Pile by the Bed reviews Peace Talks by Tim Finch a meditative story of love and loss.

Pile by the Bed reviews an evocative Australian debut set in Southern Tasmania – The Octopus and I by Erin Hortle.

Pile by the Bed reviews Elly by Maike Wetzel (translated from German by Lyn Marven) – a short, sharp, stark novel dealing with the aftermath of a child’s disapperance.

Pile by the Bed reviews Rise and Shine by Patrick Allington – an idiosyncratic post-apocalyptic tale that prompts readers to think differently about their world.

Pile by the Bed reviews Frying Plantain the debut novel by Zalika Reid-Benta, a series of short stories which follows the life of a young girl of Jamaican descent growing up in Canada.

Pile by the Bed reviews How Much of These Hills Is Gold the debut novel by C Pam Zhang which gives a new perspective on the American gold rush and the myths of the West which challenges views of race, gender and class.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel which explores the impact of the global financial crisis on a range of disparate characters.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Blessed Rita by Dutch author Tommy Wieringa, who takes on rural life in modern Europe

Pile by the Bed reviews The Animals in that Country by Laura Jean McKay, an idiosyncratic pandemic novel in which people affected gain the ability to understand animals.

Pile by the Bed reviews The Slaughterman’s Daughter, a wild ride across 19th century Poland by Israeli writer Yaniv Iczkovits

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 House on Endless Waters by Israeli author Emuna Elon. The book explores the fate of the Jews of Holland in World War II and in particular the hiding of children to save them from transportation.

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)