Sion Dayson and Colette Sartor published debuts of impressive confidence and maturity.

Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s debut collection was nominated for several awards and was a National Book Award finalist.

Karen Bender is a master of the short story form who has distilled contemporary American life into another collection of incisive fiction.

Idra Novey writes books that combine the political and literary, usually with a Latin American setting.

Angie Kim is a former lawyer who has written a medical-legal thriller with a big heart.

Ann Patchett and Roxana Robinson write what I would call classic novels (as contrasted with books that can be annoying in the way they call attention to themselves).

Nicole Chung‘s memoir explores every aspect of growing up the adopted daughter of a white couple.

Carolyn Forche is a legendary poet who has written a memoir of her experiences in Central America that inspired her greatest work.

If you missed any of these books, I hope you’ll add them to your TBR list for 2020.