The Boston Public Library released its list of the top 10 checked out books of 2024 on Wednesday, along with a slew of stats on its patrons’ reading habits this past year.
Bostonians hit the books hard in 2024, with the library lending out 6.6 million physical and digital items combined, according to the BPL’s end-of-year wrap-up. The BPL also revealed that its branches throughout the city brought in more than 2.3 million visitors and signed up 148,149 new library cardholders this year.
As for its 2024 most borrowed list, author Emily Henry’s 2023 Maine-set romance novel “Happy Place” was the most checked out book of the year, with the title borrowed by patrons more than 10,000 times, according to the BPL. “Happy Place” was checked out 28 percent more than 2023’s most borrowed book, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by author and Harvard alum Gabrielle Zevin.
Overall, BPL chief of collection management Melissa Andrews noted in a statement that nine of the 10 “most frequently borrowed titles were written by women and tell stories that center on women’s experiences.”
“The most frequently borrowed titles of 2024 highlight personal stories of human resilience,” said Andrews. “This past year, readers gravitated toward narratives exploring real-life challenges — heartbreak, mental health, family dynamics, and personal growth, but particularly women’s stories.”
In addition to being the BPL’s most borrowed book of 2024, “Happy Place” topped the library’s lists for adult books and ebooks. Other literary highlights for the year include Suzanne Collins’s “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which was the most popular teen book of 2024; Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw,” which topped the juvenile books list; Claribel A. Ortega’s “Rizos,” which was the top world language book; and Karen Slaughter’s “Pretty Girls,” which took the No. 1 spot on the top audiobooks list.
Check out the BPL’s full list below:
Top 10 checked out books of 2024
1. “Happy Place,” Emily Henry
2. “Lessons in Chemistry,” Bonnie Garmus
3. “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” Gabrielle Zevin
4. “The Woman in Me,” Britney Spears
5. “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” Jennette McCurdy
6. “The Women,” Kristin Hannah
7. “Tom Lake,” Ann Patchett
8. “Fourth Wing,” Rebecca Yarros
9. “Spare, Prince Harry,” Duke of Sussex
10. “It Starts with Us,” Colleen Hoover
Beyond books, the library shared its lists for the most streamed movies and shows via streaming service Kanopy, as well as the most streamed albums through partner Hoopla. The ’50s-set British detective show “Father Brown” topped the visual media list, while Taylor Swift dominated the albums list, taking four of the top 10 spots, including ranking No. 1 for her album “The Tortured Poets Department.” Vermont crooner Noah Kahan also made the cut, with his album “Stick Season” taking the No. 9 spot.
1. “Father Brown”
2. “Detective Montalbano″ season 1
3. “Past Lives”
4. “The Prisoner”
5. “Death in Paradise”
6. “A Perfect Spy”
7. “The Whale”
8. “Donna Leon’s Brunetti Mysteries”
9. “Anatomy of a Fall”
10. “How the Earth Was Made”
1. “The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift
2. “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift
3. “Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)”
4. “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” Chappell Roan
5. “Lover,” Taylor Swift
6. “Reputation,” Taylor Swift
7. “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Billie Eilish
8. “Short N’ Sweet,” Sabrina Carpenter
9. “Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever),” Noah Kahan
10. “Reiki Music”
Matt Juul can be reached at [email protected].
This post was originally published on here
