Booksellers on the Books They’re Most Excited To Read in 2019

While the publishing process contains many vital roles to insure readers discover great books, no other job is quite as immediate as that of a bookseller. The best booksellers are not only dream readers for writers, but they are also interested in developing relationships— to customers, of course, but first and foremost to books themselves. Booksellers put the strange, the exciting, and the revelatory into our hands. Below are the books that beloved indie booksellers from across New York City are looking forward to in 2019.

The Strand 

828 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino

Jia’s essays have enlivened so much, from Carly Rae Jepsen to vaping to the Supreme Court, and I’m so excited to read her first book. Her voice, irreverent while deeply thoughtful, contemporary but unafraid to range through history, is one I’d follow wherever it leads.

—Peter, Events

The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality by Blake J. Harris

He wrote Console Wars which was a fabulous and detail-rich history of the rivalry between Nintendo and SEGA. I’m looking forward to reading his new book, which will once again dive into the world of video games and technology, this time focusing on VR.

—Cynthia, Events

WORD Bookstores

126 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

123 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302

Good Talk by Mira Jacob

In this graphic memoir, Mira Jacob tells poignant stories of her American experience with illustrations superimposed on photographs. Through effervescent dialogue with natural rhythms, she interlaces recollections from her childhood as the ‘other kind of Indian’ in New Mexico with the wrenching pain of raising a curious, thoughtful, biracial child in the Trump Era. And from the mouths of these babes, her-as-a-child and her child, Jacob draws difficult questions about whether America is living up to its promise to immigrants and people of color. Spoiler alert: we’re not even close. I read this standing up on the subway & under the streetlights as I walked home. I stood outside to finish it in the wind. It’s that good.

—Jeff

Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky

Dermansky’s novels are always like a dark, sexy, twisty yet invigorating, sunny fast ride in a convertible. Her characters do and say things that make us uncomfortable and often envious of the freedom with which they live. This first novel with Knopf, her new publisher, delivers exactly that and I enjoyed every minute. Hoping this is the book that takes Marcy to the next level. She’s one of my favorite writers working today.

—Christine 

Looker by Laura Sims

This comet-like psychological thriller about a woman spiraling into an abyss of envy and obsession is swift, sinister, and often lethally funny. A dark cult classic in the making.
—Mike 

192 Books

192 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Mac’s Problem by Enrique Vila-Matas

I think I’m most looking forward to Enrique Vila-Matas’ Mac’s Problem, which is coming out in April from NDP (translation by Margaret Jull Costa and Sophie Hughes). Vila-Matas is a book-lover’s author, focusing his novels on the lives and ideas of some of the history’s greatest writers, and how those writers change the lives of his narrators; his new book is delightfully meta, following a retired construction magnate as he considers the theme of repetition and attempts to re-write his famous neighbor’s book of short stories – which are themselves written in the styles of great authors.
—Evan