• General Recommendations
  • Staff-Created List

Best Books of 2019 for Adults

Our staff here at Chapel Hill Public Library <3 making book recommendations, so naturally we had to continue our tradition and make a year-end 'best of' list! We hope you'll love our favorite new releases from 2019 as much as we do.

Chapel Hill Public Library

38 items

  • An American Summer

    Love and Death in Chicago

    Kotlowitz, Alex,
    Two recommendations! Well written. Empathetically documented. Kotlowitz (There are No Children Here – also recommended) interviewed all manner of folk (victims and their families and friends, perpetrators, teachers, social workers…) about…
    BookNew York : Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, [2019] — 364.1508 Kotl
  • Animal Beauty

    on the Evolution of Biological Aesthetics

    Nüsslein-Volhard, C. (Christiane),
    Incredible watercolor illustrations and exploration of how aesthetics function in the animal world. - Dale
    BookCambridge, MA : The MIT Press, [2019] — 575 Nuss
  • Book nerds will feel strong kinship with the engaging, introverted Nina Hill, who loves books, trivia, and staying home. My hero! - Tracy
    BookNew York : Berkley, 2019 — FIC Waxm
  • A steamy and emotional romance featuring a main character who is on the autism spectrum, from the best-selling author of The Kiss Quotient. - Anita
    BookNew York : Jove, 2019 — ROM Hoan
  • Lest you think historical romance is always set in the Regency ballrooms of Mayfair, Dunmore's debut is here to prove you wrong -- set in 1870s Oxford and focusing on the women's suffrage movement, reading this felt like a breath of fresh…
    BookNew York : Jove, 2019 — ROM Dunm
  • Catch and Kill

    Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

    Farrow, Ronan, 1987-
    A stark and compelling view into how powerful figures hid wrongdoings up to and through the #MeToo era. - Megan
    BookNew York : Little Brown and Company, 2019 — 362.8808 Farr
  • Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand has the vibe of Devil in the White City, as it blends real events and characters (Riverview Amusement Park, Chicago, ca. 1915, Charlie Chaplin, Henry Darger) with the fictional search for a serial killer of…
    BookNew York : Mulholland Books/Little, Brown and Company, 2019 — MYS Hand
  • Three recommendations! This is one of those books so clever in its conceit and so assured in its execution that you just spend the time you’re reading marveling at the skill of the author. It’s the story of a fictional ‘70s rock band, told…
    BookNew York : Ballantine Books, [2019] — FIC Reid
  • I would strongly recommend this novella to those who are interested in exploring themes of generational trauma and racial justice from a new perspective. The writing is beautiful and thoughtful, at times almost ethereal. - Maia
    BookLondon : Saga Press, 2019 — SF Solo
  • Digital Minimalism

    Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

    Newport, Cal,
    My new hymn book. I was headed in this direction already, but I took much more away from it than, "use optional technology less." It's really about living a more intentional life on a larger scale... in a very digestible way. I knocked a…
    BookNew York : Portfolio/Penguin, [2019] — 303.4833 Newp
  • This is not a guidebook but a reflection and passing on of hard-learned wisdom. I appreciated his original takes on common themes, straightforward language, and his illustrative examples, which helped me understand those themes more…
    BookNew York : Grove Press : Distributed by Publishers Group West [2019] — 808.3 Mosl
  • Recently widowed, Evvie's small-town Maine neighbors want to help her move on, but Evvie's got a secret. Can her tenant help her live again? Charming! Delightful! Sweet! Utterly appealing! - Tracy
    BookNew York : Ballantine Books, [2019] — FIC Holm
  • White sure knows how to pull on all the heartstrings. This is a great conclusion to the series, and the last fourth of the book was breakneck, heartstopping action. I do recommend reading the series in order, so start with Heartstone! -…
    BookNew York, NY : Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2019] — SF Whit
  • This is a cute romance novel about a relationship between Chloe, who is struggling to maintain her independence in the face of her fibromyalgia, and Red, her neighbor who initially seems to have a grudge against her. This novel manages to…
    BookNew York : Avon Books, 2019 — ROM Hibb
  • An utterly compelling and insightful examination of how racism intersects with culture, history, and self, and how we can all work to create a more just and equitable society. - Megan
    BookNew York : One World, 2019 — 305.8009 Kend
  • The market for WWII fiction is veeeery crowded, but this one is still worth reading; it's set post-war, following a group of intrepid Nazi hunters as they search for the former mistress of an SS officer -- known to them only as The…
    BookNew York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2019] — FIC Quin
  • I Like to Watch

    Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution

    Nussbaum, Emily, 1966-
    Even if you're not already familiar with Nussbaum's work as a critic for The New Yorker, ​you'll be able to enjoy her deep-dive into television history and popular culture. - Megan
    BookNew York : Random House, [2019] — 791.4575 Nuss
  • This is a recently released memoir from Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties. The memoir centers around Machado’s relationship with an emotionally abusive woman, whom she often visited in a house she calls “The Dream…
    BookMinneapolis, Minnesota : Graywolf Press, 2019 — 306.7663 Mach
  • Kid Gloves

    Nine Months of Careful Chaos

    Knisley, Lucy
    This graphic novel memoir chronicles ~2 years of the author's journey to becoming pregnant, pregnancy, harrowing childbirth, and new motherhood. Lots of interesting/frustrating/scary medical info incorporated in a really accessible way.…
    Graphic NovelNew York : First Second, 2019 — GN 618.24 Knis
  • This is an allegory about fear and prejudice, but it is not a hopeless story. It is full of love and life and growth. I highly recommend this to fans of futuristic scifi, afrofuturism, and those interested in a new way to explore issues…
    Graphic NovelMilwaukie, Oregon : Dark Horse Comics, LLC, 2019 — GN Okor