Top Ten Books of 2019 and Announcement

With my new full time job I was not able to read as much as I wanted, but still got in 50 books. And with a new decade coming up, I think it is time to make some personal changes. I'm thinking of suspending my reviews for the foreseeable future to focus on some more personal endeavors, things I've wanted to pursue in the past but for whatever reason, I could not put all my focus on. So this might be my last list, at least for now. I've divided it up by 5, half old books released pre-2019 and books released this year.

Old

5. The Third Hotel by Laura Van Den Berg: Berg did not impress me with her short story collection The Isle of Youth, but she sure did with this creepy, cinema-infused look at loneliness, paranoia and walking ghosts. She keeps it vague throughout, open to whatever interpretation you want and it is the better for it.
4. Found Audio by NJ Campbell: House of Leaves produced a lot of imitators, but this is one of the best. Short but with a dark heart as vast as books three or four times its size, it creates a lingering sense of dread, underscored by a sense of wonder about the world around us.
3. The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter by Kia Corthron: From something short to massive at nearly 800 pages. This big-hearted yet intimate look at the cross section of two sets of brothers across mid century American feels fully formed and necessary, its length giving time to craft four distinct wounded individuals, prisoners of time and victims of circumstances and unraveling the complexity of urgent issues.
2. The Known World by Edward P. Jones: I've been wanting to read this for a long time, and I finally realize why this book is considered one of the best of this young century. Starting with a startling (but historically accurate) premise and going back and forth in time, sometimes at the same time, this book earns its high prize and feels important and relevant nearly two decades after it was published.
1. Night Hawks by Charles Johnson: Along with Voodoo Heart and 20th Century Ghosts, this is my favorite short story collection. It is a perfect example of what I look for in the art form, from the O. Henry inspired "Occupying Arthur Whitfield" the Harlan Ellison-esque "4189" to its surprising title story, its running theme seems to be a respect for the short story and really, really great writing.


New

5. Big Bang by David Bowman: While not an original idea, Bowman's posthumous novel of mid 20th century madness is among the best of its kind simply for what it does not do. In refusing to let famous historical figures be symbolic in nature or snarling villains and instead let them be human, he creates a historical novel that feels like an emotional gut punch.
4. The Border by Don Winslow: The final book in the Art Keller trilogy ends the story in thrilling and gruesome fashion, proving Keller's fears right that the monster does not die when you cut its head off, but there is still a since of finality here, and the proceedings are imbued with a hope for the future missing in the other two.
3. You Know You Want This by Kristin Roupenian: The best short story collection of 2019 is also the creepiest book I read this year as well. With stories like "Sardines", "Biter" and the infamous "Cat Person" forcing me to look at the horrors that swirl underneath even the most innocuous of human interaction.
2. Goulash by Brian Kimberling: What Kimberling did for bird watching in Snapper he does for the Czech Republic in his second novel. Barely 200 pages long, it turns the everyday world into a place full of history and possibility, even it that possibility is short lived, evidenced by the book's pitch perfect ending.
1. Hold Fast Your Crown by Yannick Haenel: The most unique and best book to come out in 2019. It's fervent narrative structure, it joyous obsession with cinema, alcohol and Michael Cimino make this a one of kind joy that lies somewhere in between Michel Houellbecq and Herman Koch. 2020 might be the year I focus more on fiction translations, and if they are as good as this, I'm making the right decision.