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With Omicron beating at your door, and while you wait for Santa to come down the chimney, the New York Public Library has published a list of what New Yorkers have been reading in 2021.
With millions of books to choose from, locals’ clear favorite was The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett — but there was space in the lists for Barack Obama and J.K. Rowling.
Gothamist reports that the virtual book club of their parent company, WNYC, was a big driver of reading this year. “Several of the top books — including The Vanishing Half — were featured as part of the WNYC Get Lit! virtual bookclub — a partnership with The New York Public Library started at the height of the pandemic that has led to thousands of checkouts,” said Lynn Lobash, NYPL’s Assistant Director of Reader Services.
The New York Public Library’s Top 10 Checkouts System-Wide in 2021
1. The Vanishing Half: A Novel by Brit Bennett
2. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
3. Klara and the Sun: A Novel by Kazuo Ishiguro
4. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
5. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
6. The Guest List: A Novel by Lucy Foley
7. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
8. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
9. The Other Black Girl: A Novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris
10. Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you are looking for ideas to get kids and teens reading, NYPL has lists for that too!
The New York Public Library’s Top 10 Checkouts System-Wide for Kids in 2021
1. Wrecking Ball (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 14) by Jeff Kinney
2. Guts by Raina Telgemeier
3. Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls (Dog Man #7) by Dav Pilkey
4. The Deep End (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 15) by Jeff Kinney
5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
7. Dog Man: Fetch-22 (Dog Man #8) by Dav Pilkey
8. Sisters by Raina Telgemeier
9. The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 5) by Jeff Kinney
10. Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild (Dog Man #6) by Dav Pilkey
The New York Public Library’s Top 10 Checkouts for Young Adults in 2021
- Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
2. Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
3. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
4. One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
5. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
6. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
7. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
8. Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards
9. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A Hunger Games Novel by Suzanne Collins
10. One of Us Is Next: The Sequel to One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
These lists cover the New York Public Library’s branches in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. At the same time, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library have released their top 10 checkouts of 2021.