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Central Standard

Best Books We Read In 2019

Enjoy this guide to the best books read by our Bibliofiles and KCUR staffers in 2019.

The books that matter most as we look back on the year aren't always the books that were published this year. It's the ones we actually read. This collection of compelling reads is mostly recent, but runs the gamut, providing lots of options as you make your own reading list for 2020. Bonus: find out which of our panelists is a "Jo" and which is an "Amy" (as interpreted through the lens of Little Women).

  • Kaite Stover, director of readers' services, The Kansas City Public Library
  • Mark Luce, teacher at the Barstow School and lecturer at the University of Kansas
  • Jeffrey Ann Goudie, freelance writer and book reviewer
  • Melody Rowell, producer, Central Standard
  • CJ Janovy, digital managing editor, KCUR
  • Erica Hunzinger, news editor for the Kansas News Service and Missouri politics editor for KCUR
  • Dan Margolies, health and legal affairs editor, KCUR
People don't make cameos in news stories; the human story is the story, with characters affected by news events, not defined by them. As a columnist and podcaster, I want to acknowledge what it feels like to live through this time in Kansas City, one vantage point at a time. Together, these weekly vignettes form a collage of daily life in Kansas City as it changes in some ways, and stubbornly resists change in others. You can follow me on Twitter @GinaKCUR or email me at gina@kcur.org.
Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer and reporter at KCUR Studios, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.