Pile by the Bed reviews Small Mercies by Richard Anderson, a book that deals with big issues by focusing on the intimate story of an elderly farming couple and their relationship with each other and the land

Pile by the Bed reviews Sweetness and Light the second book by Australian author Liam Pieper, which explores the relationship between Westerners and their idea of India

Pile by the Bed reviews Mountain Road, Late at Night by Alan Rossi, a debut novel that intimately explores the aftermath of a terrible accident.

Pile by the Bed reviews Fauna by Donna Mazza, a story of a motherhood, family and the commercialisation of fertility set in a near future Australia

Pile by the Bed reviews Amnesty, the new book by Booker Prize winner Aravind Adiga, a morality play featuring an illegal Sri Lankan refugee in Sydney

Pile by the Bed reviews Greenwood by Michael Christie – a compulsively readable, beautifully observed, deeply felt and rich multigenerational family saga

Pile by the Bed reviews A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes, a slightly magically realist romance of sorts that takes as its jumping off point Jamaican independence.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Subjects by Sarah Hopkins, a book which delves into the murky world of the big pharma and the use of drugs to modify behaviour.

Pile By the Bed’s top 5 picks for 2019 (with 4 honourable mentions)

Pile by the Bed reviews Your House Will Pay the debut novel by Steph Cha that explores the ongoing echoes of 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Divers’ Game by Jesse Ball, short and disturbing connected stories set in a dystopian world.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Burning Land, the debut novel by BBC journalist George Alagiah set in South Africa and finds it timely and engaging.

Pile By the Bed reviews The Nickel Boys, by Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, the story of a reformatory school in Florida in the 1960s.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Truants a campus-based coming of age debut by Kate Weinberg

Pile by the Bed reviews Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry, the story of two ageing Irish gangsters and finds it to be a cross between Samuel Beckett and Quentin Tarrantino

Pile by the Bed reviews The Dutch House by Ann Patchett a beautifully observed book of families and coming to terms with your past.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Rich Man’s House the final novel by award winning Australian novelist Andrew McGahan

Pile by the Bed reviews From Here on, Monsters by Elizabeth Bryer, an original and sometimes surreal look at how language affects our view of the world.

Pile by the Bed reviews Linda Grant’s eighth novel – A Stranger City – exploring the consequences of Brexit-era nationalism on the rich multicultural traditions of London.

Pile by the Bed reviews Fortune by Lenny Bartulin – “an original, vibrant and entertaining historical novel”