Queens Public Library at Ridgewood (Google Maps)
Dec. 23, 2020 By Allie Griffin
The Queens Public Library released its list of the top books checked out by readers this year.
During a year of uncertainty, many Queens readers turned to popular titles, the list shows.
“Our list suggests that readers in Queens, the epicenter of the pandemic when it first came to New York City, needed comfort and escape during one of the bleakest periods our communities have ever experienced,” said Dennis M. Walcott, president of Queens Public Library. “People turned to popular titles and authors to keep them connected to the familiar while struggling with so many unknowns.”
The most checked out book of the year was The Guardians, a New York Times best-selling thriller by John Grisham.
The books were primarily borrowed digitally, as physical library branches were temporarily closed from March to July to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The top 10 books checked out by Queens Public Library readers are below.
- 1. The Guardians by John Grisham
- 2. Moral Compass by Danielle Steel
- 3. Becoming by Michelle Obama
- 4. Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born
- 5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
- 6. A Minute to Midnight by David Baldacci
- 7. Educated by Tara Westover
- 8. Criss Cross by James Patterson
- 9. Little Fires Everywhere: A Novel by Celeste Ng
- 10. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Some of the titles also appeared on last year’s list of the most checked-out books, including Becoming and Little Fires Everywhere, which was one of 2019’s top e-books.
Author James Patterson had two books that made the top 10 list this year. He wrote four of the top 10 books on last year’s list.
The number one teen title on Queens Public Library’s 2020 list is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins.
