Nickel Boys? A best book? Absolutely not. I am all for disagreeing, but that novel was almost unreadable. The Underground Railroad was terrific. The Nickel Boys was a five star story with zero star writing.
1
“No Visible Bruises” should be required reading. An excellent choice for this list.
18
@Laura - I bought this book. I work in trial court system and found it to be incredibly powerful and have passed it on to prosecutors and others who work with victims of domestic violence.
14
As a physicist, I found "Midnight in Chernobyl" a masterful attempt to describe the circumstances in a non-technical way to a lay audience. And being written by a journalist rather than a historian, an accessible book to an educated layman. This is the best book I have read this year. Brings back my memories of working at the Nevada Test Site.
28
I initially shied away from NO VISIBLE BRUISES based on its subject matter and because I thought I was pretty well-versed in the subject of domestic terrorism. I was wrong.
This book captivated me while educating me. It left me mulling over the upsetting but undeniable facts it bares for days and days and days. Highly recommend.
24
@VoiceFromDumbo Completely agree. It’s illuminating.
3
If you found “Say Nothing” compelling, read Adrian McKinty’s Sean Duffy detective novels. Extremely well-written and engrossing. They are set near Belfast in the 1980s and portray the complexities of the conflict.
26
Better still, listen to Adrian McKinty’s books on audiobooks to hear that lovely Antrim accent.
His books are “outta sight”....... Go Adrian.
6
@TxnLady Yes! Also, Ed Moloney's "Voices From The Grave" covers the same terrible ground as "Say Nothing" but with infinitely more skill - it is like The Sopranos in Belfast.
4
@Mary M. Agreed! They are great audio books. I have both the digital and audio editions of nearly all of them.
3
Atwood's The Testaments is missing from the list. Probably thinking it got enough awards already :)
12
@Bompa More than enough, according to the middling reviews.
7
“No Visible Bruises” was a new book featured at my local library. A must read. I wasn’t enthusiastic in reading about this topic but I found it to be a necessity. I had a lot to learn.
12
@Maren I read it a few months ago and felt the same way.
1
Totally loved “Say Nothing” always want to learn about the “struggles” so it was definitely the book for me.
8
@Jo-Ann Lightbody It's good, but Ed Moloney's "Voices From The Grave", based on interviews with surviving members of the IRA and the loyalist militias, is much much better.
1
To all of you who were taken by Say Nothing,you might consider a novel from 2018 -- Milkman, by Anna Burns -- which takes place during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
36
Totally agree about Milkman. It won the 2018 Booker award I believe. Emotionally rich. Cycle of suspicion and violence well told.
11
@Don And Ed Moloney's "Voices From The Grave" - non-fiction that reads like The Sopranos in Belfast.
1
I've read 'Disappearing Earth', and it is wonderful!! I hadn't read an actual book in quite a while. Read this on vacation, and finished it in a day and a half!! Julia is awesome!!! <3
10
All stories about human misery. Do we not have anything else to say to one another? Do we not have any other books to read besides those that embellish the misery of humanity right now!
123
Exhalation was pretty good but doesn't reach the heights of Story of Your Life.
1
A characteristically parochial year-end list, featuring zero translated texts.
14
@sappho
Something is always lost in translation. An author's thoughts are best expressed in the original language.
5
@sappho
That may be true for non-fiction where facts are of most importance, but in fiction the beauty of the native language is of almost greater importance than the tale told.
2
I read "Say Nothing" when it first came out- excellent. Loved it, said the proud-to-be-Irish lass.
53
@Debbie Ed Moloney's "Voices From The Grave" covers the same terrible ground with infinitely more skill - it is like The Sopranos in Belfast.
4
I thoroughly enjoyed Disappearing Earth. I'm so glad it's mentioned here so that others won't miss it.
27
It looks like the males fare better than the females in this Top Ten book list of 2019. There are two novels about vanishing children (all girls), one about a kidnapped and perhaps murdered mom, another about a woman experiencing racial injustice in New Orleans, and then more murdered women in a book about domestic violence. For the men and boys we have a novel about a boy's high school adventures, philosophical questions and time travel (by a male author), and the "tender camaraderie" of 18th-century male intellectuals.What does this say about our society? Not having read any of these novels, I have no issue with their inclusion on the list. But I am looking forward to a day when I can read more about women adventuring, philosophizing and intellectualizing instead of being kidnapped or killed.
583
@ljn , over here, the view is that telling Jean McConville's story finally gives a real perspective on the victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. For too long, there has been a glamorisation of the violence and domination of the politics by men. This is a story that should be told and her children have campaigned for years to get justice.
56
@ljn I'm biased because I work for the publisher but may I recommend Rising by Sharon Wood and Thirst by Heather Anderson as a couple of inspiring books about women adventuring (with periods of philosophizing and intellectualizing) that were published in 2019? Sharon was the first North American woman to summit Everest; Heather sets speed records on long-distance trails.
26
@ljn
Excellent observations.
I'd like to add that only 2 out of the 10 books looked outside the US at all.
Of the two that do, one is about philosophers and artists who affected western thinking in the 19th century (ergo American culture) and the other is of interest to a large American population who identify as Irish.
I would suggest that one of the problems with the American psyche is that it thinks it's the center of the universe.
54
How did I miss Night Boat to Tangier? Arrrggghhh. It seems to me that this year has been an extraordinary one for books in general and a particularly good one for debuts. Please keep 2020 at bay until I catch up.
24
@MMAN You can quickly get through this one. It's very European-sized: i.e., short. But the language, humor and humanity packs a punch.
3
Barry is supremely talented, read all of his books if you enjoy craft and imagination.
2
The only one I've read so far is Julia Phillips' Disappearing Earth, and I really enjoyed it. She does a wonderful job of exploring the history, culture and stark landscape of this remote place, especially its native peoples. It's the kind of book in which the location also feels like a character.
18
@Iris Completely agree! This book was eye opening.
4
I found the HBO miniseries,"Chernobyl" breathtaking and extremely informative. I never knew 90% of the information shared in that miniseries.
"Midnight in Chernobyl" will be on my list for my Secret Santa next month.
Thanks for the great run down of books to consider.
46
The book is much better than the miniseries. It starts with an excellent basic lesson in nuclear physics which explains how radiation damages the body. It really answered all my questions about what happened at Chernobyl. I highly recommend it.
9
@Marge Keller
I listened to Higginbotham interview earlier this year on Fresh Air (and subsequently purchased the book) and he made it clear that it is a misperception that the HBO series with the same title is based on his (meticulously researched) book. It is not--despite the title.
16
@Marge Keller
It’s a phenomenal read.
5
Strangely, most Amazon reader should usually dislike the fiction books that are given awards and are praised by critics- most often than not slogs with disjointed narratives. The same way Google pushes up the results coming from big firms to the expense of the more accurate results of smaller firms, the publishing world lives in an incestuous circle of self praise.
23
@Alexgri
Reminds me of reading the celebrated National Book Award-winning Pulitzer finalist 'Waiting' by Ha Jin. More like waiting for the book to finally end already.
7
@Alexgri: so tell us what you recommend. I'm not being sarcastic. with that kind of observation, I want to know what you like.
5
@Alexgri Maybe "most" Amazon readers simply have simplistic, shallow tastes?
6
Still haunted by the utterly fantastic, "Say Nothing", I have to highly recommend this to any fellow non fiction fan.
The story stays with you long after you've finished reading;
Radden Keefe's imagery and extensive research will leave you outraged, sad, and wanting to learn more about the
complicated history of Northern Ireland's Troubles.
65
@Left Coast
Having followed news reporting of “The Troubles” from their beginning, I would agree that Say Nothing is definitely a contribution, although a very depressing one, to that history. What unexpectedly jumps out is PTSD suffered after the cessation of violence by many of the once active participants. The book makes the point that, unlike South Africa, there could never be a truth and reconciliation process in Northern Ireland because the conflict never really resolved itself. Of historical note, is the extent to which British Military Intelligence cultivated a deep and widespread network of informants and the inevitable attendant collateral damage resulting where innocents were sacrificed.
15
@Left Coast
Ed Moloney's "Voices From The Grave" covers the same terrible ground with infinitely more skill - it is like The Sopranos in Belfast.
Single finest novel I read all year: The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead.
There, now you have an 11 Best Books.....
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Ugh! Nickel Boys was overrated. A mundane unidimensional follow up to The Underground Railroad.
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As I stated in another comment, The Nickel Boys was almost unreadable. A five-star story trapped in a poorly written, zero-star narrative. I wish someone else had written the novel. Anyone else.
Every one of the titles (minus a single prepostion), and all but one author's name, is uppercased.
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@Anne
Quite right, but I'm okay with it because I hope it means we're moving out of the "hastily hand-printed at a slant" font we've been subjected to for the past few years.
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@Anne 1. Your point being ...?
2. In the spirit of typological taxonomy, one of the books' uppercase (Leo Damrosch, The Club) has the first letter of each word (curiously excepting "The") larger than the subsequent letters, which gives the effect of mixed case.
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I would greatly appreciate the reviewers sharing the criteria they used to determine "best." Lacking that context this is just another of many such lists coming out at the same time in so many publications.
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@JBC At the bottom of the article is a link that explains the selection criteria and process.
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@JBC Read the article "Learn how te editors put togther this year's list"
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@JBC At the end of the article is a hyperlink reading "[ Want more? Learn how the editors put together this year’s list. ]"
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So many books worth reading...2019 will have to wait its turn.
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I can’t say enough about Say Nothing. A great, chilling book.
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@John Kearney Chilling is an appropriate description. Shocking, too.
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I'm more into Donald Ray Pollock or Ingvar Ambjørnsen to tell the truth, "best books" always make me nervous.
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Ingvar Ambjørnsen, wow! I thought no one outside of Norway knew about him! (Except for me, that is) Great author!
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@john fiva Reading "The Devil All the Time" right now and WOW!
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Where is the 100 Notable Books List?
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@Beth Totally agree. This defies the natural order of book list releases.
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@Beth
My guess is that this list of 10 is here because the Washington Post has released their best books lists. I hope the 100 list is published soon.
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That comes soon. The top ten is the amuse bouche.
I was disappointed not to see The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell on this list. It’s an imaginative, ambitious, and incredibly smart novel about three generations of three Zambian families whose lives become intertwined. Serpell introduces different genres: historical fiction, futuristic fiction, magical realism, and more. Hoping it makes the 100 Notable Books list.
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I know that everyone has their own opinion about this sort of thing. However, the best fiction that I have read this year BY FAR is "Fleishman Is In Trouble" by your feature writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Can't wait for her next book!!
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Same same same!!
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Oh I was just about to write the same thing!!! How could they not have Fleishman’s in Trouble on this list?!!
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Readers should know that Night Boat to Tangier has no punctuation. I bought it based on the original review, and it is really difficult to read.
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@Chris I just finished Night Boat to Tangier, and I have to disagree about its difficulty. If it lacked punctuation I failed to notice that, in my admiration for its brilliant writing and memorable characters.
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Ah sure it’s grand when you get into it and appreciate the melodious and mellifluous flow of the the Irish voice sure who needs punctuation!
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@Chris - Interesting. I wonder how it is narrated as an audiobook?
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Why did you limit the "best books" to fiction and nonfiction?
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You missed Carmen Machado's "the Dream House."
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I am sure these titles are all excellent, however the exclusion of Esi Edugyan's Washington Black is the sin of omission.
Her novel is the reason we are no longer an oral civilization. The power of this story will leave a crack upon your head and astonish your brain. It's that good y'all.
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@imani It was so good it was on last year’s list.
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@imani It was on the Top Ten of 2018.
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@imani It was on their 10 Best List last year.
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THREE WOMEN
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There are books from four women on this list, and the main premise of Say Nothing is entirely built around the lives of two women in Northern Ireland during The Troubles and the impcr the conflict had on their lives. Plus....why should it matter? Does the gender of the author impact how you consume the material? I sincerely hope you can enjoy the fantastic, extraordinary, and National Book Award-winning memoir The Yellow House, while also experience the haunting and heartbreaking book Say Nothing, without worrying about the author’s gender.
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@Anon
You mean four: Julia Phillips, Valeria Luiselli, Sarah M. Broom, ands Rachel Louise Snyder.
Still not equal but you may as well get the number right, if you're taking the trouble to count.
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She’s talking about the book Three Women by Lisa Taddeo.
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I was hoping The Confessions of Fanny Langton by Sarah Collins would be on the list. It was a great novel. One of the best I have read in a long time.
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I seem to be in the minority with regard to The Topeka School, which I found overburdened by its theoretical intentions. For me, Kevin Wilson's Nothing to See Here is one of the year's best. Its conceit allows for a very moving portrayal of parenthood.
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@David The first half was promising but the author didn't deliver in the second half despite the closing lines.
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@David I'm still so mad about the time I wasted with 10:04 that I'm not going near The Topeka School (or any other Ben Lerner book).
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@David Nothing to See Here is one of the best novels I've read in ages. It's an easy novel to misread, and those who away from it thinking it's a quirky or funny tale with magical realism flourishes miss the point entirely.
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I have no doubt that the five works of fiction here are worth reading, but I wonder if part of the reason they were chosen is the fresh qualities they have owing to their being early in the authors' careers.
The first is a debut novel, three others are third novels and the fifth is a collection of short stories. New works are invigorating, but aren't there any novels by old hands that belong on this list, or does reading them feel too much like putting on a comfortable old sweater?
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@Bridgman Te Chiang has been a major name in science fiction circles since 1991; he is by no means early in his career. He is a recognized and decorated master of the short form (4 Nebula Awards, 4 Hugo Awards and more). We in the science fiction community have known this for years now. We're gratified that the rest of the world has finally discovered what we've known all along.
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@Janna I understood that and his was the collection of short stories I referred to. I should have made it clear that he was not a new author.
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Many of these titles are very heavy. No doubt important stories to be sure, but heavy reading nonetheless. I will need to balance out reading these with some more sunny work.
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SAY NOTHING one of the best books I ever read. Must read to see what could happen after Brexit.
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@kathy After reading "Say Nothing," for the first time I my life I thoroughly understood the dynamics of "The Troubles." It gave me fresh insight into the potential risks of a hard Brexit in Northern Ireland. I had no particular skin in the game -- I am not Irish but African American. Yet this book picked me up by the collars of my soul and would not let go. And, yes, I cried. If there is one book to read "Say Nothing" is it.
This story has not ended. To quote the author, Patrick Radden Keefe, in the sources section of the book: "But, as I hope this book makes clear, in Belfast, history is alive and dangerous."
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Great list though few surprises. But, as a bookseller I have to ask, where, oh where is the list of 100 Notable Books this year?
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@Homer S I believe that usually comes out closer to New Year's Eve when the NYT does their annual round up of Best Of lists for 2019.
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@Jon P Mr. S raises an important question. It usually comes out the week before the top ten....
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In the past, the 100 Notable Books has appeared first. I recall trying to guess, from the short blurbs, which of those would make it to the 10 Best.
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I am a huge Ben Lerner fan. I've read all of his previous novels and seen him speak several times. I found his latest impenetrable. Classics, in my opinion, should be both erudite and very readable. He certainly nailed the former.
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Thanks a million. I plan to order 4 of the 5 nonfiction books reviewed (The Club felt like a men’s only type). The stories told in Say Nothing, No Visible Bruises, Midnight in Chernobyl and The Yellow House all seem profoundly relevant as well as great reads.
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@JB I don’t see a reason The Club wouldn’t appeal to fans of Austen and Eliot (many of whom are women) since Johnson and Boswell were literary icons of interest with longlasting staying power in British culture well through the 19th century and beyond. It’s been on my list for months (maybe after I finish another volume of Gilbert’s Churchill bio!) and I’m a woman in my thirties.
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Say Nothing is a good book, but really not a Best Book. It is at best a competent telling of a story that a reasonably aware reader probably already knew. The story builds to an anti-climax and has been padded to book length. Overall, I was quite disappointed.
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Do consider that there are now multiple generations with no memory at all of the Troubles. I’m nearly 30 and barely even knew the Troubles happened until recently, as I was a young child at the time and we certainly never covered it in school. I look forward to reading Say Nothing and learning more (also highly recommend Anna Burns’s novel Milkman, an excellent work of fiction set in Northern Ireland in the 70s and my first introduction to the Troubles).
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@Alex Keefe's better book is "The Snakehead." Not to be missed.
@Gabrielle
Agreed, Milikman is terrific book and gives one a sense of the claustrophobia of the Troubles. The unfair review by Dwight Garner in the Times should be a source of shame.
2
“Say Nothing” was not a “good read”. It was my entrance into a life still far from many of us and yet so much at our own door steps. I was particularly impressed by Keefe’s artistry in telling the story: the clarity of the descriptions of people and places. The Prices, the McConvilles, Brendan Hughes, etc., really became my brothers and sisters. In the telling, I realized how much good they wanted and how devastated they became because of the chosen means to that good. Keefe never overplayed his hand but drew me in to the reality of the tragedy and the paradoxical nobility of the principal agents.
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