Best Books of the Year 2019

Arsen Kashkashian, Head Buyer, Liesl Freudenstein, Head of Children's Books and Stephanie Schindhelm, Marketing & Promotions Manager at the Boulder Bookstore join Maeve Conran of KGNU in the studio to share their favorite books of 2019 in our annual end of year Best Books of the year show. 

Listen to an audio-only version of the segment below:

(Download Audio)

Arsen's Picks:

The River by Peter Heller: Two college friends have to race a raging forest fire down a remote river while evading a killer lying in wait for them. This is outdoors adventure writing at its best. Heller’s evocative descriptions of the landscape and the breakneck pacing of the story make for a very satisfying read.

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstin: This is a remarkable collection of short stories centered on the experience of Latino and Chicano women living in Colorado.

*Listen to Kali Fajardo-Anstin on Radio Bookclub on December 26th at 9a.m.*

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste: Hirut is a female soldier in Ethiopia’s war against the invading Italians. Mengiste gives us her story but also those of the Italians and others in this sweeping historical novel.

How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine: The owner of the Raven Book Store packs a lot of information into this small pamphlet about how much harm Amazon is perpetrating on our society while a docile public keeps pushing the buy button. This is a perfect stocking stuffer for those liberal activists in your life who are proud Prime members.

Good Talk by Mira Jacob: Jacob examines the racial issues in America and the rise of white nationalism in a series of conversations with her mixed-race son in this graphic. Jacob’s simple drawings set against detailed backdrops heighten the intimacy of these talks.

Liesl's Picks:

Being Edie Is Hard Today by Ben Brashares & Elizabeth Bergeland: This warm and tender story about being yourself--even when you're sad, anxious, or feeling lonely--reminds readers that human connection is essential, tears can heal, and a new day is always coming. Being Edie is hard today. No one understands. Not her mother. Not her teachers, or the kids at school. If only if she could be an animal! Edie's imagination may be the perfect escape, but she can't run from her feelings forever if she's going to be comfortable in her own skin.

The Toll by Neal Shusterman: In the highly anticipated finale to the New York Times bestselling trilogy, dictators, prophets, and tensions rise. In a world that’s conquered death, will humanity finally be torn asunder by the immortal beings it created? Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him? The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi: There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother’s paintings and a drop of Jam’s blood, she must reconsider what she’s been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption’s house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question—How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they e...