Reading has been shown to improve brain connection, help us empathise with others and save you from the indignity of playing Candy Crush on the tube. Aspiring to read more is a more worthwhile pursuit than losing weight or being nicer to your parents, and yet, and yet, our bedtime companion is more often than not our phone rather than a scintillating hardback.

2018 was crammed with excellent novels, some of which explored how love can bloom in turbulent political times while others posed uncomfortable questions about the relationship between sex and power. A short story collection from Lauren Groff and a book of essays by Zadie Smith rounded off a bumper year for books.

2019 has already produced similar gems, such as the dark female protagonists in novels such as Looker, Vacuum in the Dark and The New Me, a story about first love from David Nicholls and a love triangle courtesy of Ian McEwan.

Looking forward there's plenty more on the horizon with literary heavyweights Zadie Smith and Margaret Atwood all releasing books this year and the debut novels from journalists Taffy Brodesser-Akner and Jia Tolentino.

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