"As we say each December, trying to keep up with every book released in a year is like trying to drink from a firehose, especially since books tend to be far more niche-y and audience-specific than films, and require a greater time commitment than music. We never get to as many books as we’d like, and we all have pretty idiosyncratic tastes. So take this list not necessarily as the most notable or even the straight-up best books of the year, but just as our individual favorites, the ones we’d most like to recommend to a larger audience."