The New York Public Library (covering Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx), Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Public Library have all provided us with their annual top checkouts list, which gives a glimpse into the reading preferences of New Yorkers. Below, find the top 10 books that were checked out in every borough this year.
While Manhattan, Brooklyn and Bronx residents were turning the pages of Becoming by Michelle Obama, Staten Islanders were devouring A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, as well as titles by James Patterson, John Grisham, and Danielle Steel. In Queens, Liane Moriarty's Nine Perfect Strangers edged out Obama's memoir (which came in second in that borough). As for classics, New Yorkers picked up To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the most. Stephen King's The Shining was also a popular pick, perhaps due to the release of a film adaptation of the novel's sequel, Doctor Sleep.
Top 10 Books in Manhattan
(from the New York Public Library)
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
- Milkman by Anna Burns
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Top 10 Books in Brooklyn
(from Brooklyn Public Library)
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Lost and Found: A Novel by Danielle Steel
- Unsolved, James Patterson
- Under Currents, Nora Roberts
- Blessing In Disguise, Danielle Steel
- One Good Deed, David Baldacci
- Redemption, David Baldacci
- Where The Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens
- The 18th Abduction, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
- The New Girl, Daniel Silva
Top 10 Books in Queens
(from the Queens Public Library)
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- The Chef by James Patterson with Max DiLallo
- Redemption by David Baldacci
- The Wedding Guest by Jonathan Kellerman
- Turning Point by Danielle Steel
- The House Next Door James Patterson
- Someone Knows by Lisa Scottoline
- Liar Liar by James Patterson & Candice Fox
- The First Lady by James Patterson & Brendan DuBois
QPL also provided a list of their most popular children's books of the year, which were notably all (1 through 10) in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney.
Top 10 Books in the Bronx
(from the New York Public Library)
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
- Ambush by James Patterson and James O. Born
- The Chef by James Patterson
- A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
- Liar Liar by James Patterson and Candice Fox
- The 18th Abduction by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
- Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci
- Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson
- The House Next Door by James Patterson, Tim Arnold, Max DiLallo, and Susan DiLallo
Top 10 Books in Staten Island
(from the New York Public Library)
- A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
- Ambush by James Patterson and James O. Born
- The Reckoning by John Grisham
- Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson
- Liar Liar by James Patterson and Candice Fox
- The Chef by James Patterson
- Turning Point by Danielle Steel
- The House Next Door by James Patterson, Tim Arnold, Max DiLallo, and Susan DiLallo
- Unsolved, Book 2 by James Patterson and David Ellis
- Juror No. 3 by James Patterson and Nancy Allen
Should we all read a Danielle Steel book?
Top Checkouts At The NYPL's Bookmobiles
- The Bronx: Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Manhattan: Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Staten Island: A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
- Bookmobiles (tie): Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
Top System-wide Checkouts of 2019
(Manhattan, Staten Island & The Bronx, from the New York Public Library)
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
- Milkman by Anna Burns
Number 1 Titles By Genre
(Manhattan, Staten Island & The Bronx, from the New York Public Library)
- Classics: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Comics and Graphic Novels: Saga by Fiona Staples and Brian K. Vaughan
- Fantasy: Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
- Horror: The Shining by Stephen King
- Mystery and Detective: The Chef by James Patterson
- Romance: Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
- Science Fiction: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Next month, to kick off 2020 and the NYPL's 125th anniversary, the library will release its top checkouts of all time. They'll also be challenging New Yorkers to read (a book) for twenty minutes a day, so if you don't already have one, get your library card in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx, in Brooklyn, or in Queens.
