Like many things, National Library Week looks a little different this year in the era of social distancing and shelter in place.
However, libraries locally and across the country are still finding ways to celebrate and connect with readers.
If you’re at home and looking for something to add to your reading list, here’s a look at the most popular titles checked out last year from the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System.
Overwhelmingly, readers checked out “Where the Crawdads Sing” more than anything else in the last two years. In 2019, it was checked out 836 times at from Fulton County Library System, which is almost twice as many times as 2018’s most popular library book.
The novel by Delia Owens was on the New York Times best seller list for 67 weeks. Being top sellers is a trait many of the popular library books share.
“Our patrons are definitely getting their reading suggestions from the New York Times best sellers list. All of the titles on these lists have at one time or another spent time on one best seller list or another,” Fulton County Library Executive Director, Gayle Hunter Holloman, previously said via email.
From loaning laptops to hosting virtual storytimes, closed libraries across the metro area continue to find ways to help community members amid the pandemic.
Most checked out titles in 2019 and how many times they were checked out in the year:
Adult
1. "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Ownes
Number of times checked out: 836
2. "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Number of times checked out: 545
3. "Educated: A Memoir" by Tara Westover
Number of times checked out: 498
4. "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones
Number of times checked out: 460
5. "The Reckoning" by John Grisham
Number of times checked out: 448
6. "Nine Perfect Strangers" by Liane Moriarty
Number of times checked out: 441
7. "Past Tense" by Lee Child
Number of times checked out: 429
8. "The Great Alone" by Kristin Hannah
Number of times checked out: 367
9. "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Number of times checked out: 353
10. "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides
Number of times checked out: 344
11. "The Wedding Guest: An Alex Delaware Novel" by Jonathan Kellerman
Number of times checked out: 310
12. "The Woman in the Window" by A. J. Finn
Number of times checked out: 289
13. "Long Road to Mercy" by David Baldacci
Number of times checked out: 287
14. "Liar Liar" by James Patterson
Number of times checked out: 285
15. "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles
Number of times checked out: 271
16. "Winter in Paradise" by Elin Hilderbrand
Number of times checked out: 261
17. "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman
Number of times checked out: 260
17. "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris
Number of times checked out: 260
19. "Redemption" by David Baldacci
Number of times checked out: 253
20. "The President Is Missing" by Bill Clinton
Number of times checked out: 241
Dive deeper into the library data here.
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