The Highbridge Library
Photo courtesy Jonathan Blanc/NYPL
The New York Public Library has released its lists of the Top 10 most checked-out books in each borough for 2024.
“I’m thrilled to see the wide-ranging reading habits of our patrons represented in these lists,” said Brian Bannon, Chief Librarian and James Tisch Director of Branch Libraries and Education at The New York Public Library.
The Bronx list reflects some of the system’s most popular genres, including thrillers, memoirs and historical fiction, said Angelina Alicea, associate director of the West Bronx Neighborhood Network at NYPL, in a phone call with the Bronx Times.
Alicea, who is based at the Francis Martin Library and oversees the 12 libraries of the West Bronx, said she loves the fact that the collection reflects the diversity of the community and includes several titles centered around female characters.
The Collections Department and Readers’ Advisory Department do a great job of keeping the shelves stocked with books that are popular, especially those recognized with national awards or on the New York Times bestseller list, said Alicea. They also analyze a lot of data to see what’s moving across NYPL locations, she said.
But the beauty of the Top 10 lists, which cover all formats whether e-book, audiobook or physical copy, is that it’s not always the trendy or Oprah-recommended titles that become the most frequently checked out. “It’s just what the community is looking for at the time.”
The Bronx Top 10 books are:
- “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride*, a much-honored historical novel around a mysterious death in a Pennsylvania Black and Jewish community
- “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus*, a novel about a woman chemist in the 1950s who, amid obstacles to her academic career, becomes a popular cooking show host instead
- “The Women” by Kristin Hannah, about a young woman who signs up as an Army nurse in the Vietnam War
- “Happy Place” by Emily Henry*, a story of a couple who has broken up but pretends to still be together during their annual vacation with friends
- “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano*, a family drama about a 1960s Italian Catholic family in Chicago that involves two sisters who fall for the same man
- “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros*, a fantasy story about a young woman forced to learn to become an elite dragon rider
- “The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden, a novel about a young woman who becomes a live-in housemaid to a wealthy, secretive family
- “The Exchange: After the Firm” by John Grisham, author of many legal thrillers. This one is set 15 years after his hit “The Firm” and follows the same main character as he becomes entangled in a potentially dangerous international case
- “Crosshairs” by James Patterson and James O. Born, a detective novel about the hunt for a killer in New York City
- “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy, a memoir by a former child actor detailing her complex relationship with her abusive mother
*= also on the citywide Top 10 list
With these 10 titles sure to become even more popular, Alicea said librarians are trained to recommend similar titles to the ones above, in the event that a title is not available for checkout.
The city’s public libraries offer much more than books, and with the holidays and winter break coming up, kids can come to the library for storytime and arts and crafts to “fill that gap when they’re not in school with fun education,” Alicea said. She also expects to welcome many adults for resume help, especially those returning to the job hunt after the end of seasonal employment.
But many people do come through the library doors in search of physical books, which are certainly alive and well, according to Alicea, who said that even with NYPL’s vast collection of e-books and audiobooks on their app and website, regular books remain very much in demand.
“I’m definitely a lover of a physical book,” she said. “People love the smell of the book and the feel, and to be able to see the words on paper.”
See here for more on the NYPL Top 10 lists.
Reach Emily Swanson at [email protected] or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
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