Each year the Five Books Editors pick their best reads of the year. Editing jobs at Five Books involves reading a lot of books, often at speed, sometimes superficially. Here, our editors pick some of those books in 2019 that stood out sufficiently to slow them down and draw them in deep.

Literary editor Stephanie Kelley selects her most memorable reads from 2019, including novels, memoirs essays and letters.  Meanwhile, Five Books founder and editor-in-chief Sophie Roell chooses the best children’s books of 2019 in collaboration with her children, recommending Philip Pullman and Sophie Cleverly, among others.

Our deputy editor Cal Flyn also guides us through the highlights of her year, picking out the wide range of fiction and non-fiction that grabbed her attention. Some of her choices are widely acclaimed and award winning; others are hidden gems. She also lists the books she’s looking forward to reading in 2020.