Books

best of 2019

The 10 Best Comedy Books of 2019

 Featuring Garry Shandling, Ali Wong, Jenny Slate, and a thorough history of Friends. By Brian Boone
read like the wind

Incidental Inventions and 7 More Books I Can’t Get Out of My Head

 If you are interested in the experience of having a drink with Elena Ferrante and listening to her muse on various subjects, here’s your answer. By Molly Young
best of 2019

The 10 Best Books of 2019

 From an experimental memoir of domestic abuse to the one that broke 10,000 brains. By Molly Young
  1. best of 2019
    The 10 Best Comedy Books of 2019Featuring Garry Shandling, Ali Wong, Jenny Slate, and a thorough history of Friends.
    By Brian Boone
  2. best of 2019
    The Best Overlooked Books of 2019Lesser-noticed novels by Yoko Ogawa, Helen Phillips, and others were among the year’s greatest.
    By Hillary Kelly
  3. read like the wind
    Incidental Inventions and 7 More Books I Can’t Get Out of My HeadIf you are interested in the experience of having a drink with Elena Ferrante and listening to her muse on various subjects, here’s your answer.
    By Molly Young
  4. vulture lists
    Every Stephen King Reference and Easter Egg in Castle Rock Season TwoThe Hulu series brings one of King’s most iconic characters to the town of Castle Rock, but season two’s name-dropping goes well beyond Annie Wilkes.
    By Brian Tallerico
  5. best of 2019
    The 10 Best Books of 2019From an experimental memoir of domestic abuse to the one that broke 10,000 brains.
    By Molly Young
  7. one grand books
    Devendra Banhart’s 10 Favorite BooksRam Dass, Kurt Vonnegut, and more.
    By Devendra Banhart
  8. who were the 2010s?
    Margaret Atwood on the Decade The Handmaid’s Tale Came to LifeHer novels speculated about lab-grown meat, environmental catastrophe, and the diminishment of reproductive autonomy. Does anything shock her anymore?
    By Molly Young
  9. literary greats
    Celebrating Toni Morrison With Thousands of Her ReadersMore than 3,000 people came to St. John the Divine to hear eulogies from Oprah, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and others.
    By Lila Shapiro
  10. the grub street diet
    Author Carmen Maria Machado Wants Her Food Spicy and Strong“I like food that kind of kicks me in the teeth.”
    By Chris Crowley
  11. in memoriam
    Read Oprah Winfrey’s Powerful Eulogy for Toni Morrison“The first time I came face to face with Toni Morrison was in Maya Angelou’s backyard… Every time I looked at her, I couldn’t even speak.”
    By Rebecca Alter
  14. party report
    Sarah M. Broom’s National Book Award Speech Will Make You Want to Call Your MomIt cuts right to the heart.
    By Madison Malone Kircher
  15. trailer mix
    Emma Teaser Reminds Us That Laughing at Rich People Is FunWho doesn’t love a good comeuppance?
    By Zoe Haylock
  16. fleabag season 3?
    Let Phoebe Waller-Bridge Play Lyra Belacqua, You Cowards!We have a Pullman superfan in our midst.
    By Zoe Haylock
  17. books
    Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise Among 2019 National Book Award WinnersThe five winners were announced Wednesday night.
    By Zoe Haylock
  18. ya twitter
    Famous Authors Drag Student in Surreal YA Twitter ControversyBy Saturday afternoon, many of the authors involved had apologized.
    By Lila Shapiro
  19. one grand books
    Sara Quin’s (of Tegan and Sara) 10 Favorite BooksWhite Teeth, Priestdaddy, and more.
    By Sara Quin
  20. books
    The It’s Garry Shandling’s Show Theme Song Was Written in an ElevatorPlus other highlights from a new book about the late comedian, edited by Judd Apatow.
    By Brian Boone
  21. chat room
    Camgirl Memoirist Isa Mazzei Wants to Take the Shame Out of Sex WorkThe author of Camgirl and the movie Cam talks about vulnerability in front of the camera and on the page.
    By Andy Crump
  22. book excerpt
    When Carrie Fisher Hung With the SNL CrowdInside the hard-party days that fueled and finished her friendship with John Belushi.
    By Sheila Weller
  23. read like the wind
    Vernon Subutex 1, and 9 More Books I Can’t Get Out of My HeadRecommended if you like: The Deuce, Iggy Pop, oversleeping.
    By Molly Young
  26. the resistance
    Welcome Tori Amos to the Resistance With Her Second MemoirHalf celebrity memoir, half reckoning with contemporary politics.
    By Justin Curto
  27. books
    Jenny Slate on How Writing Little Weirds Saved Her LifeThe comedian opens up about her new book, feminism, and writing her own death.
    By Eric Farwell
  28. great adaptations
    Is It Normal to Be This Hot?Sally Rooney’s Normal People is being adapted for TV. Here are the first images.
    By Hannah Gold
  29. from the vault
    Early Lyrics to ‘Purple Rain’ and Other Musical Details From Prince’s New Book“I’m not a politician, I’m a purple musician, / And I only want to set u free.”
    By Justin Curto
  30. vulture guides
    A Guide to the Best Stephen King AudiobooksFeaturing Kathy Bates, Sissy Spacek, Tim Curry, and more.
    By Zach Dionne
  31. hot takes
    All of Prince’s Pop-Culture Hot Takes From His New Book, The Beautiful OnesHe thought we needed a new word for what Beyoncé does.
    By Justin Curto
  32. the politics of fiction
    Alexander Chee on How to Unlearn EverythingWhen it comes to writing the “other,” what questions are we not asking?
    By Alexander Chee
  33. the politics of fiction
    Who Gave You the Right to Tell That Story?Ten authors on the most divisive question in fiction, and the times they wrote outside their own identities.
    By Lila Shapiro
  34. books
    New Elena Ferrante Novel AlertAnd we finally have a title and a publication date for it.
    By Bridget Read
  35. whoops
    Naomi Wolf’s New Book Has Been Canceled, Presumably Over Major ErrorsMonths ago, the author found out during an interview that some of her research was disastrously incorrect.
    By Hannah Gold
  38. pretty in print
    Rihanna Is the Chicest Person Alive and She Made a Book Just to Prove ItThe world is her photo shoot.
    By Zoe Haylock
  39. how mysterious!
    How I Learned to Write Mysteries the Mystic River WayBy deconstructing Dennis Lehane’s best seller, Angie Kim was able to shape her own debut novel.
    By Angie Kim
  40. your childhood
    Natalie Portman Receives a Signed Baby-Sitters Club Book, Loses Mind“I still identify as a Kristy mixed with Stacey and a dash of Dawn.”
    By Halle Kiefer
  41. how mysterious
    The Crimes Never End: A Guide to Mystery’s Biggest, Longest-Lasting FranchisesThe Boxcar Children? Hardy Boys? Women’s Murder Club? Still out there solving.
    By Zach Schonfeld
  42. as told tos
    How to Write Hercule Poirot in 2019Author Sophie Hannah on continuing Agatha Christie’s classic series — and why the detective definitely shouldn’t have a Twitter account.
    As told to Lila Shapiro
  43. books
    Mark Morris, Resident Troublemaker of Dance, on His Spiky New MemoirThe celebrated choreographer can still feel like a charlatan.
    By Aaron Hicklin
  44. the range
    Ronan Farrow’s Audiobook Accents Were Informed by His … Anime Voice Roles?Farrow had small parts in two Studio Ghibli films.
    By Zoe Haylock
  45. book excerpt
    A Guide to Asian Restaurants, by Ali WongAn excerpt from the comedian’s new book, Dear Girls.
    By Ali Wong
  46. how mysterious
    Tana French Is Our Best Living Mystery WriterWith her Dublin Murder Squad series, she has built a world that’s more George R.R. Martin than Agatha Christie — minus the beheadings.
    By Hillary Kelly
  47. appreciations
    Elton John’s Rivalry With Rod Stewart Is the Most Iconic FriendshipWe can all only hope to have a friendship as … invested … as Elton John and Rod Stewart’s.
    By Justin Curto
  50. how mysterious
    One Neat Trick to Writing Great Mystery PlotsThe critic and author of the Charles Lenox series advises doing what Michelangelo did, but backward.
    By Charles Finch
  51. me: elton john
    13 of the Best Celebrity Stories From Elton John’s Name-dropping Memoir, MeFrom trash-talking with Freddie Mercury, to reuniting John and Yoko, and plenty more.
    By Justin Curto
  52. profile
    Andrea Long Chu Wants MoreThe 26-year-old critic argues for a new understanding of gender and desire in her debut book, Females.
    By Lila Shapiro
  53. me: elton john
    Elton John, Turned on by Coke, Liked to Watch Men Have Sex, New Memoir Reveals“I found it was an aphrodisiac, which is strange, because for most people it kills the erection side of things completely.”
    By Justin Curto
  54. succession
    Shiv Definitely Hated Conversations With Friends, Right?Sally Rooney’s debut novel made a surprise cameo in Succession’s finale. But there’s no way Shiv liked it.
    By Sophie Vershbow
  55. me: elton john
    Elton John Describes a Bizarre Lunch With Michael Jackson in New Memoir“He was genuinely mentally ill, a disturbing person to be around.”
    By Justin Curto
  56. books
    Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo Both Win This Year’s Booker PrizeThe rules for the fiction award technically prohibit a tie, but rules are meant to be broken.
    By Halle Kiefer
  57. how mysterious!
    13 Mystery-Writing Tricks Used by Acclaimed NovelistsIncluding the Bullseye Method and the Don Draper Principle.
    By Madison Malone Kircher
  58. new yorker festival 2019
    Liz Phair Just Wants to Live in a Period Drama and Help Cows Build VillagesLet’s get her on The Crown.
    By Justin Curto
  59. new yorker festival 2019
    Nothing Can Get in the Way of Patti Smith Performing ‘People Have the Power’“Wait, I forgot to sing, that’s okay! Come on people, get up!”
    By Justin Curto
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