Best New Books of 2019

Back in the day, there were a lot of questions about how the publishing industry was going to survive the rise of the internet and a societal switch towards ebooks and audiobooks. Now, though, those naysayers have been proven wrong, and indeed the publishing industry is stronger than ever before. You just have to look at the new releases.

Sure, a lot of us are still waiting for The Winds of Winter, the next book in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series which has been in the making for the best part of a decade. But with plenty of other big name releases for us to sink our teeth into this year, we almost don’t even miss it.

And so with that in mind, let’s jump on in and take a look at just a few of the best books of the last twelve months.

1. The Testaments: The Sequel to The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

In what could very well be the most highly anticipated new release of 2019, Margaret Atwood followed up on the success of her classic dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale with The Testaments. Readers were left with dozens of unanswered questions for decades, and the success of the Amazon original TV show has captured the interest of a new generation of readers. The Testaments also proves that Atwood’s view of a dystopian future is just as relevant as ever.

2. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Ranked as the highest rated new release of the year according to Goodreads users, this novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows a fictitious band through the ups and downs of a career in rock ‘n’ roll. What’s most interesting here is that when you’re reading it, you feel as though Daisy Jones and the Six are just as real and three-dimensional as Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac.

3. The Institute by Stephen King

This 2019 Stephen King release sees a return to form by the master of horror, and this novel features all of the hallmarks of one of his old classics. Set in Maine, it follows what happens at a sinister government facility where abducted children are subjected to batteries of tests to bring out their latent psychic powers. If you read and enjoyed Firestarter back in the day, you’re going to love this one.

4. The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

The Secret Commonwealth is the second of three new fantasy novels from Philip Pullman which follow up on his iconic His Dark Materials series. The new trilogy is titled The Book of Dust, with the first book, La Belle Sauvage, being released back in 2017. Here, we follow a grown-up Lyra Silvertongue as well as Malcolm from the first book as both of them study in an Oxford that’s similar to us and also oh so different.

Conclusion

Now you know just a few of the best new books of 2019, it’s over to you to share your thoughts with us in a comment. Remember, there’s no way we could ever hope to cover every new release, so we’re sure we’ve missed a couple. So get in touch with us and share your favorite new books of the year – and happy reading!