It’s hard to believe but the end of the year is just one month away. As expected, Best Books of the Year lists are popping up all over the place (including our own list specifically for winter reading). These lists are often enlightening and debate-worthy but I wanted to look at something a bit more objective.
I checked our circulation statistics for the most popular print books of 2018. The results show exactly what the readers here wanted to take home this year. Counting down the books for adults:
10. Exit West: a Novel by Mohsin Hamid. A love story set in a refugee crisis.
9. Born a crime : Stories from a South African Childhood. by Trevor Noah. A memoir from the host of The Daily Show based on his childhood in apartheid South Africa.
8. Lincoln in the Bardo: a Novel by George Saunders. The Man Booker Prize winning novel set over the course of one night early in the Civil War.
7. Sing, Unburied, Sing: a Novel by Jesmyn Ward. The National Book Award winning novel centers on the hardships of a family in rural Mississippi.
6. The Woman in the Window: a Novel by A. J. Finn. A recluse in New York City sees something she shouldn’t outside her window.
5. Little Fires Everywhere: a Novel by Celeste Ng. Newcomers upset the status quo in an idyllic Midwestern suburb.
4. Manhattan Beach: a Novel by Jennifer Egan. World War II-era historical fiction centered on a woman who becomes the first female scuba diver at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
3. The Rooster Bar: a Novel by John Grisham. Grisham returns with a thriller about a shady for-profit law school and a trio of students who decide to drop out and fight back.
2. Hillbilly Elegy: a Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance. A memoir of the author’s family detailing how they moved from poverty to upward mobility while dealing with their collective demons.
1. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. A Count subject to house arrest in revolution-era Russia discovers the strength of the human spirit.
The top 10 highest-circulating books (including series titles) for youth are:
10. Waiting is Not Easy! by Mo Willems. Gerald the Elephant has to wait for a surprise from Piggie.
9. I Broke My Trunk! by Mo Willems. Gerald tells Piggie a tall tale about his broken trunk.
8. My New Friend is So Fun! by Mo Willems. Gerald experiences insecurities when Piggie has a new friend.
7. Lets Go For a Drive! by Mo Willems. Gerald and Piggie want to go for a drive but Gerald the Elephant thinks of one thing after another that they will have to take along, causing more than a bit of panic.
6. Happy Pig Day! by Mo Willems. Piggie celebrates her favorite day but Gerald feels left out.
5. I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems. Piggie loves slop and wants Gerald the Elephant to like it too. Can their friendship survive this?
4. Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa. Two talented brothers dabble in alchemy with disastrous results in this fantasy manga series.
3. I’m a Frog! by Mo Willems. Piggie plays pretend with her friend Gerald.
2. Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima. This long-running fantasy manga series follows the adventures of Natsu Dragneel, a member of the wizard guild Fairy Tail, as he searches for the dragon Igneel.
1. We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems. Not surprisingly, another Elephant and Piggie book tops the list. This time, Piggie discovers that she and Gerald the Elephant are in a book and can make the readers do what they command.
I hope these lists of the most popular books and series here at the library gives you some inspiration for holiday-time reading or maybe even gift giving. Please stop by the library to check any of these out.
Photo courtesy of the author.