The Best Books of 2019, According to Oprah Magazine

Oprah’s Book Club picks, scintillating short stories, and enthralling novels top our list.

By Leigh Haber, Michelle Hart and Hamilton Cain

For the December issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, our team rounded up some of the best books of 2019. And as our fearless leader Oprah herself says in the issue: “If a year can be measured by the quantity of great reads it produced, 2019 is one for the books. So many brilliant writers bared their souls, dug deep for truth, spent years honing characters and story arcs, and did the hard work of creating literature that sears our hearts and broadens our understanding of what it means to be human.” From engrossing novels like Sally Rooney’s Normal People to Oprah’s Book Club picks like Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer, these book releases from the past year woke us up, haunted us, wowed us, and made us marvel again at the magic writers can create with words. Check out the list at O Magazine’s web site..

We’re thrilled to see Ta Nahesi Coates’s The Water Dancer, Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House, and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive, Again — all of which are among our book club favorites — on this list! To read more about these and our other picks, visit our Books in the Bag page.